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ANCIENT MAYA ROYAL STRATEGIES: Creating power and identity through art

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2006

Julia L. J. Sanchez
Julia L. J. Sanchez
Affiliation:
Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1510, USA
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Abstract

Ancient Maya monumental art was designed to enact the physical, social, and ritual hierarchy. Physically, sculpture created barriers and access patterns that altered movement through sites. Monumental architecture separated ritual participants in buildings from audiences in the plazas below. Access to monuments and portrayals on monuments in part defined social and power hierarchies. Motifs were altered to communicate various forms of power appropriate to each context and audience. Complex supernatural themes and ritual roles demonstrated hierarchical differences among the ruler and other nobles, while more simplistic representations of a powerful ruler demonstrated the separation of the ruler from commoners.

Type
Research Article
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 16 , Issue 2 , July 2005 , pp. 261 - 275
Copyright
© 2005 Cambridge University Press

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