Sacred Geography (Other Keyword)
1-5 (5 Records)
According to Henry B. Nicholson, the rain deity Tlaloc enjoyed the most active and widespread cult in ancient Mexico. This assertion is surely correct, and is further evidenced from later ethnohistoric and ethnographic sources. Closely related to Tlaloc - and his earlier manifestations - were the Tepictoton, little directional mountain deities venerated during the veintenas of Tepeilhuitl and Atemoztli. In this paper we review Nicholson's original observations seen in the light of new...
Piecing Together the Life History of K’ahk’ Uti’ Witz’ K’awiil (2017)
Copan's longest-lived ruler dramatically expanded his realm, reach, and resources. The valley population nearly doubled, and the historical record indicates he was active in the ritual and political lives of other centers both near to home and farther afield. Ruler 12 contextualized his defensive perimeter within the sacred geography of the valley by erecting six stelae in 652 C.E. His successor enshrined that achievement and his memory in the most elaborately decorated temple outside the royal...
The Ritual Reuse of Maya Cave Shrines after Abandonment (2015)
Caves are among the most sacred geographic features in Mesoamerica and have been used throughout history as the setting for multiple ritual events. In this paper, the author looks at several shrines in central Guatemala that were rediscovered long after they were abandoned by the original ritual practitioners and regained importance. The renewed activity often reflects very different functions of the rituals performed there—in caves along a major trade route cutting through the region, for...
A Sacred and Defensible Hill and the Memory of Ruler 12 in Late Classic Copan, Honduras (2015)
Inscribed monuments, iconography and archaeological correlates point out the pivotal role the founder of Copan's dynasty, K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo' played in the religious and political ideology of the local community. Moreover, several lines of evidence in the archaeology of Copan show the importance of the long-lived Ruler 12, K'ahk' Uti' Witz' K'awiil (ruling from 628 to 695 CE) in the Maya kingdom of Copan during the Late Classic period (600-820 CE). Recent research in the Copan Valley at the...
The Sinkhole as Ch'een: A Closer Look at Ancient Maya Sacred Geography (2015)
During the 2014 field season, the California State University, Los Angeles Cave Research Project focused its investigation on a sinkhole at the site of La Milpa that had been given a cursory examination by the TRAP in 2012. An initial inspection suggested that the feature might well have been considered a ch’een by the ancient Maya. Ch’een is generally translated as cave but the indigenous term includes a large number of earth openings that were recognized as sacred landmarks. Excavations...