Artifact

In Mayan culture, the jade mask is often known as the death mask and is placed over the face of the deceased. The mask is a representation of the the Maize God. The mask is in many pieces but doesn't appear to broken but is rather a "whole of many parts." This could also be representative of the aspirations of the Maya to be "one with the Maize God." The idea of many parts creating a whole can be applied to the construction and layout of a city or site such as Uxmal. Separately there are many different parts to a city or site but each different part of the construct serves to form a whole city that serves all of the needs of its inhabitants. (Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya, p69)