Quatrefoil

A quatrefoil (anciently caterfoil)[1] is a decorative element consisting of a symmetrical shape which forms the overall outline of four partially overlapping circles of the same diameter.

[2] The word 'quatrefoil' means "four leaves", from the Latin quattuor, "four", plus folium, "leaf";[3] the term refers specifically to a four-leafed clover, but applies in general to four-lobed shapes in various contexts.

The Monastery of Stoudios in Constantinople, built in 462 AD, features arches seen to be the product of taking a regular quatrefoil and dividing it in half.

[6] In ancient Mesoamerica, the quatrefoil is frequently portrayed on Olmec and Mayan monuments, such as at La Blanca, Guatemala where it dates to approximately 850 BC.

The quatrefoil depicts the opening of the cosmic central axis at the crossroads of the four cardinal directions, representing the passageway between the celestial and the underworld.

The associated imagery is related to agricultural fertility and the arrival of rain,[8][9] as evidenced by the rain-bearing clouds above the quatrefoil portal.

A good example is the altar from El Perú (Maya site), which features a quatrefoil on the back of a zoomorphic creature in which sits a ruler.