Artificers of the days: Functions of the howler monkey gods among the Mayas

Abstract

Car j'installe, par la science, L'hymne des coeurs spirituels En 1'oeuvre de ma patience, Atlas, herbiers et rituels. (Mallarmé, ProsepourDes Esseintes) INTRODUCTIONIn his study entitled 'Supernatural Patrons of Maya Scribes and Artists', M. D. Coe has been able to establish that the gods Hun Batz and Hun Choven, 'One Howler Monkey' and 'One Artisan', repeatedly occur as the subjects of funerary vase representations, dating from the Late Classic period (600-900 A.D.) of Mayan civilization. An important sixteenth-century Quiché-Mayan source, the Popol Vuh, presents these deities as the malicious elder stepbrothers of its heroes, Hunahpu, 'One Blowgunner', and his companion Xbalanque. In accordance with some of their functions in the Popol Vuh, the simians, or figures substituted for them, are depicted in the acts of writing and carving.

Monkeys in the City of Gods

“…The monkey is an animal that provides symbolic meanings, such as its association with the sun and wind, libido, and writing. In addition, primates were characterized by their particular intelligence up to their role as an entity that represents fertility (Braakhuis, 1987;Bruner and Cucina, 2005). As for pre-Hispanic osteoarchaeological remains of primates in the Mayan area, there are elements from the Yucatan peninsula in Itzamkanac (a humerus, Terminal Classic, 900-100 CE) and Yaxuná (an ulna, Pre-Postclassic 500 BCE to 1600 CE) (Valadez, 2014).…”

Revisiting Monkeys on Pots: A Contextual Consideration of Primate Imagery on Classic Lowland Maya Pottery

“…Several studies have investigated images of primates in Maya art (Baker 1992, 2014; Braakhuis 1987; Bruner and Cucina 2005; Coe 1977; South 2005) and most call attention to the presence of spider monkeys. The features used to identify this species include “long legs and arms, small body (slim thorax, rounded abdomen), bipedal attitude, suspended and long tail, small head, muzzle reduction, [and] facial and periorbital mask” (Bruner and Cucina 2005:113).…”

“…Several scenes show processions, and the “walking” designation for these might equally be classed as dancing. According to one study, only spider monkeys are shown dancing (Braakhuis 1987:47n16), although the howler monkey on the left in Figure 5 is likely dancing to the rhythm of a drum.…”

“…Before turning to the images of monkeys on Maya pottery, it is helpful to establish a cultural context for their appearance. Monkeys are central characters in numerous Maya creation myths, highland and lowland (see Braakhuis 1987:31–33; Bricker 1973; Gossen 1974:181; Holland 1963:71; Hunt 1977:80; Thompson 1970; Warkentin and Whittaker 1965:55–57). In most of these, monkeys represent early efforts at creating humans but the creatures were fatally flawed.…”

“…a.d. 200–950) and Postclassic (ca. a.d. 950–1525) media, including pottery, stone, bone, and hieroglyphic writing (see, for example, Baker 1992, 2014; Benson 1994; Braakhuis 1987; Coe 1977; Danien 2005; Grube and Nahm 1994; Kerr 2015b; Miller and Peraza Lope 2003; Mock 1997; Ringle 1988; South 2005; South and Ford 2013; Stross 2008).…”