Meteorology, Maya Sculpture, and the Instability of Place

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Emplacement and Relational Approaches to the Ancient Americas" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In situ monuments are normally understood as static and fixed; yet, they are constantly interacting with an atmosphere in flux. Rain, fog, and clouds quickly morph and change at different elevations, amplifying or hindering the aesthetic experience of stone sculpture. This paper explores how localized weather phenomena operated as a cultural function of ancient Maya sculptures and their role in place-making. Across a series of case-studies, I reread the physical and conceptual placement of Maya sculpture within and against variegated weather conditions. Ultimately, I argue for a more expansive understanding of how Maya sculpture makes place, and how this sense of place was mutable.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Emplacement and Relational Approaches to the Ancient Americas

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51484