[Aztlan] Star symbol in Lintel 41 Yaxchilan, Chiapas?

[ECOLING at aol.com]

That Yaxchilan Lintel 41 headdress is referred to by Carolyn Tate
in her book on Yaxchilan p.105 chart as "Tlaloc",
and is part of a typical warfare headdress.   
Still the standard interpretation, I believe.
The "star" to which you refer occurs in the eye of the Tlaloc mask,
which has no lower jaw, if that helps to make it easier to see.
If there is a central circle, that would probably be just part of
the design of the star.

As to what you refer to as "cup-and-ring",
probably safest to refer to it simply as small circle (or: ring)
inside larger circle.   The word "cup" evokes a profile,
which I think you do not mean, and "ring" is ambiguous
between what is worn on a finger, and a larger circle
(ring of bushes around the garden).

The image of a small circle inside a larger circle
is thought in some quarters to be a symbol for jade,
as when a mask or ornaments or a ceremonial tunic
might be made from a number of square-ish plaques
of jade.   There is also a glyph like that, usually read as the 
logogram PET 'to circle' or 'to turn' or related meanings

I would be very interested if it sometimes refers to "star",
but rather doubt that.

Best wishes,
Lloyd

Lloyd Anderson
Ecological Linguistics
PO Box 15156
Washington DC 20003
ecoling at aol.com
202-547-7683