User:Dboleski23/Kaminaljuyu Stela 11

=Kaminaljuyu Stela 11=

Kaminaljuyu Stela 11 is a limestone Preclassic Maya monument dated to approximately 200-50 B.C. It was discovered at the Preclassic Mayan site of Kaminaljuyu or (Kaminal Juyu) in the early 20th century and is located within the city limits of Guatemala’s capital city, Guatemala City. The site of Kaminaljuyu is located in the highlands of Guatemala, and participated in the same Late Formative Communication Sphere as the sites of Izapa and La Mojarra.

Importance of Stelae
Carved stone monuments served as durable markers portraying the power held by the elite based in religious beliefs. Often adorned with supernatural images and other symbols of authority, Maya rulers dedicate the carved monuments as public testimonials of their political legitimacy and personal achievements. Stelae depicted the likeness of pasted ancestral leaders and placed rulers in positions of authority such as warriors and represent them as having supernatural powers (wearing masks and headdresses of deities). Great ceremonial plazas were constructed for these royal monuments displaying the power of past rulers which would continue to inspire awe and respect while at the same time demonstrating the living ruler's right to rule by his connections to royal ancestors.

Description
To view an image of Kaminaljuyu Stela 11 follow this link. http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/maya/stela-11-kaminaljuyu.jpg

Kaminaljuyu Stela 11 stands 198cm high, 70cm across and is 30cm thick. It is a nearly two dimensional relief carving on limestone that weighs several tons. Stela 11 is the depiction of one of the first Maya rulers as a divine being. The ajaw, a title given to Mayan political rulers, stands in distinct profile between the Principal Bird Deity, with a large hooked beak above him, and the open mouth of an earthly creature beneath his feet. On either side of the figure are two spiked incense burners. relief sculpture of the ruler, who wears an avian mask, also with a curved beak, identifies him with the feathered god and illustrates his role as the spiritual link between the heavens and the earth. Above the ajaw's mask is a creature that bears a three-leaf or trefoil maize plant, thereby linking the ruler symbolically to the staple crop of the Maya. Scholars have concluded that once the ajaw was transformed during particular religious rituals while donning his regalia, he came to represent an aspect of the sun, perhaps its early light.

Principal Bird Deity
The Principal Bird Deity hovers above the dancing ruler. It is a scene of cosmic communication that alludes to the kinds of shamanic journeys that Late Formative rulers undertook in the persona of the Principal Bird Deity. Archaeological evidence, such as the bird mask that was recovered from a Late Formative burial in Kaminaljuyu Mound E-III-3, further documents the significance of avian costuming and performance rituals during this time period. Kaminaljuyu Stela 11 also provides critical information about the cosmological significance of Late Formative "bird dance" performances. The cosmological significance of these performances also is illuminated on a stuccoed vessel from Kaminaljuyú that depicts the gradual transformation of the primordial shaman and creator deity Itzamna into his avian counterpart Itzam-yeh, also known as the Principal Bird Deity. Imagery such as this provides a cosmological parallel to the dances performed by rulers that were recorded on stelae such as Kaminaljuyú Stela 11 and Izapa Stela 4. In Yucatec Maya mythology, Itzamna was the name of an upper god and creator deity thought to be residing in the sky. Little is known about him, but scattered references are present in early-colonial Spanish reports (relaciones) and dictionaries. Twentieth-century Lacandon lore includes tales about a creator god (Nohochakyum or Hachakyum) who may be a late successor to Itzamna. In the pre-Spanish period, Itzamna, represented by the aged god D, was frequently depicted in books and in ceramic scenes derived from such books. The Aztec deity corresponding to Itzamna is Tonacatecuhtli.

Connections with Izapa
Stela 11 bears numerous traits commonly associated with Izapan art. They are; a large standing figure with fractional representation, a crooked or curved staff, a downward peering head, shallow spatial depth with the figure standing on a ground line wearing a version of the Principal Bird Deity headdress with a stiff cloak, a bilaterally symmetrical composition, a bifurcated-tongue loincloth tie, and incense burners. This substantial number of Izapa trades reflects the possibility of influence from Izapan Art at Kamnaljuyu. It is important to note that these influences are shown only in form and not in symbolic meaning. Regardless of similarities, Kaminaljuyu Stela 11 does hold three specific traits that do not occur in Izapan art; the use of multiple levels of surface carving, the knotted anklet and the distinctive obsidian axe or flint weapon. Also in direct contrast, all Izapa figures holding a knife or club are poses as if to behead which is not the case on the Kaminaljuyu Stela.

Accoding to Dr. Virginia Smith (Pennsylvania State University) based on the similarities between Kaminaljuyu Stela 11 and Izapan forms, it is likely that the Kaminaljuyu Stela was carved while the two sites were in regular contact and were borrowing visual traits. The differences indicate that, at the time the stelea were carved, Izapa and Kaminaljuyu maintained distinct artistic identities.