Chacmool

A Mesoamerican life-sized sculpted stone figure representing a reclining human with head turned to one side, knees drawn up, and hands holding a shallow receptacle flat on the stomach. This was a widespread art form in the Post-Classic Period, especially at the Toltec sites of Tula and Chichen Itza and at Aztec and Tarascan sites. It is located at the entranceway to temples and was probably a repository for offerings.

A life-sized sculpted stone figure in the standardized form of a reclining human, with flexed legs and head gazing to one side, holding a plate-like receptacle flat on the stomach. A widespread phenomenon in the Post-Classic Period of Mesoamerica, it is particularly associated with the Toltec. The precise purpose of the figure is uncertain, but since it is invariably located at the entrance way to a temple it was probably a repository for offerings.