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FAMSI © 2007: Bryan R. Just |
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Ninth-Century Stelae of Machaquilá and Seibal
Research Year: 2002 Table of Contents
Abstract This report explores how ancient Maya artists and ruler-patrons adapted Late Classic Stelae iconographic and formal conventions to the dramatic socio-political changes of the ninth century A.D. at Machaquilá and Seibal. Sculptors at each site produced a series of ruler-portrait stelae proclaiming the political power of local kings following the violent demise of the region's dominant Mutal polity of the Petexbatún lakes region. Initially, sculptors at each site portrayed local ruler-patrons as the regional successors of Mutal kings by adopting the visual conventions of that polity. Subsequently, however, stelae at Machaquilá and Seibal diverged significantly. Machaquilá's conservative stelae presented increasingly streamlined, 'legible' compositions to stress socio-political stability and to encompass a wider potential audience, possibly including non-elite Maya and/or foreign audiences. In contrast, Seibal's artists heterogeneously employed old, new, and foreign visual devices. Seibal's late stelae implement traditional Maya visual conventions primarily to contrast with non-local modes of expression, reflecting a decline in the local visual system's social power. The eclecticism of Seibal's late stelae contradicts past proposals of foreign invasion and takeover. Instead, Seibal's local authorities chose to present themselves as 'cosmopolitan' in a context of increasingly international interaction.
Submitted 09/11/2006 by: |
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