Pascual Abaj (alternatively written Pascual Ab'aj),Ventura Peliz 2007, p. 64. also known as Turcaj, Turk'aj, Turuk'aj and Turukaj,Rodríguez Rouanet et al 1993, p. 18. is a

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era, also known as the pre-contact era, or as the pre-Cabraline era specifically in Brazil, spans from the initial peopling of the Americas in the Upper Paleolithic to the onset of European col ...

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

idol at

Chichicastenango Chichicastenango, also known as Santo Tomás Chichicastenango, is a town, with a population of 71,394 (2018 census), and the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name in the El Quiché department of Guatemala. It is locat ...

that survived the

Spanish conquest of Guatemala In a protracted conflict during the Spanish colonization of the Americas, Spanish colonisers gradually incorporated the territory that became the modern country of Guatemala into the colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain. Before the conquest, this te ...

and which is still venerated by the local community. It is the best-known example of such an image. The image was badly damaged in the 1950s by members of

Catholic Action Catholic Action is a movement of Catholic laity, lay people within the Catholic Church which advocates for increased Catholic influence on society. Catholic Action groups were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic cou ...

History

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 The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and the Spanish colonists.Hart 2008, p. 81. 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

earspool A plug (sometimes earplug or earspool), in the context of body modification, is a short, cylindrical piece of jewelry commonly worn in larger-gauge body piercings. Modern western plugs are also called flesh tunnels. Because of their size—which ...

s 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 high. An observer in the 1950s noted that the figure appeared to have been buried sometime in the past. Traditional Maya shamans regularly perform ceremonies at the shrine, by day and night. The statue is set upon a small altar surrounded by offerings, which include pine branches, crosses, flowers,

copal Copal is a tree resin, particularly the aromatic resins from the copal tree '' Protium copal'' ( Burseraceae) used by the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonially burned incense and for other purposes. More generally, copal includ ...

resin, and items crafted from stone. The shrine has now become a popular tourist attraction where visitors witness traditional Maya ceremonies.

Location

The shrine is located upon a wooded ridge overlooking the Chichicastenango valley, approximately south of the town. The statue is set on a small plateau amongst pine forest.

Etymology

''Abaj'' means "stone" in several contemporary highland Maya languages, including Kʼicheʼ and Kaqchikel,McDougall 1946, 2011, p. 248. while Pascual means "Easter" in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

.Span¡shD!ct. " King Pascual" has been recorded as the subject of veneration since at least the 19th century. Turcaj (spelled Turk'aj in modern Maya orthography) is the Kʼicheʼ name for the hill upon which the shrine is located.Carmack 2001, p. 445.

Notes

References

* Carmack, Robert M. (2001). ''Kik'ulmatajem le Kʼicheʼaab': Evolución del Reino Kʼicheʼ ''(in Spanish). Guatemala: Iximulew. . . *Chládek, Stanislav (2011)
Exploring Maya Ritual Caves: Dark Secrets from the Maya Underworld
' Lanham, Maryland, US: Rowman Altamira. . . *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. . . *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. . . *McDougall, Elsie (2011)

946 Year 946 ( CMXLVI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – King Otto I invades the West Frankish Kingdom with an expeditionary force, but his armies are not strong enough ...

br>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. *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. .
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 fro
the original
on 2017-12-03.

External links

* {{authority control Chichicastenango Maya art Sculptures in Guatemala K'iche' Maya Contact Period Vandalized works of art