Xibalba in Technicolor: The Popol Wuj and the Interpretation of Ancient Maya Art

Summary

This is an abstract from the "A Celebration and Critical Assessment of "The Maya Scribe and His World" on its Fiftieth Anniversary" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

An enduring contribution of “The Maya Scribe and His World” was Michael Coe’s call for attention to the Popol Wuj as a source for the interpretation of ancient Maya deities. Developed in subsequent works, this approach has yielded important insights on ancient Maya art and religion, and it has also influenced studies of the Popol Wuj. It transcended scholarly circles and became part of popular understandings of ancient Maya art and the Popol Wuj. Yet Coe’s approach has been repeatedly contested, to the extent that some scholars question its heuristic value, casting doubt on all or most interpretations of ancient Maya religion based on the Popol Wuj. In this paper, I examine the long sway of Coe’s insights on interpretations of ancient Maya deities, highlighting their many productive outcomes and weaknesses, and suggesting ways to build on Coe’s valuable insights, first outlined in “The Maya Scribe and His World.”

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• A Celebration and Critical Assessment of "The Maya Scribe and His World" on its Fiftieth Anniversary   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36058.0