Out of Clay and into Stone: The Emergence of Warriors at Chichen Itza

Summary

In the Early Classic period a distinct characteristic of Central Mexican art is the appearance of warriors in public art. To the contrary, these figures generally appear on more private, personal items in the art of the Classic Maya, though their proliferation on these media distinctly rises in the Late Classic. In a remarkable development, the presence of warriors in public art explodes in Early Postclassic Chichen Itza. While central Mexican influence may have sparked this development, this paper explores the tangled web of cultural traditions, exposing the very Maya origins of many of these "portraits." Looking primarily at the sculptural art of the Temple of the Warriors, the hybridity of this phenomenon will be emphasized. In addition, the individualization of the various figures testifies that a Maya concept of self within society characterized Chichen’s social organization, even as new segments of society asserted their status within the city.

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): 20219