Palaces and Courtly Culture in Ancient Mesoamerica

Transcription

1 Palaces and Courtly Culture in Ancient Mesoamerica Edited by Julie Nehammer Knub Christophe Helmke Jesper Nielsen Archaeopress Pre-Columbian Archaeology 4

2 Archaeopress Gordon House 276 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7ED ISBN ISBN (e-pdf) Archaeopress and the individual authors 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners. Printed in England by CMP (UK) Ltd This book is available direct from Archaeopress or from our website

3 Contents List of Figures... iii List of Tables... vii Palaces and Courtly Culture in Ancient Mesoamerica: An Introduction... ix Julie Nehammer Knub, Jesper Nielsen & Christophe Helmke 1. Where Kings Once Ruled? Considerations on Palaces and Rulership at Teotihuacan... 1 Jesper Nielsen 2. Identifying the Provenance and Dating of Maya Influences at the Cacaxtla Court Christophe Helmke & Jesper Nielsen 3. Rekindling the Past: Mexica Toltec Relations as a Source of Power and Prestige Helle Hovmand Rasmussen 4. The Center of Power: Tasks and Strategies of the Mexica Court Casper Jacobsen 5. Courtly Etiquette and Eloquent Speech in Ancient Mesoamerica Rosa Maria Worm Danbo & Christophe Helmke 6. How the Other Half Lives: The Role and Function of Body Paint at Maya Courts Julie Nehammer Knub 7. The Late Classic Maya Court of Namaan (La Florida, Guatemala) Mads Skytte Jørgensen & Guido Krempel 8. Royal Bundle Ceremonies at Yaxchilan Rikke Marie Søegaard i

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5 List of Figures Cover: Figure 1.1: Combination of the Aztec logograms TEK w lord and KAL house, for tek w kalli, lord house or palace (detail of fol. 5v, Codex Mendoza; drawing by Christophe Helmke). Map of Teotihuacan with the residential compounds discussed in the text marked. Note the location of the Quetzalpapalotl Palace, Xalla, the Conjunto del Sol, the Street of the Dead Complex, Zacuala as well as Conjuntos 1D and 1E of the Ciudadela (after Pasztory 1988: Fig. III.5)... 2 Figure 1.2: Possible ruler wearing a distinctive bird headdress and carrying staff. Detail of Mural 2 of Room 2, Gran Conjunto, Zona 11 (after Miller 1973: Fig. 149)... 5 Figure 1.3: Figure 1.4: a) Aztec hieroglyph for teekpankalli or Lord Place House combining house and royal kopil headdress (adapted from Evans 2004: 8, Fig. 1) compared to examples of named structures in Teotihuacan writing: b) Bird House on an adorno of Teotihuacan style theatre style censer from the Escuintla area of Guatemala (drawing by Christophe Helmke), and c) Heart Eating Tlaloc House on a Teotihuacan style tripod from the Escuintla area (after Hellmuth 1978: Fig. 14)... 6 Plan of Street of the Dead Complex with the sections of the Street of the Dead marked (after Evans 2004: 18, Fig. 5)... 8 Figure 1.5: Plan of the Xalla compound. Note the quadrilateral Central Plaza (after Millon et al. 1973: 31)... 9 Figure 2.1: Plan of the Cacaxtla palace showing the location of the site s principal structures. Note that both terminal and penultimate phases of construction are represented. 1) Templo de Venus, 2) Templo Rojo, 3) Pórtico 3, 4) Cuarto de la Escalera, 5) Pórtico A, 6) Patio de los Rombos, 7) El Palacio, 8) La Celosía, 9) Estructura de las Columnas, 10) Las Conejeras. Based on plans by Marta Foncerrada de Molina and Geneviève Lucet Lagriffoul. This and all figures by Christophe Helmke unless otherwise specified Figure 2.2: Bicephalic ceremonial bars. a) the bicephalic ceremonial bar of the southern pier, Structure A, Cacaxtla. b) Stela from the Bonampak area (drawing by Christian Prager). c) Stela 1, Bonampak Figure 2.3: Figure 2.4: Map of the Maya area showing the location of sites exhibiting iconographic elements found at Cacaxtla. a) Bicephalic ceremonial bars with centipede maws and eccentric flints. b) Shellwinged dragons. c) Tlaalok masks The clay panels of Structure A, Cacaxtla. a) Photograph of northern panel. b) Drawing of northern panel. c) Drawing of southern panel Figure 2.5: Restitution of the cavernous mountain maw, framing the axial entrance to Structure A, Cacaxtla Figure 2.6: Examples of the shell winged dragon in Mesoamerican iconography. a) Northern jamb, Structure A, Cacaxtla. b) Detail of incised Olmec figurine. c) Stela 8, Dos Pilas. d) Tablet of the Slaves, Palenque. e) Stucco relief, House B, Palenque. f) Lintel 2, Yaxchilan. g) Stela 7, Machaquila Figure 2.7: Tlaalok masks depicted in the battle scene of Structure B and iconography of the Maya area. a) Eastern talud. b) Lintel 25, Yaxchilan. c) Jonuta panel. d) Eastern talud. e) Lintel 25, Yaxchilan. f) Stela 16, Dos Pilas. g) Aguateca, Stela iii

6 Figure 3.1: Map of the archaeological site of Tula, Hidalgo (after Diehl 1983: Fig. 11) Figure 3.2: Tollan as represented in Codex Mexicanus (Codex Mexicanus 1952: Planche XXVI) Figure 3.3: Reliefs in Cerro La Malinche, Tula, representing Chalchiuhtlicue (left) and Quetzalcoatl (right) (after Pasztory 1983: Plate 68) Figure 3.4: Example of Tenochtitlan as a Place of Reeds in Codex Sierra, Planche 59 (Wikimedia Commons) Figure 3.5: Figure 4.1: Tenochtitlan as a Place of Reeds (near the middle of the map, besides No. 41) on the Mapa de Cuauhtinchan No. 2 (Bittmann Simons 1968: lám. IV) Map of Tenochtitlan and Tlatelolco showing the central precinct and palaces of the former (map by architect Luis González Aparicio, after Eduardo Matos Moctezuma 2011: 381) Figure 4.2: Ruler of Tenochtitlan presenting warriors with rewards (after Sahagún 1979b: 306v) Figure 5.1: Figure 5.2: Examples of the oration from the Maya area: a) Detail of Piedras Negras, Stela 1: u [BAH]hi ti omi OL (drawing by David Stuart). b) Detail of Palenque Temple XVIII stucco: ti ma ja a wo la (drawing by David Stuart). c) Detail of Palenque Temple of Inscriptions, West panel, passage 1: u ti mi wa yo OL la (drawing by Linda Schele) Reconstruction drawing of the stucco scene of Temple XVIII, Palenque (composite by Christophe Helmke based on drawings by David Stuart & William Ringle) Figure 5.3: K2784, Unprovenanced polychrome vase, Dumbarton Oaks collection (photograph by Justin Kerr) Figure 6.1: Figure 6.2: Figure 6.3: An example of a body paint group : Maya body paint that covers the entirety or majority of the body Body paint types that are representative of the grouping semi circled body paint in courtly contexts a) Type 124 b) Type A representative example of the group of body paint which covers the majority of the body as illustrated on a template and on original artefact a) body paint Type 290 b) a Maya ruler adorned with Type 290, K8792 (photo by Justin Kerr) Figure 6.4: Body paint Type 154 adorning various members of the Maya court as well as the Maize god. a) body paint Type 154 b) Type 154 adorning the Maya Maize god (K5615, photo by Justin Kerr) c) Type 154 adorning court attendants (K3461, photo by Justin Kerr) d) Type 154 adorning elite figures (K5079, photo by Justin Kerr) e) Type 154 adorning a ruler (K8731, photo by Justin Kerr) Figure 6.5: Examples of Type 167 used by Maya rulers and God D a) body paint Type 167; b) a Maya ruler adorned with Type 167 on K5176 (photo by Justin Kerr) c) The Maya God D adorned with body paint Type 167 on K5764 (photo by Justin Kerr) Figure 6.6: Body paint Type 125, which is restricted to the royal court of the Maya. a) Body paint Type 125 b) a bound prisoner in a courtly scene that has his body painted with Type 125, beside him sits other fellow captives, one of which is adorned with Type 124, K4549 (photo by Justin Kerr) Figure 6.7: Body paint types worn by scribes, Types 20, 31, 32, 188, 221, 231 and Figure 7.1: Map showing the Western Maya Lowlands (map courtesy of Alexander Safronov) Figure 7.2: An updated site plan of the archaeological site of La Florida based on previous plans by Ian Graham (1970) and Paulino Morales (1998), together with personal observations by Mads Jørgensen in Rectangles, circles, and triangles illustrate the location of stelae, altars, and fragments respectively (plan by Christophe Helmke and Mads Jørgensen) iv

7 Figure 7.3: Figure 7.4: Figure 7.5: The MAN sign in different semantic contexts; a) T566, b) xa ma MAN na, c) T554, d) Cancuen Panel 1, e) Tikal Stela 5, f) K1670 (na MAN ni AJAW), g) Piedras Negras, Burial 5, shell (MAN ni AJAW) (drawings by Guido Krempel) The Namaan court: a) a preliminary chronological list of members of the Namaan court showing (in parentheses) the sex, origin, and known period of life for each individual. b) An overview of family ties within the Namaan court. The equal sign (=) indicates marriage, with the single line connecting parents with their offspring. Note the intermarriages between the Namaan and Yokib courts over two consecutive generations Hieroglyphic nominal phrases of the members of the Namaan court: a)? Ti Hu n Pih?, b) Ixix Wak Chan, c) Chakjal Chih? Chaahk, d) Ixk in? Ajaw?, e) Sihyaj Chan K awiil, f) Ixwinikhaab Ajaw, g) Ixchuwaj? Sak?, h) Ixsaamal? Ohl? Hu n? Ixchak?, i) Jal? Ti Kuy, j) K in Witz? Chaahk, k) K ahk Ti Kuy, l) K ahk? Chan? Yopaat Bahlam Uk awiil, m)?? Ch aho m Kokan Kab (drawings by Guido Krempel and Sebastián Matteo) Figure 7.6: A selection of Saxche Orange polychrome vessels associated with Namaan rulers, a) Unprovenanced Bowl 2 (photograph by Rafael Tunesi), K30066 (photograph courtesy of Inga Calvin), c) Unprovenanced Bowl 1 (after Société Genérale du Banque 1977: No. 149), d) the Brussels Dish (photograph by Sebastían Matteo), e) the Pomona Dish (photograph by Michel Zabé), f) K1670 (courtesy of the Princeton University Art Museum), g) the Zaculeu vessel (after Woodbury & Trik 1953: Fig. 263a) Figure 7.7: A selection of La Florida monuments: a) Stela 2, b) Stela 7, c) Altar G, d) detail of Stela 8 (preliminary drawings by Guido Krempel) Figure 8.1: Yaxchilan lintels depicting bundles: a) Lintel 5, b) Lintel 7, c) Lintel 32, d) Lintel 1, e) Lintel 53 and f) Lintel 54 (drawings by Ian Graham, after Graham & Von Euw 1977; reproduced by permission of the President and Fellows of Harvard College) Figure 8.2: Unprovenanced vessel, K5794 (photograph by Justin Kerr, after Kerr 2000: 690) Figure 8.3: Figure 8.4: The tablet of Temple 14, Palenque (drawing by Linda Schele, reproduced courtesy of the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc.) The Palace Tablet, Palenque (drawing by Linda Schele, reproduced courtesy of the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc.) Figure 8.5: The central panels of the temples of the Cross Group. a) Tablet of the Temple of the Sun. b) Tablet of the Temple of the Foliated Cross. c) Tablet of the Temple of the Cross (drawings by Linda Schele, reproduced courtesy of the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc.) v

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9 List of Tables Table 2.1: Table 2.2: Distribution of securely dated lance like bicephalic ceremonial bars in the Maya area. Examples are listed in alphabetical sequence according to site name Distribution of securely dated examples of shell winged dragons in Maya iconography. Examples are listed in chronological sequence from earliest to latest Table 2.3: Distribution of Tlaalok masks in Maya iconography according to chronological incidence Table 3.1: Table 5.1: Table 5.2: List of the Central Mexican documents from the 16th and 17th century that refer to Tula and/or Tollan. The one exception is Historia Antigua de Mexico by Clavigero (Clavigero 1945a, 1945b, 1945c). Although this source could have been written as late as 1787, I choose to include it in my studies as it contains valuable information which is not found elsewhere Overall frequency of direct and descriptive speech in the specific contextual categories from the Maya texts Overall frequency of direct and descriptive speech in specific contextual categories from the Naawatl sources Table 5.3: The components of SPEAKING for both Maya and Aztec speech situations vii