Altar 1 from Uaxactun (Peten, Guatemala): analysis of the zoomorphic monument of the ancient Maya

Altar 1 ol Uaxactun discovered in 1921, is one ol the not well-known monuments ol that important Classic Maya political center and still only superficially described in historiography. That is a monument ol irregular shape that depicts a turtle and belongs to the category ol zoomorphic altars - the images ol mythical monsters. The turtle carapace is covered with poorly preserved reliel, a detailed analysis ol which was made possible thanks to the production ol a 3D model ol the altar, prepared as part ol the research work ol the Regional archaeological project ol Uaxactun (PARU). This publication is devoted to the analysis ol iconography and the definition ol the role ol the monument in the history ol the city. Altar 1 is associated with a mythological story ol Maize God resurrecting lrom a Cosmic Turtle symbolizing the Earth. In the iconography ol the monument the Maize God is impersonated by the king ol Uaxactun known as «Sunraiser», his name is recorded in the headdress, who ruled at the turn of the IV-V cent. and is mentioned on stelae 4 and 5, as well as on the murals of structure B-XIII. By analogy with similar monuments, we assume that Altar 1 of Uaxactun could be a posthumous monument of the «Sunraiser» and was erected between 402-406 AD.