“…In the pre-Columbian K'iche' play Rabinal Achi (Tedlock 2003:105–106), just prior to his decapitation the captive warrior Cawek proposes a rhythmic fate for his limbs: “And as for this bone of my arm when it becomes the handle of a metal rattler they will marvel at the clatter.… And as for this bone of my leg when it becomes the stick for a toponowos, a slit drum, they will marvel.” For Cawek, the music produced from his sacrificed body was to be a noble tribute to his life. His desire that his bones provide auditory pleasure after his death is perhaps mirrored in an image of sacrifice from the Dresden Codex (Villacorta and Villacorta Calderon 1992:34) in which a decapitated head displayed atop a pyramid is serenaded by figures playing a flute and a rattle, perhaps created from the bones of the same unfortunate victim (Figure 15a). Figure 15.Iconography in codices that links bones, sacrifice, and music.…”
Section: Femora In the Archaeological Recordmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Figure 15.Iconography in codices that links bones, sacrifice, and music. (a) Dresden Codex (Villacorta and Villacorta Calderon 1992:34a detail). Decapitation image with musicians in which the head of the victim (the maize god) is displayed on top of a pyramid.…”
Section: Femora In the Archaeological Recordmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Decapitation image with musicians in which the head of the victim (the maize god) is displayed on top of a pyramid. Author drawing after Villacorta and Villacorta Calderon 1992:68. (b) The deity 9 Wind plays a bone rasp with a scapula on a human skull resonator.…”
Section: Femora In the Archaeological Recordmentioning
Although captive images have been examined for the Classic Maya, we lack a thorough understanding of depicted captives as a pictorial motif. Furthermore, the convention of “tagging” Late Classic Maya captive sculptures with identifying texts was understood a century ago, yet the ways in which these scripts functioned beyond the role of label are not well known. This layering of identifying texts onto captive figures presents interesting avenues of scholarly inquiry for understanding relationships among ancient Maya texts, figural images, and actual bodies. In this article I explore captive iconography and then suggest that the captive tagging convention is related to the tagging of possessed objects. The artistic tendency toward tagging the thigh with more frequency than other bodily regions suggests a secondary meaning for such markings, and I propose that these tags alluded to the post-sacrifice practice of removing the femur as a war trophy.
“…In the pre-Columbian K'iche' play Rabinal Achi (Tedlock 2003:105–106), just prior to his decapitation the captive warrior Cawek proposes a rhythmic fate for his limbs: “And as for this bone of my arm when it becomes the handle of a metal rattler they will marvel at the clatter.… And as for this bone of my leg when it becomes the stick for a toponowos, a slit drum, they will marvel.” For Cawek, the music produced from his sacrificed body was to be a noble tribute to his life. His desire that his bones provide auditory pleasure after his death is perhaps mirrored in an image of sacrifice from the Dresden Codex (Villacorta and Villacorta Calderon 1992:34) in which a decapitated head displayed atop a pyramid is serenaded by figures playing a flute and a rattle, perhaps created from the bones of the same unfortunate victim (Figure 15a). Figure 15.Iconography in codices that links bones, sacrifice, and music.…”
Section: Femora In the Archaeological Recordmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Figure 15.Iconography in codices that links bones, sacrifice, and music. (a) Dresden Codex (Villacorta and Villacorta Calderon 1992:34a detail). Decapitation image with musicians in which the head of the victim (the maize god) is displayed on top of a pyramid.…”
Section: Femora In the Archaeological Recordmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Decapitation image with musicians in which the head of the victim (the maize god) is displayed on top of a pyramid. Author drawing after Villacorta and Villacorta Calderon 1992:68. (b) The deity 9 Wind plays a bone rasp with a scapula on a human skull resonator.…”
Section: Femora In the Archaeological Recordmentioning
Although captive images have been examined for the Classic Maya, we lack a thorough understanding of depicted captives as a pictorial motif. Furthermore, the convention of “tagging” Late Classic Maya captive sculptures with identifying texts was understood a century ago, yet the ways in which these scripts functioned beyond the role of label are not well known. This layering of identifying texts onto captive figures presents interesting avenues of scholarly inquiry for understanding relationships among ancient Maya texts, figural images, and actual bodies. In this article I explore captive iconography and then suggest that the captive tagging convention is related to the tagging of possessed objects. The artistic tendency toward tagging the thigh with more frequency than other bodily regions suggests a secondary meaning for such markings, and I propose that these tags alluded to the post-sacrifice practice of removing the femur as a war trophy.
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