Mayan Artifacts 1-10

1.This gold pendent represents a  unknown Mayan ruler of the Post-Classical period ( c. 900-1500 A.D.), it was discovered at a site near Palenque. It is a fine example of the Mayans advanced use of metal work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  2.This stone bust of a maize god displays the

 mayan's artistic skill and  precision in sculpting the human form. It also illiterates there interact relationship with agriculture, and corn which was the main crop that provided subsistence and nutrition for there population.

 3.

This stone relief carving scene represents a bloodletting ritual performed by the king of Yaxchilán, Shield Jaguar the Great , and his wife, Lady K'ab'al Xook.The king holds a flaming torch over his wife, who is pulling a thorny rope through her tongue. The Mayan religion placed incredible importances on the act of self inflicted suffering, an act that prolonged the very existences of the world. The mayan rulers were expected to perform these deeply sacred rituals as an act of sacrifice and  appeasement to the gods.

 

 4.

 This Maya head was carved from a single block of jade. The eyes were probably inlaid originally, with shell or other materials. Representations in ceramics, mural paintings, stone and other media suggest that such heads were mounted on a belt worn by Maya rulers. This particular jade masked belonged to the mother of the  powerful king Yax Pac of Copan. Luxurious works of art such as this mask show the thriving artistry of the mayans, who's elite regularly commissioned highly skilled artists to create works that displayed there power and prestige.

 5.

This beautiful example was found at Nebaj, a Maya site in the highlands of Guatemala. The most common themes on Nebaj style polychrome vessels are tribute and warfare. The scene here represents the delivery of tribute to a seated lord. Above the basket presented to him are a series of six hieroglyphs which indicate his name and titles, while the other glyph panels correspond to those of the four figures in the scene. Their jewelry, clothing and spangled turbans adorned with flowers suggest that they are members of the élite.

 
 
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6. This shell has a series of  hieroglyphs carved into it. One refers to warfare, while another mentions a person whose name is also found on jade objects thrown as offerings into the Cenote  of Sacrifice, at Chichen Itza. These shells originated on the coasts of the Yucatan, but was found in the interior of Guatemala, clearly evidence of a large trade network across the Mayan world.    

The scene on this plaque, carved in the so-called 'Nebaj style', shows a Maya lord or ruler seated on a throne with a smaller figure at his feet. The lord wears earplugs, a large pectoral, armlets, wristlets, a belt with a mounted head and a zoomorphic headdress decorated with long feathers. On his left arm he carries a shield with a representation of the Jaguar God, a god of the Underworld. This artifact also shows the Mayan's fascination with the after world, who's mythology was incredibly complex. 

                                                             8.

This pectoral , broken on both sides, was carved by an Olmec artist and reused by the Maya, as shown by the two Maya glyphs on the left side. The edges framing the head at the top and bottom indicate that it could also have been part of a larger pectoral. This artifact is also clear evidence of significant cross cultural contact and diffusion, common in Mesoamerica.

 

This stone probably represented a mayan warrior of high statues . This head was part of the elaborate decoration on the exterior of a large temple structure, most of which was badly degraded by the passage of time. 

   

 

 9. This Mayan stone relief carving is but one panel of a extensive series of carvings that record the exploits and military campaigns of the powerful king Shield Jaguar.