Existing comment:
Pageantry:
Pageantry was a very important part of Maya society and generally took place in the form of elaborate ceremonies involving chants, music, costumes, sacred objects, intoxicants, and ritual dance performed by priests and rulers. Open plazas such as those at Copan and Qurigua and the raised platforms of palaces and temples are thought to have provided the settings for these activities. It was believed that supernatural contact would be made through the performance of pageantry. These religious observances also generated political cohesion and identity.
The images from painted ceramics and murals and the sculpture on buildings and monuments portray performances by royalty, priests, and small elite groups. Images also show figures with one heel raised, a symbol for dancing. Performers wore elaborate feature headdresses, back racks, and high-backed sandals, and are shown carrying sacred objects such as scepters and staffs.
Large public ceremonies sponsored by the state often went on for several days and nights and included offerings to the gods. The most potent offering was life itself, represented by blood. Kings and nobles performed many rituals themselves, including bloodletting and manipulation of holy objects, while costumed as gods.
The figurines below, grave goods found on the island of Jaina in Mexico, illustrate the elaboration of headdress jewelry and costume worn in religious ceremony. |