"The situation (when trying to distinguish different animals in Mayan mythology) is made even more difficult when artists create hybrid creatures which combine crocodilian features with snake and dragon characteristics, with added horns for good measure."---2006, Hope B. Werness, "Animal Symbolism In Art, pp. 119-120.
   "Some eccentrics are fashioned to represent human heads in profile.---The 6th century Copan temple that archaeologists call the "Rosalila structure" contained a large cache of chipped flints, including a number of human profiles."---2008, Charles Phillips, "The Complete Illustrated History Of The Aztec & Maya," p. 480.
    "Flint-chipping reached the perfection of a fine art among the ancient Maya----. Sub-stela caches of eccentric-shaped flints and blades are frequently found buried in the foundations of many Maya monuments"---1947, Sylvanus Griswold Morley, "The Ancient Maya," p. 136.
    "Perhaps the finest examples of this (Mayan) craft that have come down to us are the exceedingly elaborate yet delicately chipped heads for ceremonial staffs which were excavated at El Palmar in Quintana Roo."---1947, Sylvanus Grisworld Morley, "The Ancient Maya," p. 136.
      The records left by those ancient Americans, the Aztecs, Mays, and the Incans, tell us nothing of the origin of maize except in the form of various highly implausible myths."---1974, Paul C. Mangelsdorf, "Corn, Its Origin Evolution And Improvement," p. 3.

 
A COMPLEX MAYAN ECCENTRIC
REPLICATED BY DAN THEUS
THE ORIGINAL IS LATE CLASSIC PERIOD
A.D. 600-900
MEXICO OR GUATEMALA

    Large numbers of Mayan eccentrics have been found in every conceivable shape. They have been discovered in important tombs and in offertory caches under temples and monuments. But only a small number have been found that would compare to the elaborate example illustrated here. This is one of the more complex eccentrics that has ever been found. As far as craftsmanship is concerned it probably rates somewhere in the top 10%. Any ancient or modern flintknapper that can produce complex forms like this must not only have a high degree of skill but an extra measure of patience.

    This complex eccentric illustrates a portion of Mayan mythology that involves the rebirth of the maize god. The maize god is associated with abundance and prosperity and is represented with youthful features as the Maya idea of beauty. The maize god appears prominently in Maya art during the Classic period between the years 200 B.C. and A.D. 900. According to the Quiche Maya, as recorded in their book called Popol Vuh, the gods created humans out of yellow and white corn (maize). Attempts with mud and wood were unsuccessful.

   Ancient cultures around the world have used astronomy in one way or another in various forms of storytelling mythology. Mayan astronomy was used to describe the creation story of the maize god. The movement of the stars created an annual reenactment of the event. The Milky Way was the object in the sky that was described as the cosmic monster. The starry light arched across the sky on August 13th and dove downward into the spirit world where the spirit of First Father received the flesh of humanity and was reborn again as the maize god.

    This Mayan eccentric has been described as representing a canoe with an open mouthed crocodile on the prow. The crocodile image is fiercely represented in an abstract form with horns and a dramatically upturned nose. Five human profiles are located at different points along the edge. One is located at the front, one at the back and three on the top. The combined images illustrates a portion of the Mayan story of creation at the moment when the crocodile god is diving down with his elite passengers into the underworld.

    The original crocodile canoe is larger than Dan's example. It measures 16 3/16 inches (41.1 cm) long, 9 3/4 inches (24.7 cm) wide and 11/16 inch (1.7 cm) thick. Dan's replica measures 11 3/4 inches (29.8 cm) long, 5 inches (12.7 cm) wide and 9/16 inch (1.4 cm) thick. Most eccentrics seem to range in size from 2 1/2 inches (6.3 cm) to 4 1/2 (11.5 cm) inches long. Penderdergast reported eccentrics found at Altun Ha and Lamanai in Belize as large as 30 11/16 inches (78 cm) long. Both of the eccentrics in this picture were made from good quality cherts. The original eccentric is made of a dark brown chert and Dan's copy is made of a lighter brown Texas Pedernales chert.

     The Dan Theus crocodile canoe took 47 hours to make. But that was after three previous attempts. So the total time involved to complete the project was 200 hours. Dan is currently the only person to have made a replica of the original. He made it from a 14 inch long percussion flaked biface that was further shaped along the edge with punch flaking and pressure flaking touch up. Most of the time was spent doing punch flaking.

     The direction that modern flintknapping has taken over the last 30 years is pretty amazing.  Before 1975, most of the larger flaked pieces made in the modern era were either made from old broken artifacts that were rechipped along the edges or made from thin sawed blanks that were flaked with various types of mechanical devices. As the years go by, artisans like Dan Theus continue to copy or replicate more and more of the most advanced examples of ancient lithic artifacts. At this point it seems that the only limitation of what can be duplicated is the availability of very large pieces of chert for flintknappers to work with. One thing is for sure, Dan's crocodile canoe eccentric is one of the most complex lithic pieces that has been made by any of today's modern knappers.

"REFERENCES"

1947, Morley, Sylvanus Griswold, "The Ancient Maya," p. 136.
1974, Mangelsdorf, Paul C., "Corn, Its Origin Evolution And Improvement," p. 3.
1991, Shafer, Harry J., "Late Preclasic Formal Tool Production At Colha, Belize," Maya Tone Tools, Selected Papers From The Second Maya Lithic Conference, p. 38.
2006, Werness, Hope B. "Animal Symbolism In Art, pp. 119-120.
2008, Phillips, Charles, "The Complete Illustrated History Of The Aztec & Maya," p. 480.
Personal Communications with Dan Theus.

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