Ceremonial spindle whorl

According to Maya worldview, the Sun's cyclical journey across the sky, through the underworld, and back again began with the whirling of a spindle. This cosmic relationship is referenced in the carvings which adorn this spindle whorl; the personified sun and its rays of light would be set in motion by the actions of the spinner. The whorl - a fly wheel to give momentum to the rotating spindle - thus becomes a symbol of the world's creation, connecting the creative powers of the gods and the celestial realm with the spinners and weavers on earth.