The Cydonia Institute Vol. 1 No. 5 ◘
The "Face on Mars" Has Teeth
by George J. Haas
June 1998
One of the most interesting attributes of Mesoamerican royalty that is incorporated in the Face is the use of elaborate facial ornaments. Many factions of the ancient Mesoamerican people produced elaborate facial adornments out of gold, which were sometimes called the "tears" of the gods. Nose ornaments were shaped in such exotic designs as that of geometric hummingbirds and butterflies (Figure 1a). These ceremonial facial ornaments are so large that they sometimes covered the entire nose. Richard C. Hoagland and other researchers have been concerned about the absence of a distinct nose formation in the new MOC image. They have speculated that the nose was blown off sometime in the past by a meteorite (or by the acts of some ancient Martian war). The debris or fallout of this "major hit" distorted the nose and left an odd feature, that Hoagland called the "Teardrop" resting on the cheek of the Face. Interestingly this remnant of the nose, later called the "Teardrop" fell within such a precise placement on the cheek that it is aligned with the center of the "City Square" in the Cydonia complex. The precise alignment and measurement of the "Teardrop" feature would lead one to conclude that it was actually part of an intentional design.1
The nose is obscured because, what we are actually seeing is a large ceremonial nose ornament. The "Teardrop" is just one part of a larger facial ornament that covers the entire nose area. This type of ornamentation over the nose is typical of the ones used throughout Mesoamerica. The segmented nose ornament on the small four-inch tall Tairona pendant in figure 1b resembles the bar-like design feature across the bridge of the nose on the humanoid side of the Face.
Figure 1
Mesoamerican Nose Ornaments
a. Aztec gold nose ornament: Butterfly.
Note the rod went through the septum of the nose to support the adornment
Drawing by George J. Haas
(Image source: Aztecs: Reign of Blood & Splendor by Time-Life)
b. Tairona, gold Pendant: Warrior
Note the segmented nose ornament of the nose and the oval chin adornment
Drawing by George J. Haas
(Image source: Lost Empires, Living Tribes by the National Geographic Society)
Next, if we look at the mouth area of the Humanoid side of the Face we may see another example of a Mesoamerican ceremonial feature (Figure 2). Two objects, that appear to be teeth, can be seen directly below the nose ornament in the mouth area. In the center of each these front teeth is a dot, possibly representing a dental gemstone. This dot feature is similar in design to the Mesoamerican practice of decorating the front teeth with gemstones and elaborate gold dental caps.
Figure 2
Analytical sketch of Humanoid side of the 1998 MGS Face
The Maya produced elaborate beads of jade, obsidian, or iron pyrite that were fashioned into decorative fillings that were embedded into the front teeth.2 Take note of the deliberate mutilation and decoration of the upper incisors in this drawing of Mesoamerican dentistry from Uaxactun Mexico (figure 3).
Figure 3
Mesoamerican dentistry (Uaxactum, Mexico, Late Classic Maya)
Note the "dot" shaped gemstone on the two front teeth.
Drawing by George J. Haas
(Image source: The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya an
illustrated dictionary of Mesoamerican by Mill & Taube)
The teeth on either side of the central incisors have been filed down enabling the two front teeth to appear more prominent. Amazingly, this is the same effect that is displayed on the Humanoid side of the Face.
Footnotes
1. Richard C. Hoagland, The Monuments of Mars: A City on the Edge of Forever, 4th ed. (Berkeley: North Atlantic, 1992), 22.
2. J. Eric S. Thompson, The Rise and Fall of Maya Civilization (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma, 1966), 214.
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