The monolithic sandeel from Chavín, Popularly known as the sandeel, it is a sculpture made by the Chavín culture of Peru. This great monolith dates from approximately 1000 BC. C. and is located in the Old Temple of the religious and ceremonial center of Huantar.
The name of this stone representation is due to its shape, which is reminiscent of a tusk. However, experts consider that it is an incorrect name, since it would really be a huanca, a Quechua word that designates a sacred stone.
All the hypotheses elaborated to date coincide in pointing out that the sandeel had a religious significance. Some authors consider him as the supreme deity of Chavin de Huantar, while others affirm that he was part of an oracle.
The first thing that stands out about the sculpture is its large size. It is a 5 meter high pillar worked to give it a humanoid shape. The figure has jaguar fangs, claw-shaped legs, and scepters in the hands. Precisely, the mixture between human and animal traits is one of the main characteristics of sandeel.
The first written reference to sandeel was made by the Italian Antonio Raimondi, who visited the Temple of Chavín in the mid-19th century. In that same century, in 1871, the Peruvian José Toribio Polo baptized the monolith with the name by which it is known today.
As has been pointed out, at present this denomination is not considered correct, since scholars prefer the term huanca, a sacred stone in Quechua..
Already in the 20th century, the work was studied in detail by various archaeologists, such as Julio C. Tello, in 1923, and John Rowe, in 1962. It was the latter who called the image the Smiling God or Great Image and classified it as the deity main of the chavín religion.
It must be taken into account that, between the two researchers, a natural catastrophe prevented access to the room where the Lanzón is located. It was a flood that, in 1945, blocked the entrance to the underground galleries.
The sandeel is located in the Temple of Chavín de Huantar. The construction of this complex was carried out in two different stages: Old Temple (900 - 500 BC) and New Temple (500 - 200 BC).
The first of them was designed in a U-shape and has several underground galleries with cells. It is in this Old Temple that the monolithic sandeel was found.
Like the rest of the temples of this culture, the Old Temple is made up of different rock galleries located on various levels. Inside this structure you can find a very narrow corridor that leads to the chamber in which the sandeel is found..
Other galleries lead from the area where the monolith is located to the outside, specifically to the Plaza Circular. According to archaeologists, this square had a ceremonial significance
On the other hand, John Rowe affirmed that the sculpture must have been made at the beginning of the construction of the Old Temple. Thus, there is consensus in considering that it dates from approximately 1000 BC. C.
Archaeologists also agree that the sandeel represented the main deity among the Chavines. His cult was attended by priests, the only ones who could enter the underground galleries. Likewise, it is considered that the Huantar temples were the main pilgrimage center for this culture..
The sandeel is about 4.5 meters high and is shaped like an obelisk. The vast majority is made up of a large piece of white granite that the artisans carved in the shape of a lance. In this way, they managed to represent a figure that mixes human features with those of a feline.
The head, which occupies almost a third of the entire structure, has a feline mouth with two large fangs. Likewise, this head also shows writhing snakes, as if it were the Greek jellyfish. The eyebrows, meanwhile, look like two curved fangs.
One of the sides shows a smile, which is why some experts have nicknamed it the Smiling God. In the same way, two arms are also distinguished, one that goes down and the other that goes up..
Lines that represent the creature's chest appear under the head. Experts have interpreted that the figure wears wide robes and carved feline heads in that clothing. Lastly, the feet are lengthened into the shape of two snakes..
The main characteristic of sandeel, beyond its size and shape, is the mixture of animal and human traits. This, aesthetically, gives the piece a rather confusing visual style. Some experts point out that the fangs and claws can be associated with the jaguar, although others also see references to the alligator. Both animals were common in Andean iconography.
The heads of animals carved on clothing and sharing the same mouth is also another highly complex element. Technically, this type of representation in which two or more elements share contour, is called contour rivalry..
In Chavín art, this technique had a religious motivation. It was about differentiating between those who could distinguish the authentic form, the believers, and those who could not..
There seems to be agreement among experts in considering sandeel as the supreme deity of Chavín de Huantar. However, theories about its religious significance are varied..
An example in the opinion of Richard Burger, an archaeologist who affirms that the pose of the piece gives him the role of mediating god between opposites. It would be, in this way, the personalization of order and balance.
The sandeel is located in such a way that its gaze is directed to the east. The upper part is nailed to the ceiling, while the lower part is buried in the ground. Some authors affirm that this position makes the sandeel the axis of the cosmos. The great column would therefore be the measurer between the earth and the ground..
Luis Guillermo Lumbreras, an archaeologist from Argentina, thinks that the Lanzó would represent a mediator of time. According to his hypothesis, it would have been used to mark the beginning of the summer solstice, when the rainy season began..
Another theory is that advocated by Thomas Patterson. This expert believes that the upper area of the sandeel had to be connected to the upper floor, since the statue has a groove that runs through its structure and ends in a hole in the head of the god..
This circumstance, always according to this scholar, could be used to create an oracle. Thus, the diviners would be next to the figure and those who came in search of an answer on the floor above. The groove would allow the voices from the lower deck to be transmitted to the upper deck, making it appear that the god himself who was speaking.
The sandeel was, according to many archaeologists, the destination for many would-be priests. These had to enter the corridors of the complex and confront the figure. Some findings seem to confirm that these pilgrims were under the effect of hallucinogenic substances, so the effect of seeing the Lanzón should be impressive.
After this initiation rite, the future priests arrived at the circular plaza. There they were received by the whole town, who celebrated that they had passed the test.
Yet No Comments