Inventory of Stelae
Stelae are carved stone shafts, often sculpted with figures and hieroglyphs. A selection of the most notable stelae at Takalik Abaj follows:
Stela 1 was found near to Stela 2 and moved near to the administrator's house of the San Isidro Piedra Parada plantation. It is 1.36 metres (54 in) high, 0.72 metres (28 in) wide and 0.45 metres (18 in) thick. It bears the sculpture of a standing figure facing to the left, holding a sceptre in the form of a serpent with a dragon mask at the lower end; a feline is on top of the serpent's body. It is similar in style to Stela 1 at El Baúl. A badly eroded hieroglyphic text is to the left of the figure's face, which is now completely illegible. This stela is early Maya in style, dating to the Late Preclassic.
Stela 2 is a monument in the early Maya style that is inscribed with a damaged Long Count date. Due to its only partial preservation, this date has at least three possible readings, the latest of which would place it in the 1st century BC. Flanking the text are two standing figures facing each other, the sculpture probably represents one ruler receiving power from his predecessor. Above the figures and the text is an ornate figure depicted in profile looking down at the left-hand figure below. Stela 2 is located in front of the retaining wall of Terrace 5.
Stela 3 is badly damaged, being broken into three pieces. It was found somewhere on the San Isidro Piedra Parada plantation although its exact original location is not known. It was moved to a museum in Guatemala City. The lower portion of the stela depicts two legs facing to the left standing upon a horizontal band divided into three sections, each section containing a symbol or glyph.
Stela 4 was uncovered in 1969 and moved near to the administrator's house on the San Isidro Piedra Parada plantation. It is of a style very similar to the stelae at Izapa and stands 1.37 metres (54 in) high. The stela bears a complex design representing an undulating vision serpent rising toward the sky from the water flowing from two earth monsters, the jaws of the serpent are open wide towards the sky and from them emerges a characteristically Maya face. Several glyphs appear among the imagery. This stela is early Maya in style and dates to the Late Preclassic.
Stela 5 is reasonably well preserved and is inscribed with two Long Count dates flanked by representations of two standing figures portraying rulers. The latest of these two dates is AD 126. The right-hand figure is holding a snake, while the left-hand figure is holding what is probably a jaguar. This monument probably represents one ruler passing power to the next. A small seated figure is carved onto each of the sides of this stela along with a badly eroded hieroglyphic inscription. The style is early Maya and has affinities with sculptures at Izapa.
Stela 12 is located near Structure 11. It is badly damaged, having been broken into fragments, of which two remain. The largest fragment is from the lower portion of the stela and depicts the legs and feet of a figure, both facing in the same direction. They stand upon a panel divided into geometric sections, each containing a further design. In front of the legs are the remains of a glyph that appears to be a number in the bar-and-dot format. A smaller fragment lies nearby.
Stela 13 dates to the Late Preclassic. It is badly damaged, having been broken in two parts. It is carved in early Maya style and bears a design representing a stylised serpentine head, very similar to a monument found at Kaminaljuyu. Stela 13 was erected at the base of the south side of Structure 7A. At the base of the stela was found a massive offering of more than 600 ceramic vessels, 33 prismatic obsidian blades, as well as other artifacts. The stela and the offering are associated with the Late Preclassic royal tomb known as Burial 1.
Stela 14 is on the southern edge of Terrace 3, in the Central Group, where it is one of 5 monuments in an east-west row. It is fashioned from andesite and has 26 cup-like depressions upon the upper surface. It is one of the few such monuments found within the ceremonial centre of the city. Altar 48 was found underneath Stela 14 in 2008, having been carefully covered by it in antiquity. Stela 14 measures 2.25 by 1.4 metres (7.4 by 4.6 ft) by 0.75 metres (2.5 ft) thick and weighs more than 6 tonnes (6.6 short tons). The lower surface of the stela had been sculpted completely flat with 6 small cupmarks and a series of marks forming a design reminiscent of the discarded skin of a snake or of a vertebral column.
Stela 15 is another monument on the southern edge of Terrace 3, one of a row of five.
Stela 29 is a smooth andesite monument at the southeast corner of Structure 11 with seven steps carved into its upper portion.
Stela 34 was found at the base of Structure 8, where it was one of a row of five monuments.
Stela 35 was another of the five monuments found at the base of Structure 8.
Stela 53 is a fragment of sculpture that was found in the latter Early Preclassic phase of Structure 12, directly behind Stela 5. Stela 53 forms a part of the Cargador del Ancestro sculpture. Stela 5 was placed at the same time that Stela 53 was embedded in Structure 12, and the long count date on the former also allows the placing of Stela 53 to be fixed in time at Late Preclassic–Early Classic transition.
Stela 61 is a part of the Cargador del Ancestro sculpture. In the Late Preclassic–Early Classic transition it had been embedded in the east access stairway to Terrace 3.
Stela 66 is a plain stela dating to the Late Preclassic. It is found in the West Group, on Terrace 6.
Stela 68 was found at the southeast corner of Mound 61A on Terrace 5. This stela was broken in two and the remaining fragments appear to belong to two separate monuments. The stela, or stelae, once bore early Maya sculpture but this appears to have been deliberately destroyed, leaving only a few sculptured symbols.
Stela 71 is an early Maya carved fragment reused in the construction of a water channel by Structure 7.
Stela 74 is a fragment of Olmec-style sculpture that was found in the Middle Preclassic fill of Structure 7, where it was placed when that structure replaced the Pink Structure. It bears a foliated maize design topped with a U-symbol within a cartouche and has other, smaller, U-symbols at its base. It is very similar to a design found on Monument 25/26 from La Venta.
Read more about this topic: Takalik Abaj, Site Description and Layout, Stone Monuments