MONOLITHIC SANDEEL OF CHAVÍN: DISCOVERY, CHARACTERISTICS, RELIGION - ART - 2024

The monolithic sandeel of Chavín, popularly known as the Lanzón, is a sculpture made by the Chavín culture of Peru. This great monolith dates from approximately 1000 BC. C. and is located in the Old Temple of the religious and ceremonial center of Huantar.

The name of this stone representation is due to its shape, which is reminiscent of a tusk. However, experts consider that it is an incorrect name, since it really would be a huanca, a Quechua word that designates a sacred stone.

Lanzon de Chavin - Source: Frenchguy under the Creative Commons Generic Attribution / Share-Alike 3.0 license

All the hypotheses developed to date coincide in pointing out that the sandeel had a religious significance. Some authors consider it as the supreme deity of Chavin de Huantar, while others affirm that it was part of an oracle.

The first thing that stands out about the sculpture is its large size. It is a 5-meter high pillar worked to give it a humanoid shape. The figure has jaguar fangs, claw-shaped legs and scepters in the hands. Precisely, the mixture between human and animal traits is one of the main characteristics of sandeel.

Discovery

The first written reference to Lanzón was made by the Italian Antonio Raimondi, who visited the Temple of Chavín in the mid-19th century. In that same century, in 1871, the Peruvian José Toribio Polo baptized the monolith with the name by which it is known today.

As it has been pointed out, at present this denomination is not considered correct since scholars prefer the term huanca, a sacred stone in Quechua.

" Great Image" or "Smiling God"

Already in the 20th century, the work was studied in detail by various archaeologists, such as Julio C. Tello, in 1923, and John Rowe, in 1962. It was the latter who called the image the Smiling God or Great Image and classified it as the deity main of the Chavín religion.

It must be borne in mind that, between the two researchers, a natural catastrophe prevented access to the room where the Lanzón is located. It was a flood that, in 1945, blocked the entrance to the underground galleries.

Characteristics / description of the Lanzón

The Lanzón is located in the Temple of Chavín de Huantar. The construction of this complex was carried out in two different stages: the Old Temple (900 - 500 BC) and the New Temple (500 - 200 BC).

The first of them was designed in a U-shape and has several underground galleries with cells. It is in this Old Temple that the Monolithic Lanzón was found.

Like the rest of the temples of this culture, the Old Temple is made up of different rock galleries located on various levels. Inside this structure you can find a very narrow corridor that leads to the chamber where the Lanzón is located.

Connection with the outside

Other galleries lead from the area where the monolith is to the outside, specifically to the Plaza Circular. According to archaeologists, this square had a ceremonial significance

On the other hand, John Rowe stated that the sculpture must have been made at the beginning of the construction of the Old Temple. Thus, there is consensus in considering that it dates from approximately 1000 BC. C.

Archaeologists also agree that the Lanzón represented the main deity among the Chavines. His cult was attended by priests, the only ones who could enter the underground galleries. Likewise, it is considered that the Huantar temples were the main pilgrimage center for this culture.

General description

The Lanzón is about 4.5 meters high and is shaped like an obelisk. The vast majority is made up of a large piece of white granite that the artisans carved in the shape of a lance. In this way, they managed to represent a figure that mixes human features with those of a feline.

The head, which occupies almost a third of the entire structure, has a feline mouth with two large fangs. Likewise, this head also shows writhing snakes, as if it were the Greek jellyfish. The eyebrows, for their part, look like two curved fangs.

One of the sides shows a smile, which is why some experts have nicknamed it the Smiling God. Similarly, two arms are also distinguished, one that goes down and the other that goes up.

Lines that represent the creature's chest appear under the head. Experts have interpreted that the figure wears wide robes and carved feline heads in that clothing. Finally, the feet are elongated into the shape of two snakes.

characteristics

The main characteristic of the Lanzón, beyond its size and shape, is the mixture of animal and human traits. This, aesthetically, gives the piece a rather confusing visual style. Some experts point out that the fangs and claws can be associated with the jaguar, although others also see references to the alligator. Both animals were common in Andean iconography.

The heads of animals carved on clothing and sharing the same mouth is also another highly complex element. Technically, this type of representations in which two or more elements share contour, is called contour rivalry.

In Chavín art, this technique had a religious motivation. It was about differentiating between those who could distinguish the authentic form, the believers, and those who could not.

Relationship with religion

There seems to be agreement among the experts in considering the Lanzón as the supreme divinity of the Chavín de Huantar. However, theories about its religious significance are varied.

An example in the opinion of Richard Burger, an archaeologist who affirms that the pose of the piece gives him the role of mediating god between opposites. It would be, in this way, the personalization of order and balance.

Axis of the cosmos

The Lanzón is located in such a way that your gaze is directed to the east. The upper part is nailed to the ceiling, while the lower part is buried in the ground. Some authors affirm that this position makes the Lanzón the axis of the cosmos. The great column would be, therefore, the measurer between the earth and the ground.

Luis Guillermo Lumbreras, an archaeologist from Argentina, thinks that the Lanzó would represent a mediator of time. According to his hypothesis, it would have been used to mark the beginning of the summer solstice, when the rainy season began.

Oracle

Another theory is that advocated by Thomas Patterson. This expert believes that the upper area of ​​the Lanzón had to be connected to the upper floor, since the statue has a groove that runs through its structure and ends in a hole in the head of the god.

This circumstance, always according to this scholar, could be used to create an oracle. Thus, the diviners would be next to the figure and those who came in search of an answer on the floor above. The groove would allow the voices from the lower deck to be transmitted to the upper deck, with what appeared to be the god himself speaking.

Initiation Center

The Lanzón was, according to many archaeologists, the destination for many aspiring priests. These had to enter the corridors of the complex and confront the figure. Some findings seem to confirm that these pilgrims were under the effect of hallucinogenic substances, so the effect of seeing the Lanzón must be impressive.

After this initiation rite, the future priests arrived at the circular plaza. There they were received by the whole town, who celebrated that they had passed the test.

References

1. History of Peru. The Monolithic Lanzón. Obtained from historiaperuana.pe
2. Chavín culture. Lanzón Chavín. Obtained from culturachavin.org
3. Educared. Chavin. Obtained from educared.fundaciontelefonica.com.pe
4. Khan Academy. Chavin. Retrieved from khanacademy.org
5. Google Arts & Culture. Chavin. Retrieved from artsandculture.google.com
6. Scher, Sarah. Chavin. Retrieved from smarthistory.org
7. Revolvy. Lanzon. Retrieved from revolvy.com