[Aztlan] Jester God

[Jorge Pérez de Lara]

Mario and listeros:

Your inquiry about the Jester god can perhaps be best answered by Dr. 
Virginia Fields' classic paper "The Iconographic Heritage of the Maya 
Jester God," presented at the VI Palenque Round Table and which starts 
with these words:

"The Jester God, a primary icon of power in Classic Period Maya art, was 
first defined by Schele (1974:49) in her analysis of the accession 
iconography of the Group of the Cross at Palenque. The Jester God, named 
for the resemblance of his tri-pointed forehead to the cap of medieval 
court jesters (Schele and Miller 1986:53), is one of the earliest 
symbols associated with Maya rulership and is primarily found attached 
to the ruler's headband or, in its full-bodied form, held as a scepter.

Freidel and Schele (1988) discussed the appearance of the Jester God's 
prototype during the Late Preclassic, where it developed as the 
personification of a three-pointed shape worn on a headband. Throughout 
Maya history the Jester God is closely associated with royal 
portraiture, especially on those monuments commemorating a ruler's 
accession to office."

The entire paper can be downloaded from:

http://www.mesoweb.com/pari/publications/RT08/JesterGod.html

The subject is approached again (and enriched by the latest research) by 
Dr. Fields and Dr. Dorie Reents-Budet in their recent show (and 
accompanying catalog book) Lords of Creation, which opened in LA, Dallas 
and New York City.

Jorge