An important discovery of Mayan paintings has been discovered in a cave 12 meters below ground in the eastern Yucatan by a team of archaeologists led by Sergio Grosjean Abimerhi.
“’It’s not the only cave with paintings in Yucatán but it is the most important because they have many elements: birds, mammals, a cross, geometric figures, human forms and among those that of a warrior as well as [prints made with] the front and back of hands,’ Grosjean said.” (Mexiconewsdaily)
New Mayan cave paintings discovered in the Yucatan.
“The director of the Mexican Institute of Ecology, Science and Culture - a non-governmental organization that conducts environmental and cultural investigations - said that like cave paintings found in other parts of Yucatán, the newly discovered artwork ‘shows the high degree of evolution of the Mayan culture’. Grosjean explained that the colors of the paintings are derived from a wide range of natural pigments and other materials such as red earth, which is known in the local Mayan language as k’ankab. He added that neither the age of the paintings nor their exact significance has yet been determined but stressed ‘they’re the most important we have seen.’” (Mexiconewsdaily)
These painted images are noticeably different from much of the Mayan art we see with its formalized figures and inscriptions on steles and temples. This does not show as an organized scene of anything at all but a collection of symbols and images, probably done a little at a time over a longer period, and probably not by the same people who created the formal, public art of Mayan cities. Being in a cave, instead of on public display, would lead us to assume that they were produced for a much more private purpose, and for a much smaller audience.
New Mayan cave paintings discovered in the Yucatan.
“In the coming days the team Grosjean leads will return to the cave with archeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) to carry out further identification work. ‘At the moment, we can’t reveal the exact location [of the cave] because undortunately in Yucatán, the looters and vandals are one step ahead of us,’ Grosjean said.” (Mexiconewsdaily)
Press reports do not mention any nearby Mayan cities or major sites so, in lieu of that knowledge, I will make some assumptions. I assume that these were not done by an important scribe or cleric from some kingdom, but by a local in a rural village or small town. He was probably acting equivalently to the scribes or clerics who produced major inscriptions and pictures, but for a rural or village audience instead of the court of an important city or capital. Without the formalized education or training of that scribe or cleric this creator was doing the best he could to produce the equivalent results on his own.
New Mayan cave paintings discovered in the Yucatan.
Grosjean stated that “neither the age of the paintings nor their exact significance has yet been determined but stressed ‘they’re the most important we have seen.’” (Mexiconewsdaily) Well, that is demonstrably nonsense, but they do allow us, if the assumptions above are correct, to compare the tangible remains of rites or practices of difference levels of society, to compare the spiritual and intellectual life of the serfs with the royalty, so to speak.
NOTE: Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on this you should read the original report at the site listed below.
REFERENCES:
Staff,2018 Treasure Trove of Mayan Cave Paintings Discovered in Yucatan, July 25, 2018, https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/cave-paintings-discovered-in-Yucatan/
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment