Continuities in Maya Political Rhetoric

K'awiils, K'atuns, and Kennings

Bibliographic Data

ID6033693
AuthorsP M Rice (0000-0001-8159-1989, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume23
Issue1
Pages103-114
Publication date2012-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAncient Mesoamerica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0956-5361 • E-ISSN: 1469-1787
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0956536112000077
OpenAlexW2129098910
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited46

Classic hieroglyphic texts do not describe Maya political organization, nor do colonial documents, forcing archaeologists to look elsewhere for clues. I propose that continuities in calendrically-based geopolitical rhetoric are recognizable in imagery and literary devices that can be traced from Preclassic/Formative times into the Colonial period. Imagery revolves around God K,k'awiil, and manikin scepters. The Classic manikin scepter materializes God K/K'awiil as a symbol of legitimate rulership, particularly at accession; the Postclassic analogue in the Dresden and Paris Codices is a God K effigy head, God K also symbolizingk'atuns. Related literary devices are kennings, specifically thetook'-pakalor “flint-and-shield,” which appear in Classic texts and in theChilam B'alambooks in the context of defeat in warfare, the latter particularly referring tok'atunwars. Interrelated concepts, including obsidian, mirrors, serpents, and one-legged deities in thePopol Vuhand in Mexico (Tezcatlipoca), amplify these proposed continuities

Archaeology · Art · Linguistics · Literature · Maya · Poetry · Political science · Politics · Rhetoric · History · Indigenous Cultures and Socio-Education · Latin American history and culture · Law · Philosophy

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