A Return to Roots: The Maya—Teotihuacan Inscription at Copan’s Temple 26

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Teotihuacan: Multidisciplinary Research on Mesoamerica's Classic Metropolis" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In the mid-eighth century, Copan’s fifteenth ruler, K’ahk’ Yipyaj Chan K’awiil, oversaw the completion of Structure 10L-26 (or Temple 26), which was crowned with a stone inscription located within the superstructure. This inscription features a parallel display of Maya full-figure glyphs alongside Teotihuacan-inspired graphics. The style of the inscription is unique in the corpus of Maya texts and is distinct even from the script found on the hieroglyphic stairway leading down from it. Although not yet fully deciphered, initial analyses suggest that the contents of each column mirror each other. In this paper, I analyze the Temple 26 inscription as a tool that draws a parallel between Copan’s dynastic founder, K’inich Yax K’uk’ Mo’, and its twelfth ruler, K’ahk’ Uti’ Witz K’awiil. Using iconographic and epigraphic approaches, I investigate potential classifications for this inscription (as a biscript, font, etc.) that could lead to a clearer interpretation of its meaning. Finally, I propose that this text embodies an invocation of Copan’s dynastic roots in the face of political turmoil, as well as a "hearkening back” to the city’s connection to the powerful city of Teotihuacan, at this point long abandoned.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Teotihuacan: Multidisciplinary Research on Mesoamerica's Classic Metropolis

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32175