Tikal Burial 196 Tomb of the Jade Jaguar - Maya Archaeology

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throne scenes is outside the scope of this report, but a few
comments will be made. Of primary importance is the fact that
the figures appear to be human, with bird attributes only as
part of a costume. This may be seen where the skin of the
left bird-man is represented by reddish brown paint: i.e.,
the hands, the feet, parts of the back and side of the waist
and possibly the back of the neck. Costumes which almost completely
cover the human figure are found on several well known
pottery scenes: i.e., on the Chama vase (Morley, 1956, Pl.
92a) and on one of the vases from Uaxactun (Ibid., 91), in
both of which the costume merely forms a black covering.
The most characteristic feature of the bird-men are
their beaks. The author first thought it was a hummingbird
beak, others suggested mosquito. A careful analysis of this
mask will show that it possesses certain features that may
eventually provide a proper identification of it. Its most
pronounced feature is the length of the beak and its thinness.
The length and proportions are reminiscent of a hummingbird,
but hummingbirds do not have hooks at the end of
their beaks. The presence of a hook at the end of a long,
slender, beak suggests that the bird is some sort of freshwater
species. A final feature that may help in eventual identification
is the slight nob where the nostril is located next
to the face.
An additional feature of this bird is the glyph which