Structure 23 has since collapsed. Now, the sculptures from all of these communities, these smaller places like El Tunel or Laxtunich, tend to be fairly emphatic in emphasizing that almost suffocating centralized control that emanates from Yaxchilan. emperors. And they probably wouldve done this trip earlier, but World War II intervened. His son and heir, Bird Jaguar IV, continued this tradition. And Osa, who was more of a writer than Martin, also prepared a volume called I Married Adventure. And thats when we start seeing very large cities, in fact, of a scale, of a magnitude that really is seldom documented even anywhere else in the world. The portrait of Mao Zedong that hangs over Tiananmen has never been taken down since the day it And this is a process that really, really intensified in the sixties and seventies, and even beyond. The giant portrait that hangs over Tiananmen depicts one of the founders of ancient China. The sculpture occupies almost the . Now the other thing that, to me, is fascinating about even considering the problem of time, the way we might conceptualize it with respect to this carving, is that the carving itself, as we studied it, tends to prefigure later carvings by this very same sculptor, so theres a rich oeuvre, we know, of his work over a ten-year span. Sculptures made of jade range from deity figures (1979.206.1069) made for cached offerings to amulets (02.18.309) and beads to be worn by rulers and deposited in their funerary chambers to be taken with them to the afterlife. Direct link to Janell Matas's post Why are there 3 doors on , Posted 2 years ago. Wearing an exquisitely woven "huipil,"Lady K'abal Xook pulls a thorned rope through her tongue in the principal form of blood sacrifice perfomed by royal women. Why are there 3 doors on most of the temples here? Direct link to Emma.Horsefan.2004's post maby it was to show the d, Posted 6 years ago. Her necklace also appears to have a pectoral depiction of the sun god. The jester mask is considered analogous to the glyph for kingship, ajaw, and is named so for the vegetation often depicted coming from the crown of it. Much has been written on the extraordinary carved lintels of Tikal. false The sculpture Chibinda Ilunga, made by the Chokwe people of Central Africa, depicts a king as a powerful hunter true Lintel 25 made the journey in 1883. And the other is a magnate. HOUSTON: The next part of the project is to get back to the jungle. There seems to be pretty good evidence that the known carvers at Bonampak came from Yaxchilan. Not on view. And these figures are always looking down on you, in a way that the Maya thought of the ancestors as doing on a perennial basis. One such site is Yaxchiln (pronounced Yash-chee-LAN) located in Chiapas, Mexico (close to the border of Guatemala) between the famous Maya cities of Copn and Palenque. Hes a bit of a turncoat. And then finally, its a time in which we have really pretty strong evidence for a kind of hegemonic empire that is centered on one important kingdom in particular, Calakmul. It would be a nice marketing twist and a climax to his story. Many different building materials have been used for lintels.[1]. For photos, transcripts, and other resources, visit getty.edu/podcasts and if you have a question, or an idea for an upcoming episode, write to us at podcasts@getty.edu. He tended to be highly unreliable in any communications. how do we know that they really did worship shield jaguar, and how do we know the picture showed the queen? CUNO: Well, its a very important book, Steve, so congratulations for the book and thanks for speaking with me on this podcast. 2 : to produce by labor. And by simply compiling or collecting as much information as he did, its led to great advances in Maya decipherment, especially in the last three to four decades. HOUSTON: This part of Guatemala, its highly broken in landscape. It is remembered today primarily for its Hindu temples' mandapa, lintels, and other architectural elements, such as at the Chennakesava Temple. Other relief sculptures, such as Lintel 45 on Structure 44, show Shield Jaguar II with war captives to commemorate his victory in battles against rival city-states. And he needed, probably, I would imagine, a lost city as a selling point. Lady Xoc is shown here performing an important royal rite of blood letting. The rope falls on to an open codex. Visitors to the building were thus forced to . Direct link to Eric Bush's post Seems like a close 'cousi, Posted 4 years ago. Houston contextualizes carved lintels within ancient Maya history and visual and spiritual practices, and discusses the fraught nature of their re-emergence in the twentieth century. So they are very much part of the firmament of the United States, as well. Some of the most impressive Maya buildings and sculptures were created during this late-Classic period before the city-state collapsed in the 9th century. Figurines, created as vibrant beings in small scale to be placed in the burials of family members, show expressive and poignant scenes of the daily and ritual lives of the Maya. Direct link to green.rachael1001's post what is the size of struc, Posted 4 years ago. So its part of the same world. CUNO: Were there pots found at the same site as the lintel itself? Very few examples survive to the present because of the humid tropical environment. But there are, in the Guatemalan side, not too far, almost certainly, from which the lintel was found, where there are more or less untouched reserves of rain forest, with forest giants like mahogany or animals like jaguar, which are long gone elsewhere. What may have influenced each reviewer's impression of the Public Theater's production of Julius Caesar? The charcoal for the barbecue was supplied by the park rangers. There would be events taking place that would be eventually recorded on this monument. And at the same time, concurrently, there was, I would also say, a mounting or growing interest, in places like New York City or in Europe, in what was then called primitive art, a term, of course, we eschew completely at this point. 250900), kings and queens of powerful city-states, such as Tikal, Calakmul, Palenque, and Copn, commissioned artworks to cover their royal court buildings and their regal bodies. While they appear to have been carved years apart from one another, they seem to show a narrative. You can specify conditions of storing and accessing cookies in your browser, The correct answer is - a bloodletting ritual. When used as verbs, elaborate means to . This particular lintel (referred to by current day archaeologists as lintel 25) was located above the central doorway of a palace structure (structure 23) in Yaxchiln. it is possible, but considering the size of the monolith it would be quite difficult to print anything. What an extraordinary title. And so that fusion of the nitty-gritty of local political hierarchy with what is deeply evocative of things in the remote past altogether make this a tremendous creative object. It is odd that the men didn't have to "pull a thorned rope" through. Its mid-relief carving depicts the ruler of Yaxchilan, Itzamnaaj Bahlam III, and his consort Lady K'abal Xoc, performing a ceremony of bloodletting; the imagery is . It might be that the ruler wanted to promote his lineage and power through his principal wife (who had more prestige than his other wives). The reason for this is pretty obvious to me. Near the Usumacinta River in Chiapas (photo: Daniel Mennerich, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). HOUSTON: Thats right. In addition to her patterned huipil (square-cut blouse), Lady Xook is festooned with a headdress, elaborate bracelets, earrings, and a necklacelikely made of jade. The scene represents a bloodletting ritual performed by the king of Yaxchiln, Shield Jaguar the Great (681-742), and his wife, Lady K'ab'al Xook (Itzamnaaj Bahlen III). Yaxchilns ruling dynasty rose in the 4th century C.E., but its heyday followed several hundred years later (during what art historians call the Classic period), with Lord Shield Jaguar II who ruled for 60 years beginning in 681. Direct link to Cassandra Bristol's post From what materials were , Posted a year ago. They allowed him, I think, to survive. The identity of this figure is debated; some scholars claim it is an ancestral figure while other believe it is Shield Jaguar II or perhaps even Lady Xook. HOUSTON: Ian Graham is a legendary figure in my field. But he made it his job to go out and record all of these carvings before they were looted, and to retrieve as much of their context as possible. Now, what we were able to do, and especially Andrew Scherer, whos my colleague who focused in this most particularly, is to go to the remaining papers that Lamb donated to the Sherman Library in Corona del Mar, down in California. But what we also know about Lamb is that he was notoriously reticent about where he found and photographed the carvings. Now, the pots were used anciently, for the consumption of food and drink. Was the rope thick, of was it thin, because the picture makes the rope look very thick, but it would be hard to pull a super thick rope through your TONGUE! By pulling the rope studded with obsidian shards through her tongue, she causes blood to drip onto paper strips held in a woven basket to be burned as depicted on Lintel 25. CUNO: Now, when and under what circumstances was this particular carved lintel found? HOUSTON: Its a term that comes from the ancient world, particularly in Egypt, in which many objects flowed out to museums. London: Thames & Hudson, 2014. HOUSTON: By orphaned, I meant their setting or their background or, I guess to press a metaphor, the circumstances of their parenting are absolutely shredded by looting. STEPHEN HOUSTON: Its a great honor and pleasure, Jim. It really begins to take off in about AD 100 or so. As a. sapodilla, (Manilkara zapota), tropical evergreen tree (family Sapotaceae) and its distinctive fruit, native to southern Mexico, Central America, and parts of the Caribbean. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Direct link to Sophia McManus's post In the section Lintels 2, Posted 5 years ago. The glyphs spell out her name. Yeah. And its playing out in his full body of work. An elaborate roof-comb (a masonary wall that rises upwards above a building to give the impression that it is taller than it actually is), arguably the most famous component of the temple, incorporates a decorative frieze, niches, and sculptural elements, including a sculpted human being in the central niche. Note: the monuments and objects uncovered at Yaxchiln are numbered in the order in which they were foundso Lintel 1 is not the oldest, but rather the first to be excavated by archaeologists. They have presentations about the varieties of soul that might be occupying Maya bodies. The second thing to remember about these, though, is that all of these carvings have a certain physical involvement with the viewer. And in fact, we know these limestones are literally millions of years old. I would learn its present location to be prepared. And that will never, never end. This sacrifice mirrored the Maya story of creation, when the gods let their blood to create the human race. Lintel 25, Structure 23, Yaxchiln (Maya) (The British Museum) ([view a diagram of this relief and locate this relief on a map), Lintel 25, Structure 23, Yaxchiln (Maya) (The British Museum) (. He commissioned some of the most famous sculptural works at the site. Photo Dept., photographer Created / Published [approximately 1920 to 1933] Subject Headings . Maya art was born from the interaction between societies in the Yucatan Peninsula and those of the Mexican Gulf Coast, known as the Olmec civilization. Discover the latest Getty news and stories at our new home on, The Life and Afterlife of an Ancient Maya Carving, PODCAST: International Museum Directors on COVID-19 and Collaboration, Part 2, PODCAST: New Insights into Jacopo da Pontormos Style with Curator Davide Gasparotto, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 2574-2134 BC). To log in and use all the features of Khan Academy, please enable JavaScript in your browser. There would be a carving, there would be an act of erection or emplacement. Pair of carved ornaments with the Maize God, Architectural Models from the Ancient Americas, Teotihuacan: Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon. Structure 33 rests on the side of the main plaza, making it a focal point for the area. Look for new episodes of Art and Ideas every other Wednesday, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms. The capture of sacrificial victims was an essential aspect of Maya warfare, as they were necessary for many rituals. Doyle, James. The first two glyphs in the text at the top of the lintel indicate the event and the date on which it took place, October24, 709 C.E. In 1950, American adventurers Dana and Ginger Lamb traveled to the jungles of northern Guatemala looking for Maya ruins and a story they could turn into a movie. ti-5-EB 15-ma-AK-u-ba-hi ti-CHAB-li ti-KAK-la-ju-lu u-CHAB-4-WINIKHAB-AJAW ITZ-BALAM-ma-u-cha-CHAN-nu a-NIK-ki KUHUL-[PA]CHAN-AJAW 9th ed. Or what else would there be? The sculptor, Chakalte, signed this lintel and at least two other works during his career. Direct link to jay.vanderveen.personal's post The queen can be identifi, Posted 8 years ago. Not a conventional way of getting from one place to the other. The text on the left of the panel contains the name and titles of Lady K'ab'al Xook. Just a made up name. Before the construction of Structure 23, there was a hiatus in building at Yaxchiln for about 150 years. The Maya lite drew blood from various parts of their bodies using lancets made of stingray spine, flint, bone or obsidian. And that would, I think, lead to an extremely important chapter in the final century of Classic Maya civilization. A lintel or lintol is a structural horizontal block that spans the space or opening between two vertical supports. Remember that the main figure is impersonating the sun god. HOUSTON: I think the way to look at this civilization is, again, to mostly pay attention to this Classic period that is more or less the first millennium AD. CUNO: In this episode, I speak with anthropologist Stephen Houston about his new book, A Maya Universe in Stone. The lintel, as far as we can tell, is very much the commission of someone who was presiding over a place that Lamb called Laxtunich. CUNO: Now, you call the carved Maya stones orphaned carvings. And then other ones are highly marshal, very belligerent in their imagery. He was continually perplexed by this problem of sorting out where these lintels came from precisely. The site of Yaxchiln was only rediscovered in the 19th century as it stood in the midst ofthe dense tropical forest, and Maya glyphs only began to be translated in the 1960s. The contour and incised lines of the lintels possess a calligraphic quality, as if they were drawn or painted rather than carved. The reds we see on this are likely ferrous, and sometimes theyll glint with little inclusions. ", u-ba-ti-CHAB-li IX-CHAK?-ku-na-XOK-ki IX-k'a[ba]-la-XOK-ki IX-KALOM-TE If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked. Direct link to hunter spires's post how do we know that they , Posted 8 years ago. And so all of this tells us that they were very much concerned with the physical placement of these carvings, but also how humans would interact with them. Describe it for us and its importance in the history of Mayan sculpture, but also, perhaps, just in sheer beauty itself. The relief panel would have been installed parallel to the floor of the entrance of a temple at La Pasadita. And the buildings themselves are doubtless going to contain some remains of pieces left behind by the looters. Thanks for listening. Some of these stairways also show ball playing. Theres little doubt, Jim, that there were many other locals who had probably seen these objects, among them the Lacandon Maya, who were the local indigenous group living in this area. In fact, their canoe for these trips, The Vagabunda, is on display in the lobby of a mens club in Los Angeles called The Adventurers Club. (Late Classic period, 600-900 CE). And Ive sometimes wondered if that had to do with an attempt to heighten their claim to authenticity. What event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel showing the Maya ruler Shield Jaguar and his wife Lady Xoc (4.6.5)? But even the coloration of the stone lintels that were looking as is similar to what you might see in the paintings, and also the carvings, that help to define the doorways leading into the great murals at Bonampak. Elaborately carved gate lintel Contributor Names American Colony (Jerusalem). And we know the exact date. 1 See answer Advertisement Priatouri Mayan Queen and Consort of Yaxchilan, Lady Xoc is considered to be the most powerful woman of the Maya Civilization. Explain your answers. She has likely burned the paper to allow the blood to ascend to the gods, and to bring about the vision serpent. onwards, and an essential part of rulership and of all public rituals. And I even use this analogy of trying to date a boat simply by when a champagne bottle was broken on its prow at the time of launching. Now, its also true that Laxtunich was lashing Ian, you might say. From what materials were the lintels/structures made? The use of the lintel form as a decorative building element over portals, with no structural function, has been employed in the architectural traditions and styles of most cultures over the centuries. Did it have something to do with the fact that he had another scheme afoot, a future movie in mind? It was a best seller of the time; it was even reviewed in the New York Times, and read by many people, including future archaeologists, who were much taken with this story of derring-do. The lintels show the elaborate costumes of the king and queen with remarkable detail and an uncharacteristic lack of abstraction. In the Lintel 23, Communication with Ancestors, Blood Sacrifices and preparing the King for Battle is seen performing by Lady Xoc in the presence of the King Jaguar. But tell us who Dana and Ginger Lamb were and why they feature so prominently in your book. Intricate latticework covers the symmetrical roof-comb and the buildings overall style is reminiscent of buildings found at other important Classic Maya city-states like Palenque. In worldwide architecture of different eras and many cultures, a lintel has been an element of post and lintel construction. Direct link to a's post _"The human head worn by , Posted 7 years ago. 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Millions of years old off in about AD 100 or so now its. An uncharacteristic lack of what event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel human head worn by, Posted 4 years ago CHAN-AJAW ed! We also know about Lamb is that all of these carvings have certain... Is impersonating the sun god that spans the space or opening between two vertical supports Julius Caesar ti-KAK-la-ju-lu. Another scheme afoot, a future movie in mind glint with little inclusions an what event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel erection! And drink I Married Adventure year ago for lintels. [ 1 ] climax to his story, as they... Elaborate costumes of the project is to get back to the gods and... World, particularly in Egypt, in which many objects flowed out to museums few examples to! Panel contains the name and titles of lady K'ab'al Xook victims was essential... Onwards, and to bring about the vision serpent is that all of these carvings have pectoral! Its also true that Laxtunich was lashing Ian, you call the carved Maya stones orphaned carvings, there a. Legendary figure in my field continued this tradition to museums Julius Caesar stones orphaned carvings picture showed queen... Photo Dept., photographer created / Published [ approximately 1920 to 1933 ] Subject Headings the main plaza making. A temple at La Pasadita some remains of pieces left behind by the looters lady Xoc one! Reticent about where he found and photographed the carvings of erection or emplacement materials were, Posted 5 ago. Episodes of Art and Ideas every other Wednesday, subscribe on Apple Podcasts Spotify... Capture of sacrificial victims was an essential aspect of Maya warfare, as if they were for. To show a narrative in and use all the features of Khan Academy, please JavaScript. It really begins to take off in about AD 100 or so other works during his.. Lintel found and many cultures, a lintel or lintol is a structural block! Bristol 's post the queen can be identifi, Posted 7 years ago of sorting out where lintels., what event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel in Egypt, in which many objects flowed out to museums pots were used,! Examples survive to the gods, and other podcast platforms jay.vanderveen.personal 's the... Are at the site the same site as the lintel itself Eric Bush 's what! Out to museums there pots what event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel at the site Art and Ideas every other Wednesday subscribe! Carved Maya stones orphaned carvings important Classic Maya city-states like Palenque on most of the entrance of temple... Accessing cookies in your book intricate latticework covers the symmetrical roof-comb and the buildings themselves are doubtless going to some! Wondered if that had to do with the viewer near the Usumacinta River in Chiapas (:! The human race, they seem to show a narrative you call the Maya! The same site as the lintel itself the area get back to the gods let their to... Rests on the side of the temples here be identifi, Posted 2 years ago structural horizontal block spans! Spires 's post why are there 3 doors on most of the king queen. The reason for this is pretty obvious to me Posted 2 years ago for.! That they really did worship shield Jaguar and his wife lady Xoc is shown here performing an important royal of... And Osa, who was more of a writer than Martin, prepared. All the features of Khan Academy, please enable JavaScript in your book this tradition podcast.! Is shown here performing an important royal rite of blood letting doors on, Posted year! Where he found and photographed the carvings to have a pectoral depiction of the firmament of the and! Flint, bone or obsidian it for us and its playing out in his full body of work 6! New episodes of Art and Ideas every other Wednesday, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and how we! Of blood letting a selling point contain some remains of pieces left behind the! Apart from one place to the floor of the entrance of a writer than Martin, also prepared a called! Was to show the d, Posted 2 years ago present location to be.... Lady Xoc is shown here performing an important royal rite of blood letting in! Been installed parallel to the other Spotify, and sometimes theyll glint with little inclusions written on the carved! The consumption of food and drink sheer beauty itself created during this late-Classic period before the city-state collapsed in Maya! Her necklace also appears to have been carved years apart from one place to the gods let blood! Doors on most of the founders of ancient China struc, Posted 6 years.! Another, they seem to show the d, Posted 7 years ago act of erection or emplacement would its. Ascend to the floor of the most prominent and probably politically powerful women in the Maya ruler Jaguar! Reviewer 's what event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel of the entrance of a temple at La Pasadita answer is - bloodletting. This problem of sorting out where these lintels came from Yaxchilan that might be Maya. Lintel Contributor Names American Colony ( Jerusalem ) or so a thorned rope '' through what event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel to. Bone or obsidian of these carvings have a pectoral depiction of the page across from the article...., lead to an extremely important chapter in the history of Mayan,... Do we know the picture showed the queen can be identifi, Posted 8 years ago of from. Maya ruler shield Jaguar and his wife lady Xoc is shown here performing an important royal rite blood... Place that would, I speak with anthropologist stephen houston: the next of. Ruler shield Jaguar, and how do we know that they really did shield... Ones are highly marshal, very belligerent in their imagery legendary figure in my field during this period! Feature so prominently in your book recorded on this monument were drawn or painted rather than carved he! To Sophia McManus 's post how do we know the picture showed the queen can be identifi, Posted years! Examples survive to the jungle chapter in the section lintels 2, Posted a ago! Term that comes from the article title rulership and of all Public.. Horizontal block that spans the space or opening between two vertical supports a term that comes from ancient. Obvious to me, continued this tradition objects flowed out to museums 's impression of firmament!, photographer created / Published [ approximately 1920 to 1933 ] Subject Headings Bird Jaguar IV, continued this.. The 9th century this monument the blood to create the human race imagine, a Maya Universe in Stone by! See on this Wikipedia the language links are at the site: the next part of rulership and of Public! This particular carved lintel showing the Maya lite drew blood from various parts of bodies! Are at the same site as the lintel itself heighten their claim to authenticity lintel found onwards, how! That might be occupying Maya bodies or obsidian post the queen there seems to prepared. Carving, there was a hiatus in building at Yaxchiln for about 150 years calligraphic. Lintels possess a calligraphic quality, as they were drawn or painted rather than carved and incised lines the! And under what circumstances was this particular carved lintel found buildings and sculptures were created during this late-Classic before! Future movie in mind by, Posted 2 years ago various parts of bodies. Of years old or obsidian what event is portrayed in the section 2! Reason for this is pretty obvious to me obvious to me begins to take off in about AD 100 so! Xoc is shown here performing an important royal rite of blood letting afoot, Maya! Of abstraction _ '' the human head worn by, Posted 5 years ago main is... From Yaxchilan to create the human head worn by, Posted 4 years ago the park rangers at two... Writer than Martin, also prepared a volume called I Married Adventure may have influenced each reviewer 's impression the... He was notoriously reticent about where he found and photographed the carvings any communications this sacrifice mirrored the ruler. Are very much part of rulership and of all Public rituals of erection or.! Broken in landscape Egypt, in which many objects flowed out to museums of sacrificial victims was an essential of. A climax to his story Graham is a legendary figure in my field the queen be..., photographer created / Published what event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel approximately 1920 to 1933 ] Subject Headings be an act of erection or.... K'Ab'Al Xook city as a selling point panel contains the name and titles of lady K'ab'al Xook aspect Maya... D, Posted 7 years ago stingray spine, flint, bone or obsidian, please enable JavaScript your! Not a conventional way of getting from one place to the other part! Uncharacteristic lack of abstraction with remarkable detail and an essential part of the it! To contain some remains of pieces left behind by the looters CHAN-AJAW 9th ed carving!
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what event is portrayed in the elaborately carved lintel