Art 4 Unit II Review, Part
II
20.00 This, the second half of the
Maya review, discusses the major Classic and Post-Classic Maya sites,
beginning with Tikal, Copan, and Palenque, then moving to the Puuc
sites of Uxmal and Kabah, and finally to the more northerly Yucatan
Peninsula sites of Chichen Itza, Mayapan, and
Tulum.
21.00 The Peten District of
Guatemala was a relatively fertile territory, capable of supporting
large ceremonial centers such as Tikal and Uaxactun. Tikal likely
functioned as an administrative, religious, and marketing center for
its entire district, with its leaders ruling from their palaces atop
the North Acropolis. The Acropolis was the result of a slow accretion
of buildings over a thousand year period; pyramid temples as well as
palaces adorn its platforms. Just south of it is the Great Plaza
bordered by Temples 1 and 2 (the two large temple pyramids seen in
this picture). Temple 1 concealed the tomb of the ruler Ah Cacao.
Rituals to deceased priest-king and their nagual (their alter-ego,
the jaguar) were doubtlessly enacted here, as at most Maya temple
pyramids.
22.00 The center of Tikal had a
population of 10,000 to 20,000 people, was one of the larger Classic
Maya sites. Its ceremonial sector, composed of dramatic thrusting
pyramids and an expansive Acropolis, was enclosed by suburbs and,
further out, by satellite towns. The various districts of Tikal were
linked by sacbeob (sacred ways), some of which appear on this
plan.
23.00 Although Tikal is famed more
for its architecture than its sculpture, important examples of the
latter have been unearthed at the site. Several of these works
display strong Teotihuacan influence. Stela 31, for instance, depicts
a Maya lord, Stormy Sky, flanked by two figures resembling
Teotihuacan warriors. Archaeologists have identified these figures as
Curl Nose, Stormy Sky's predecessor, who was originally from the
Teotihuacan influenced site of Kaminaljuyu.
24.00 The best known ceramic from
Tikal is an effigy vessel possibly of Itzamna, the Lord of the Four
Celestial Monsters. Here he is represented as a grotesque old man
with broken teeth. Itzamna was the son of the great creator god,
Hunab Ku; with his wife, the moon goddess Ix Chel, Itzamna sired the
other deities of the Maya pantheon.
25.00 The most northwesterly of
major Maya sites is situated in Chiapas State. Its name, Palenque,
has come to be associated with one of the most elegant and gracious
versions of Maya architecture and sculpture. Most of the center rests
on a natural platform which gives its buildings a magnificent view
over the lush, green plain that extends 80 miles to the Gulf Coast.
Palenque, a major ceremonial center for the surrounding district, was
composed of numerous impressive temple platforms and a superb palace
(pictured here) with an accompanying four story high tower. The
palace’s subterranean galleries and long, narrow chambers
doubtlessly fulfilled ceremonial functions. Its sloping mansard roof
is characteristic of the site, as are the delicate stone and stucco
relief figures carved on its roof and pillars.
26.00 The Tablet of the Slaves,
seen here, is one of the refined relief sculptures which originally
decorated the Palace at Palenque. Like the other reliefs of the site,
it is distinguished by an incredible delicacy of line. The subject,
also seen on a relief sculpture of Pacal and his mother Zak Kuk, is
the handing of the "Drum Major's Headdress" to an
elite.
27.00 The degree of respect given
Palenque's priest-rulers is underscored by a discovery made in June
of 1952. In 1949, archaeologist Alberto Ruz had removed a stone slab
in the temple floor of the Pyramid of the Inscriptions, and found a
stairway filled with rubble. For four archaeological seasons, Ruz
cleared debris until he finally reached a door 60' below his starting
point. Elaborately entombed on the other side of the door was the
ruler, Pacal. Pacal was enterred in a 30' long corbel-vaulted burial
chamber nearly filled by a massive stone sarcophagus. Stucco heads
rested on the floor; reliefs of the Nine Lords of the Night adorned
the walls. Within the sarcophagus reclined the body of a priest-king
named Pacal, wearing jade rings on every finger, jade bracelets and
pectorals, and a stunning mask.
28.00 The mask covering the face of
Pacal was composed of 200 pieces of jade, a substance connected in
Maya thought with regeneration and transformation. Pacal is shown as
a youthful figure, perhaps underlining his role as the embodiment of
the youthful Maize God. The lid of Pacal's sarcophagus was carved
with the image of Pacal lying on an earth mask; from his stomach
rises a tree of life with a pheasant (symbol of the sun) seated on
its branches and a sky serpent entwined around its trunk. The relief
is believed to symbolize the death and rebirth of Pacal. Along the
side of this "casket" were hieroglyphics and a date corresponding to
A.D. 700.
29.00 The most southeasterly of all
Mayan sites, Copan reached its climax during the Late Classic period,
at which time it was the location of some of the most advanced
astronomical studies in the Maya territory. Copan’s
priest-astronomers are often credited with calculating the length of
the tropical year and the elapsed time between eclipses, two
discoveries of vital ritual importance. The 75 acre site is composed
of an acropolis (a complex of temples, platforms and terraces) and
five adjacent plazas.
30.00 This reconstruction drawing
of Copan shows the general layout of the ceremonial heart of the
city. The broad plaza lined by bleacher typed seats on three sides
and a temple on the fourth is on the left. In the center is Temple 26
and, just to its left, Copan's ballcourt. The right side of the
drawing shows the massing of platforms and plazas known as the
Acropolis.
31.00 The most distinctive temple
at Copan, Temple 26, sits atop this acropolis and is fronted by the
Court of the Hieroglyphic Stairway. Although Temple 26 is only 86'
high, its broad stairway bears on its steps an inscription of more
than 2000 glyphs, the longest yet found in the Maya area. Five great
sculptures (priest-kings) are positioned along the stairway, one at
the center of every 12th step. Balustrades carved with bird and
serpent motifs complete the temple's sculptural decoration. Recently,
archaeologists have made several exciting finds in and near Temple
26, including the tomb of a scribe and a rich offering cache. At the
base of the temple's platform are a pair of monumental stone
sculptures, Stela M and its altar.
32.00 The pairing of stelae and
altars, a general Maya trait, is reiterated several times in the Main
Plaza of Copan. Most of Copan's stelae display a unique treatment of
their subject matter. In each, a priest-ruler (most frequently an
illustrious king named 18-Rabbit), heavily laden with elaborate
clothing and jewelry, emerges from his stone matrix in a nearly
three-dimensional manner. The fully rounded, sculptural quality of
faces and limbs contrasts markedly with the usual Maya convoluted,
shallow relief style.
33.00 Even deity images from Copan
reflect the more naturalistic, three- dimensional approach to the
body of the site's stelae. The image seen here represents the Maize
God.
34.00 During the 9th century A.D.
many Central Maya Classic period centers, including Copan, Palenque,
and Yaxchilan, declined. There are but scraps of evidence explaining
this precipitous fall. Possible causes include plague, famine brought
about by soil exhaustion, and warfare. The most inclusive answer,
however, is a general weakening of the elite's power. The stelae cult
at many of the Maya heartland sites went into an abrupt decline in
the 9th century and had all but disappeared by A.D. 900. Its
disappearance is a good indication that the aristocracy which
manufactured and erected these historical markers had lost its
prestigious position. Without its central control, construction of
new buildings, and repairs to the old, ceased. The ceremonial centers
gradually decayed and the people seemingly returned to a simpler
peasant existence where tilling their land and feeding their families
were their principle concerns in life. After the ceremonial centers
of Chiapas and the Peten were abandoned, Maya civilization resurfaced
on the Yucatan Peninsula further north, where it reached its final
fluorescence. A range of low-lying hills called the Puuc was the
backdrop for several key Late Classic centers including Uxmal and
Kabah. Uxmal (its plan is slide 34) was the largest and most dominant
site of the Puuc, and its architecture is the most characteristic and
beautiful for the area. Key structures include the Palace of the
Governors, the Nunnery, the Pyramid of the Dwarfs, the Dovecote, and
the House of the Turtles.
35.00 The Palace of the Governors
is decorated with finely cut stone mosaics The mosaics covering the
upper walls of the Palace of the Governors are said to contain 20,000
pieces, each of them shaped and fit into the overall pattern with
great precision. An added attraction of the Governors' Palace is a
corbel-vaulted entrance of projectile point
shape.
36.00 This photograph shows the
Nunnery Quadrangle (left) and the dramatic Pyramid of the Magician
(right). The latter is the tallest structure of
Uxmal.
37.00 The four palaces composing
Uxmal's Nunnery Quadrangle (a residential complex for priests)
display the site's usual boldly patterned surfaces. The
characteristic Puuc style with its plain lower wall and heavily
ornamented upper wall is at its best here. Stone slabs set into the
concrete walls depict two-headed serpents, deity images, thatched
huts, and an assortment of other motifs set against a lattice-like
background of stylized snake scales.
38.00 The most eye-catching
structure at Uxmal, because of its elevation, is the Pyramid of the
Magician (seen here). Over a hundred feet high, it soars above
Uxmal's palaces, forming a vertical counterpoint to their
horizontality. According to one legend, it was built in a single
night by a dwarf-magician who, by accomplishing this feat, became the
lord of Uxmal. Whatever the merit of this story, it is assuredly a
magical structure, with its strange oval cross-section, five temple
rooms, and profusion of long-nosed sky serpent (Chac) masks (seen
along the edge of the stairway). The Chac masks of Uxmal's Pyramid of
the Magician are a reflection of the Puuc's dire need of water. The
only source of water was from rain collected in chultunes or cisterns
during the wet season. Thus Chac, the rain god, was of supreme
importance to the Maya of Uxmal and the other Puuc
sites.
39.00 The Palace of the Masks at
Kabah shows a proliferation of Chac motifs that is utterly
astounding. The entire outer surface of this 147' long building is
covered with long-nosed sky serpents positioned one above the other.
The spread of motifs over both upper and lower portions of the facade
suggests a departure from the usual Puuc style and reveals influences
from the Chenes style of Maya architecture centered further south.
Uxmal, Kabah, and nearby Labna were all abandoned during the 13th
century, possibly because of Mexican intrusions and the destruction
of the chultunes. Their decline was followed by a resurgence of Maya
activity still further north, in an area noted for its cenotes or
sinkholes. These cenotes were, in effect, natural cisterns which
provided the most northerly Maya sites with their most precious
commodity, water.
40.00 Of all the Northern Lowland
sites, Chichen Itza is perhaps the most fascinating and historically
important. Occupied by the Maya from the 8th to 10th centuries A.D.,
Chichen Itza possesses several Puuc style buildings such as the
Iglesia and Nunnery. Unlike true Puuc architecture to the south,
these are decorated from top to bottom with mosaic designs. The
motifs are similar, however, and the long-nosed sky serpent is as
popular here as at Uxmal and Kabah.
41.00 The history of Chichen Itza
is a complex one. In the late 9th century A.D., a group of people
from the north, the Itza (possibly Chontal Maya from Tabasco state),
arrived in the Yucatan and eventually settled at Chichen Itza. About
a century later, Toltecs arrived at the site and merged with the
Itza. The Toltec presence at Chichen Itza seems to immediately follow
the legendary conflict at Tula between Ce Acatl Topiltzin
Quetzalcoatl and the followers of Tezcatlipoca. According to the
Toltec stories, Ce Acatl was driven from Tula about A.D. 987 and
disappeared with his followers to the east. Maya tales speak of a
character named Kukulcan (“Feathered Serpent”) who emerges
at Chichen Itza at this time to become the site’s ruler. These
stories are substantiated by a considerable body of archaeological
evidence. Two important temple pyramids, the Castillo and Temple of
the Warriors, are of Toltec conformation. The Castillo, seen at the
end of the sacbe leading from the Sacred Cenote in this drawing, was
apparently dedicated to the Feathered Serpent and possesses serpent
columns and relief warrior figures reminiscent of those discovered at
Tula.
42.00 One of the most fascinating
structures at Chichen Itza is the unique Caracol, a 41' high
observatory of round cross-section. A spiral staircase within the
core of the building leads to a small room with strategically placed
slits that line up with astronomically important events and the
cardinal directions. Architectural details suggest both Maya and
Toltec input into the Caracol's design.
43.00 Chichen Itza's Pyramid of the
Warriors is composed of outer and inner structures, perhaps
reflecting the idea of a 52 or 104 year cycle of ceremonial renewal
tied in with the Calendar Round. This temple pyramid is fronted by an
extensive colonnade, very much like Tula's Pyramid B. Toltec serpent
columns stand at the entrance to the temple structure, a chacmool
graces its platform, and Toltec-like atlantean figures support an
altar on its summit.
44.00 The Chacmool seen in this
photograph was found atop the Pyramid of the Warriors. Like so many
of that pyramid's attributes, the Chacmool points to Toltec
influence. The Toltec presence at Chichen Itza lasted approximately
200 years and coincided with the site's political climax. Beside the
Pyramid of the Warriors, the Dance Platform of the Jaguars and Eagles
with its reliefs of these creatures devouring human hearts, and a
roughly carved skull rack supply further corroborating evidence for
the Toltec presence. Recent studies have suggested Chichen possessed
a multepal, confederacy type, of government during this period in
which the Itza, Maya, and Toltec all
participated.
45.00 One of the most distinctive
attributes of Chichen Itza is its sacred cenote, the Well of
Sacrifice. This sink hole with 65' high vertical cliffs was the site
of numerous rituals throughout the Maya and Itza-Toltec occupations.
A long, broad path leads from the base of the Castillo’s main
stairway to the cenote. Processions must have taken this route as
young men and women readied themselves to jump into the Well, either
to drown as sacrificial victims, or to live and tell their people the
wishes of the rain god. Material offerings were also proffered here:
gold face ornaments and disks with repousse designs, small stone
sculptures, and sacrificial knives have been dredged from the
cenote's murky waters.
46.00 At the beginning of the 13th
century Chichen Itza's power ebbed and the site was abandoned except
for occasional visits by pilgrims. After its decline, Mayapan seems
to have wrested control of the northern Yucatan Peninsula. A true
city, Mayapan was the headquarters for the rulers of city-states from
the surrounding territory. Its population of some 10,000 people lived
in small houses encircled by low walls of shoddy workmanship. In
fact, most of Mayapan's architecture was composed of stones roughly
embedded in plaster, very poor reflections of the great structures of
Uxmal and Chichen Itza. Its ceramic production, too, shows the
disintegration of aesthetic standards; ceramics are mass-produced and
poorly fired. The example to the right represents Ek Chuah, the
patron god of merchants and of warfare. The cultural decline seen at
Mayapan may well be the result of its warmongering elite, whose sole
desire was seemingly to amass tribute. This body of individuals
brought about the political disintegration of the site when a civil
war broke out between two power-hungry lineages. The result was the
abandonment of Mayapan and the accelerated decay of Maya culture in
general.
47.00 Rival statelets in continual
conflict dotted the Yucatan after the fall of Mayapan. Tulum, on the
coast of Quintana Roo, was the only noteworthy site during this
period of decadence. Spectacularly perched above the Caribbean, its
location alone makes it a tourist’s
delight.
48.00 Despite the scenic beauty of
Tulum, this walled town's architecture and frescoes are but pale
shadows of the impressive art of earlier times. The Temple of the
Frescoes is a short, dumpy, poorly made structure of miniature
size.
49.00 Tulum was one of the first
Maya sites encountered by the Spaniards. From their view offshore,
Tulum was compared with the beautiful Seville. Before long, Tulum and
the other Maya centers would lie in ruin; the Maya domination of the
Yucatan and Guatemala was replaced by the new, more brash
civilization from Europe.
