Chacmools were often associated with sacrificial stones or thrones. The chacmool form of sculpture first appeared around the 9th century AD in the Valley of Mexico and the northern Yucatán Peninsula. Aztec chacmools bore water imagery and were associated with Tlaloc, the rain god.

Chac, Mayan god of rain, especially important in the Yucatán region of Mexico where he was depicted in Classic times with protruding fangs, large round eyes, and a proboscis-like nose.

plaster cast of a limestone Chac Mool—a Mayan representation of the rain spirit, depicted as a male reclining figure with its knees drawn up together, its staring head at a right angle to its body, and its hands holding on its stomach a flat dish for sacrifices.

Chac Mool is a short story by Carlos Fuentes that tells the tale of a man who becomes obsessed with an ancient Aztec statue. It explores themes of power, possession, and the clash between modernity and tradition.