Possible Maya Analogs and Antecedents for the Pyramid B Atlantid Columns, Tula

Summary

Classic Maya stelae have been proposed as precursors for the Early Postclassic stelae at Tula and the relief pillars of Pyramid B at the site in previous scholarship. While suggested Maya connections for the Tula stelae are often overstated, and local central Mexican stela traditions as well as ideas from Oaxaca and Guerrero also probably contributed to the genesis of these monuments, the role of Maya contacts remains plausible. Here I explore possible Maya analogs, including stelae, for the famed atlantid columns of Pyramid B. While in style and construction these sculptures reflect the legacy of Teotihuacan, their use of elite or royal images as literal pillars has conceptual parallels in Classic Maya stelae equating kings with trees, pillars of the sky and the axis mundi. I also critically assess the possible connection, first proposed by Kubler, between the Tula atlantids and the Terminal Classic figure columns of the Puuk area. While these similarities may reflect a common Mesoamerican background rather than direct contact, recent dating of the Tula sculptural style to 650-850 CE at Tula Chico increases the probability of interaction.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21061