Karl Taube
Biographic Data
| ID | 684586 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Karl Taube |
| GIVEN NAMES | Karl |
| FAMILY NAME | Taube |
| SIGNATURE | TAUBE K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of California, Riverside |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6503-2343 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 30 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 453 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 29 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1986 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 11 |
Carved monuments from Cerro Patlachique in the Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico
Mountains figure prominently in Mesoamerican cosmogeny, and a deep history of pilgrimage and worship surrounds many, though few have been systematically investigated using modern archaeological methods. Here, the authors present results from the lidar mapping and surface survey of a plateau at the summit of Cerro Patlachique, located at the southern limit of the Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico. While ceramic typology establishes Cerro Patlachique as a…
Domesticating Time: Quadripartite Symbolism and Founding Rituals at Yaxuná
Roads, Temples, and the Community Boundaries of Cobá, Quintana Roo
When East Meets West: Chichen Itza, Tula, and the Postclassic Mesoamerican world
This volume represents the first large-scale reconsideration of the Epiclassic and Early Postclassic periods in broader Mesoamerica in 20 years. In part, the focus is to examine the influence of the ruins of Classic period Teotihuacan in the political, social, and economic structures of societies at the transition to the Postclassic period. Teotihuacan was a locus of critical cultural innovations in Mesoamerica. These innovations included fusing …
Michael D. Coe (1929–2019): A Life in the Past
of the True History of the Conquest of Mexico (Garca 1908(Garca -1916)). Therein, Mike protested the wretched conditions of plantation-grown cacao, for he would want to be remembered as someone standing up to corporate greed. Mike also "taught" by serving, in later years, as an authoritative guide for luxurious trips organized by Far Horizons, a tour company
The Aberdeen Celt: An early twentieth-century Olmec find
Through a Glass, Brightly: Recent Investigations Concerning Mirrors and Scrying in Ancient and Contemporary Mesoamerica
Manufactured Light: Mirrors in the Mesoamerican Realm
Creation and Cosmology: Gods and Mythic Origins in Ancient Mesoamerica
This article discusses gods and mythic origins in ancient Mesoamerican thought. In ancient Mesoamerican thought, the creation and maintenance of the ordered world was only achieved through a concerted effort by the gods, a weighty responsibility that continued through the sacrificial offerings and rituals of mortals. The myths and behavior of gods not only explained the origins of the world but also served as models for human behavior for commone…
American Gladiators: Ritual Boxing in Ancient Mesoamerica
Dennis Tedlock (translator and interpreter), Rabinal Achi: A Mayan drama of war and sacrifice
Dennis Tedlock (translator and interpreter), Rabinal Achi: A Mayan drama of war and sacrifice. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. vii, 361. Hb $35.00 The Rabinal Achi, a colonial text of the K'iche'-speaking Maya of Rabinal, Guatemala, is an unusual document for a number of reasons. For one, it is a lengthy text of a Maya dance drama concerning historical events before the Spanish conquest. The content is almost entirely pre-Hispanic and co…
The Memory of Bones: Body, Being, and Experience among the Classic Maya
All of human experience flows from bodies that feel, express emotion, and think about what such experiences mean. But is it possible for us, embodied as we are in a particular time and place, to know how people of long ago thought about the body and its experiences? In this groundbreaking book, three leading experts on the Classic Maya (ca. AD 250 to 850) marshal a vast array of evidence from Maya iconography and hieroglyphic writing, as well as …
The Symbolism of Jade in Classic Maya Religion
The Classic Maya esteemed jadeite not only for its preciousness and beauty but also as stone of great symbolic import. This paper examines the religious significance of jade and certain types of jade artifacts among the Classic Maya. In this study, I note that the Classic Maya ascribed a number of meanings to jade, including maize, centrality, and rulership, as well as a material embodiment of wind and the vitalizing breath soul. Because of its c…
Flower Mountain: Concepts of Life, Beauty, and Paradise among the Classic Maya
Infrared imaging of Precolumbian murals at Bonampak, Chiapas, Mexico
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Olmec Blue’ and Formative jade sources: New discoveries in Guatemala
as a Maya jade source. While abundant and accessible, what is produced today for the tourist trade, mainly between Estancia de La Virgen and Teculután (Harlow, 1994), is mostly opaque and dull-colored. It scarcely resembles the translucent and colorful "Olmec " bluegreen jade found in Formative horizons in Mexico. This qualitative disparity has led to a search for Olmec jade sources elsewhere in Mesoamerica. The Sierra de las Minas and the highla…
An Archaeology of the Senses: Perception and Cultural Expression in Ancient Mesoamerica
The ancient Maya and other Mesoamerican peoples showed an intense interest in invoking the senses, especially hearing, sight, and smell. The senses were flagged by graphic devices of synaesthetic or cross-sensory intent; writing and speech scrolls triggered sound, sightlines the acts and consequences of seeing, and flowery ornament indicated both scent and soul essence. As conceived anciently, the senses were projective and procreative, involving…
The Olmec Maize God: The Face of Corn in Formative Mesoamerica
Scribes, Warriors and Kings: The City of Copan and the Ancient Maya
Aztec and Maya Myths
Imagining the Maya: Sources and Scholarship
The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya: An Illustrated Dictionary of Mesoamerican Religion
How did the hummingbird become the symbol of the chief Aztec god? Who were the Hero Twins? Why was Venus the planet of war? Did the Maya practise human sacrifice? And did they eat their victims? Who played the ancient ball game? Who were the first consumers of chocolate? What was a war of flowers? legends and beliefs of the great pre-Columbian civilizations of have baffled and fascinated outsiders ever since the Spanish Conquest. Yet, until now, …
The Bilimek Pulque Vessel: Starlore, Calendrics, and Cosmology of Late Postclassic Central Mexico
The Bilimek Vessel is among the most remarkable pieces of portable Aztec sculpture, and it contains an unusually complex body of imagery concerning starlore and cosmic battle. The Bilimek Vessel and other Aztec sources reveal that the alcoholic beverage pulque was well integrated into Aztec concepts of warfare and mythology. To the Aztec, pulque was identified with the souls of dead warriors and the starry night sky. The many figures appearing on…
The Role of Radiocarbon Dating in Maya Archaeology: Four Decades of Research
The Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Cult of Sacred War at Teotihuacan
An Archaeology of the Senses: Perception and Cultural Expression in Ancient Mesoamerica
The ancient Maya and other Mesoamerican peoples showed an intense interest in invoking the senses, especially hearing, sight, and smell. The senses were flagged by graphic devices of synaesthetic or cross-sensory intent; writing and speech scrolls triggered sound, sightlines the acts and consequences of seeing, and flowery ornament indicated both scent and soul essence. As conceived anciently, the senses were projective and procreative, involving…
The Symbolism of Jade in Classic Maya Religion
The Classic Maya esteemed jadeite not only for its preciousness and beauty but also as stone of great symbolic import. This paper examines the religious significance of jade and certain types of jade artifacts among the Classic Maya. In this study, I note that the Classic Maya ascribed a number of meanings to jade, including maize, centrality, and rulership, as well as a material embodiment of wind and the vitalizing breath soul. Because of its c…
The Memory of Bones: Body, Being, and Experience among the Classic Maya
All of human experience flows from bodies that feel, express emotion, and think about what such experiences mean. But is it possible for us, embodied as we are in a particular time and place, to know how people of long ago thought about the body and its experiences? In this groundbreaking book, three leading experts on the Classic Maya (ca. AD 250 to 850) marshal a vast array of evidence from Maya iconography and hieroglyphic writing, as well as …
Flower Mountain: Concepts of Life, Beauty, and Paradise among the Classic Maya
Folk Classification of Classic Maya Pottery
The Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Cult of Sacred War at Teotihuacan
The Maize Tamale in Classic Maya Diet, Epigraphy, and Art
Iconographic, epigraphic, and linguistic data provide new evidence that the tamale constituted the primary maize food of Classic Maya diet. Archaeological and ethnohistoric data pertaining to the tamale and tortilla are reviewed and discussed in terms of the widespread representation of the tamale in Classic Maya epigraphy and art. Iconographic forms of the tamale are isolated and compared with hieroglyphic signs. Glyphs T:14, 39, 86, 130, 135, 5…
Olmec Blue’ and Formative jade sources: New discoveries in Guatemala
as a Maya jade source. While abundant and accessible, what is produced today for the tourist trade, mainly between Estancia de La Virgen and Teculután (Harlow, 1994), is mostly opaque and dull-colored. It scarcely resembles the translucent and colorful "Olmec " bluegreen jade found in Formative horizons in Mexico. This qualitative disparity has led to a search for Olmec jade sources elsewhere in Mesoamerica. The Sierra de las Minas and the highla…
The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya: An Illustrated Dictionary of Mesoamerican Religion
How did the hummingbird become the symbol of the chief Aztec god? Who were the Hero Twins? Why was Venus the planet of war? Did the Maya practise human sacrifice? And did they eat their victims? Who played the ancient ball game? Who were the first consumers of chocolate? What was a war of flowers? legends and beliefs of the great pre-Columbian civilizations of have baffled and fascinated outsiders ever since the Spanish Conquest. Yet, until now, …
A Prehispanic Maya Katun Wheel
Much has been written on the calendrical achievements of the ancient Maya; however, little is known of the ancient Maya models for recording and conceiving of the passage of time. A carved stone turtle excavated at the site of Mayapan indicates that the Maya concept of circular calendar wheels is prehispanic in origin. Contextual information provided by archaeological excavation and representations in prehispanic Maya codices indicate that stone …
The Teotihuacan Cave of Origin: The Iconography and Architecture of Emergence Mythology in Mesoamerica and the American Southwest
Manufactured Light: Mirrors in the Mesoamerican Realm
The Olmec Maize God: The Face of Corn in Formative Mesoamerica
Scribes, Warriors and Kings: The City of Copan and the Ancient Maya
Aztec and Maya Myths
The Bilimek Pulque Vessel: Starlore, Calendrics, and Cosmology of Late Postclassic Central Mexico
The Bilimek Vessel is among the most remarkable pieces of portable Aztec sculpture, and it contains an unusually complex body of imagery concerning starlore and cosmic battle. The Bilimek Vessel and other Aztec sources reveal that the alcoholic beverage pulque was well integrated into Aztec concepts of warfare and mythology. To the Aztec, pulque was identified with the souls of dead warriors and the starry night sky. The many figures appearing on…
Infrared imaging of Precolumbian murals at Bonampak, Chiapas, Mexico
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
The Teotihuacan Cave of Origin: The Iconography and Architecture of Emergence Mythology in Mesoamerica and the American Southwest
A Prehispanic Maya Katun Wheel
Much has been written on the calendrical achievements of the ancient Maya; however, little is known of the ancient Maya models for recording and conceiving of the passage of time. A carved stone turtle excavated at the site of Mayapan indicates that the Maya concept of circular calendar wheels is prehispanic in origin. Contextual information provided by archaeological excavation and representations in prehispanic Maya codices indicate that stone …
The Maize Tamale in Classic Maya Diet, Epigraphy, and Art
Iconographic, epigraphic, and linguistic data provide new evidence that the tamale constituted the primary maize food of Classic Maya diet. Archaeological and ethnohistoric data pertaining to the tamale and tortilla are reviewed and discussed in terms of the widespread representation of the tamale in Classic Maya epigraphy and art. Iconographic forms of the tamale are isolated and compared with hieroglyphic signs. Glyphs T:14, 39, 86, 130, 135, 5…
Folk Classification of Classic Maya Pottery
Obsidian Polyhedral Cores and Prismatic Blades in the Writing and Art of Ancient Mexico
The widespread appearance of obsidian prismatic blades and polyhedral cores in ancient Mexican writing and art provides important information regarding ancient mesoamerican lithic technology. One common central Mexican epigraphic convention, a hooklike black element, is identified as a curving prismatic blade, here providing the phonetic value itz . The placement of blade segments on the edges of wooden clubs is one of the most commonly cited use…
The Role of Radiocarbon Dating in Maya Archaeology: Four Decades of Research
The Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Cult of Sacred War at Teotihuacan
The Bilimek Pulque Vessel: Starlore, Calendrics, and Cosmology of Late Postclassic Central Mexico
The Bilimek Vessel is among the most remarkable pieces of portable Aztec sculpture, and it contains an unusually complex body of imagery concerning starlore and cosmic battle. The Bilimek Vessel and other Aztec sources reveal that the alcoholic beverage pulque was well integrated into Aztec concepts of warfare and mythology. To the Aztec, pulque was identified with the souls of dead warriors and the starry night sky. The many figures appearing on…
Scribes, Warriors and Kings: The City of Copan and the Ancient Maya
Aztec and Maya Myths
Imagining the Maya: Sources and Scholarship
The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya: An Illustrated Dictionary of Mesoamerican Religion
How did the hummingbird become the symbol of the chief Aztec god? Who were the Hero Twins? Why was Venus the planet of war? Did the Maya practise human sacrifice? And did they eat their victims? Who played the ancient ball game? Who were the first consumers of chocolate? What was a war of flowers? legends and beliefs of the great pre-Columbian civilizations of have baffled and fascinated outsiders ever since the Spanish Conquest. Yet, until now, …
The Olmec Maize God: The Face of Corn in Formative Mesoamerica
An Archaeology of the Senses: Perception and Cultural Expression in Ancient Mesoamerica
The ancient Maya and other Mesoamerican peoples showed an intense interest in invoking the senses, especially hearing, sight, and smell. The senses were flagged by graphic devices of synaesthetic or cross-sensory intent; writing and speech scrolls triggered sound, sightlines the acts and consequences of seeing, and flowery ornament indicated both scent and soul essence. As conceived anciently, the senses were projective and procreative, involving…
Olmec Blue’ and Formative jade sources: New discoveries in Guatemala
as a Maya jade source. While abundant and accessible, what is produced today for the tourist trade, mainly between Estancia de La Virgen and Teculután (Harlow, 1994), is mostly opaque and dull-colored. It scarcely resembles the translucent and colorful "Olmec " bluegreen jade found in Formative horizons in Mexico. This qualitative disparity has led to a search for Olmec jade sources elsewhere in Mesoamerica. The Sierra de las Minas and the highla…
Infrared imaging of Precolumbian murals at Bonampak, Chiapas, Mexico
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Flower Mountain: Concepts of Life, Beauty, and Paradise among the Classic Maya
The Symbolism of Jade in Classic Maya Religion
The Classic Maya esteemed jadeite not only for its preciousness and beauty but also as stone of great symbolic import. This paper examines the religious significance of jade and certain types of jade artifacts among the Classic Maya. In this study, I note that the Classic Maya ascribed a number of meanings to jade, including maize, centrality, and rulership, as well as a material embodiment of wind and the vitalizing breath soul. Because of its c…
The Memory of Bones: Body, Being, and Experience among the Classic Maya
All of human experience flows from bodies that feel, express emotion, and think about what such experiences mean. But is it possible for us, embodied as we are in a particular time and place, to know how people of long ago thought about the body and its experiences? In this groundbreaking book, three leading experts on the Classic Maya (ca. AD 250 to 850) marshal a vast array of evidence from Maya iconography and hieroglyphic writing, as well as …
Dennis Tedlock (translator and interpreter), Rabinal Achi: A Mayan drama of war and sacrifice
Dennis Tedlock (translator and interpreter), Rabinal Achi: A Mayan drama of war and sacrifice. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. vii, 361. Hb $35.00 The Rabinal Achi, a colonial text of the K'iche'-speaking Maya of Rabinal, Guatemala, is an unusual document for a number of reasons. For one, it is a lengthy text of a Maya dance drama concerning historical events before the Spanish conquest. The content is almost entirely pre-Hispanic and co…
American Gladiators: Ritual Boxing in Ancient Mesoamerica
Creation and Cosmology: Gods and Mythic Origins in Ancient Mesoamerica
This article discusses gods and mythic origins in ancient Mesoamerican thought. In ancient Mesoamerican thought, the creation and maintenance of the ordered world was only achieved through a concerted effort by the gods, a weighty responsibility that continued through the sacrificial offerings and rituals of mortals. The myths and behavior of gods not only explained the origins of the world but also served as models for human behavior for commone…
Through a Glass, Brightly: Recent Investigations Concerning Mirrors and Scrying in Ancient and Contemporary Mesoamerica
Manufactured Light: Mirrors in the Mesoamerican Realm
The Aberdeen Celt: An early twentieth-century Olmec find
History (23 works) · Archaeology (22 works) · Latin American history and culture (22 works) · Art (21 works) · Maya (14 works) · Ancient history (12 works) · History (12 works) · Mesoamerica (10 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (8 works) · Geography (7 works)