Kinich Ahau at Kohunlich

This is the face of the sun god Kinich Ahau in The Temple of the Masks at Kohunlich. The masks all face west so that the setting sun illuminates them. It was thought that Kinich Ahau traveled down into and through the underworld at night, to rise again the next morning, and the masks may have been purposefully situated to encourage the sun god in his dangerous journey through the darkness of the underworld of Xibalba. The masks are incredibly ornate and show a high degree of skill in craftsmanship. Kohunlich was an important Maya trading center which thrived between 200 BCE and 900 CE.