Archaeology Museum - Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
Page 10

Reclining figures like these are called Chacmools. They have been found at a wide variety of sites, including Tula, Chichen Itza, and Tenochtitlan. Archaeologists are not certain if they were invented by the Maya or the Toltecs. The figure is thought to represent a fallen warrior; the central depression was used for sacrifices. The name Chacmool is not an ancient name; it was contrived in 1875 by a French archaeologist named Augustus LePlongeon.