ARTHIST 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Yaxchilan, Maya Maize God, Yaxchilan Lintel 24
Document Summary
Lecture name: individuality in maya and moche art. The mayan civilization emerged in the late preclassical period, 400bc-250ad. It reached its peak in 250ad-900ad and then shifted north from 900ad-1521ad. It was one of the most successful cultures in mesoamerica and had pyramids, advanced hieroglyphics, understanding of mathematics and a sophisticated calendar that was in time with cosmic patterns. The vessels were incense burners that were probably used to burn entheogens for shamanistic rituals. The old man represented a sun deity that turned into a jaguar at night. Manifestation of the way (pronounced why ) glyph. Why is it important: the vessel is an important representation of the concept of way, or the idea that someone could transform into something else to take on desired qualities. The vessel holds movement and shows an active transformation, that would have been enhanced as smoke spread out from the base.
