Pascual Abaj

Pascual Abaj (alternatively written Pascual Ab'aj),[1] also known as Turcaj,[2] Turk'aj,[3] Turuk'aj and Turukaj,[4] is a pre-Columbian Maya idol at Chichicastenango that survived the Spanish conquest of Guatemala and which is still venerated by the local community. It is the best-known example of such an image.[5] The image was badly damaged in the 1950s by members of Catholic Action.[6]

Pascual Abaj
Turcaj / Turk'aj / Turuk'aj / Turukaj
The statue in 1948, before it was defaced
Religion
AffiliationMaya religion
DistrictQuiché Department
RegionGuatemalan Highlands
DeityRey Pascual
Location
MunicipalityChichicastenango
CountryGuatemala
Location in Guatemala
Geographic coordinates14.936858°N 91.114675°W / 14.936858; -91.114675

History
Front view of Pascual Abaj in 2008

After the Spanish conquest, the stone figure is said to have been carried away from a site in the village of Chichicastenango and reset upon the hill so offerings could be made away from the vigilance of the Catholic Church and the Spanish colonists.[2]

Before it was defaced, the statue was described as a grotesque human figure with a large head and high, pointed forehead. It had two circular earspools in line with its mouth; its arms were crossed on its chest, with the fingers extended. A cord was sculpted around its waist, to which was attached the image of an inverted severed human head. It stood approximately 1 metre (3.3 ft) high. An observer in the 1950s noted that the figure appeared to have been buried sometime in the past.[4]

Traditional Maya shamans regularly perform ceremonies at the shrine, by day and night.[3] The statue is set upon a small altar surrounded by offerings, which include pine branches, crosses, flowers, copal resin, and items crafted from stone.[3] The shrine has now become a popular tourist attraction where visitors witness traditional Maya ceremonies.[7]

Location

The shrine is located upon a wooded ridge overlooking the Chichicastenango valley,[8] approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of the town.[9] The statue is set on a small plateau amongst pine forest.[4]

Etymology

Abaj means "stone" in several contemporary highland Maya languages, including K'iche' and Kaqchikel,[10] while Pascual means "Easter" in Spanish.[11] "King Pascual" has been recorded as the subject of veneration since at least the 19th century.[10] Turcaj (spelled Turk'aj in modern Maya orthography) is the K'iche' name for the hill upon which the shrine is located.[3]

See also

Notes
  1. Ventura Peliz 2007, p. 64.
  2. Hart 2008, p. 81.
  3. Carmack 2001, p. 445.
  4. Rodríguez Rouanet et al 1993, p. 18.
  5. Früsorge 2015, p. 178.
  6. Hart 2008, p. 82.
  7. Hart 2008, pp. 81–82.
  8. Chládek 2011, p. 98.
  9. Ventura Peliz 2007, p. 64. Cook, Offit, and Taube 2013, p. 145.
  10. McDougall 1946, 2011, p. 248.
  11. Span¡shD!ct.

References
  • Carmack, Robert M. (2001). Kik'ulmatajem le K'iche'aab': Evolución del Reino K'iche' (in Spanish). Guatemala: Iximulew. ISBN 99922-56-22-2. OCLC 253481949.
  • Chládek, Stanislav (2011) Exploring Maya Ritual Caves: Dark Secrets from the Maya Underworld Lanham, Maryland, US: Rowman Altamira. ISBN 9780759119871. OCLC 741455505.
  • Cook, G. W.; T. A. Offit, T. A.; and R. Taube (2013). "The Dynamics of Contemporary: Maya Religious Tradition: Agency and Structure in Selected Case Studies" in Indigenous Religion and Cultural Performance in the New Maya World. Albuquerque, New Mexico, US: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 9780826353191. OCLC 848918202.  – via Project MUSE (subscription required)
  • Früsorge, Lars (2015) "Sowing the stone: sacred geography and cultural continuity. Economy among the Highland Maya of Guatemala." Estudios de cultura maya 45: 171–189. Mexico City, Mexico: Instituto de Investigaciones Filólogicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. ISSN 2448-5179.
  • Hart, Thomas (2008) The Ancient Spirituality of the Modern Maya. Albuquerque, New Mexico, US: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 9780826343505. OCLC 609225980.
  • McDougall, Elsie (2011) [1946] "Observations on Altar Sites in the Quiche Region, Guatemala" Notes on Middle American Archaeology and Ethnology 62: 243–249. Boulder, Colorado, US: University Press of Colorado.  – via Project MUSE (subscription required)
  • Rodríguez Rouanet, Francisco; Edwin Soto; Fernando Seijas; Gerardo Townson Rincón (1993). Quiché. Colección Monografías de Guatemala 12 (in Spanish). Guatemala: Banco Granai & Townson, S.A. OCLC 32156736.
  • Span¡shD!ct. www.spanishdict.com. Curiosity Media. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
  • Ventura Peliz, Sebastiana Elizabeth (April 2007) El turismo en Guatemala; análisis económico jurídico y social del turismo en Santo Tomás Chichicastenango, departamento del Quiché. Guatemala City, Guatemala: Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala: Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales. Retrieved 2017-12-03. Archived from the original on 2017-12-03. (in Spanish)

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