One thousand seven hundred years
ago, on a small island near the coast of the current Mexican state of
Campeche; the Maya built a ceremonial center called Hanal (house of water).
The land was barren, so the Maya transported material from the mainland
to construct buildings and temples. Centuries later, after the arrival
of the Spanish conquerors in 1519, the name of the area was changed to
Jaina, by which it is still known today.
by Román Piña Chán
Numerous pre-Hispanic tombs have been
discovered in Jaina. In keeping with Maya tradition, they were filled
with various utensils and ceremonial objects like bone picks, vases, stone
tools and, above all, small clay statuettes. The latter are the objects
that have given Jaina its fame, for they depict the people of the island
with such fidelity, it seems as if they have returned from the dead.
Although the exact date of their
creation is unknown, the statuettes seem to have been produced between
A.D. 600 and 1000. These extraordinary sculptures are like documents that
allow researchers to reconstruct and decipher what the Maya society of
those times was like. This data was used to recognize the Halach Uinic
(the True Man) who was the governor or war chief. His was a hereditary
position, and he was represented as wearing sumptuous garments.
Here,
in Figure 1, we can see one of these
lords seated on a bench or circular throne—perhaps made of carved
wood and leather—in a very dignified posture. His rank is evident
in his clothing; a detachable helmet comprised of a serpent's head with
exotic feathers. He has a small beard—which is probably fake—and
his face is tattooed. His breastplate is decorated with jade beads and
he wears a shirt over his loincloth. A fan rests on his knee. His outfit
is completed with earrings, bracelets and sandals.
These chief lords lived in elegant
buildings surrounded by a court of nobles or dignitaries holding administrative
positions in the government, which enabled them to dress in fine clothing
with precious jewels. The Halach Uinic ruled over a group that occupied
a limited territory, and when he was older, he apparently received the
title of Ahau (Supreme Lord).
Figure
2, might depict just such an Ahau. The noble is standing and is dressed
for an important ceremony. On his head he wears a detachable helmet adorned
with flowers and a bundle of exotic feathers, his hair has been cut back
and his cheeks have been tattooed with the scarring technique typical
of the ancient Maya. He wears jade earrings and a sumptuous necklace of
jade beads. His finely-made short skirt is held up by a girdle, the ends
left dangling in front, and his outfit is completed by bracelets and sling-back
sandals.
Although the Halach Uinic could
officiate at certain religious ceremonies, the priest class was in charge
of all matters pertaining to religion, like cults, rituals and festivities.
The priesthood was based on a complex hierarchical organization. Apparently
by the year A.D. 900 there was already a head priest called the Ahau
Can (the Priest of the Serpent). He was greatly revered; servants
were assigned to cultivate his lands, and people came to make offerings
and present him with gifts.
Figure
3 is thought to depict one of these high priests, since it bears one
of the ornaments typical of this caste: a half mask of leather or bark
which covers the face from the ear to the chin, in addition to a jade
necklace with a small mask made of the same material. This could be interpreted
to be the glyph for Ahau. The figure's outfit is completed by a loincloth,
the ends hanging in front and in back, and a fan, the symbol of a high-ranking
noble.
In addition, there were other priests
called Ah Kines (Priests of the Sun), who were in charge of rituals
in the villages. The Nacom class performed human sacrifices with the help
of their assistants, who held the victim by the arms and legs. Finally,
there were the Chilanes, who were highly respected soothsayers.
Along
with the principal rulers there were the Batab, who were in charge of
governing the conquered village like viceroys. One of their main tasks
was to collect tributes for the Governor.
Figure
4 represents one such local dignitary. He wears a large, wide-brimmed
hat whose crown is adorned with three feathers. We can also see a small
beard and a type of neck ruff or strip of woven cotton, worn over a long
shirt or open coat, which reaches below his knees. He appears to be barefoot.
Festivities and ceremonies honoring
different gods were common in Maya life. On festival days special dishes
were prepared, as was a special drink called balche, made from
corn, honey, and bark from the tree of the same name. Copal incense was
burned and the celebrants sang, danced, prayed, fasted, participated in
bloodletting ceremonies and in human sacrifice. Distinct castes celebrated
their feast days at different months of the year. Deer hunters, anglers,
beekeepers and owners of cacao plantations each had separate rituals and
entertainment.
Figure
5 shows an orator, dancer or actor, perhaps one of the artists who
participated in plays and dances. He wears a kind of cap on his head and
dangling earrings. One hand is on his hip and the other is extended out
to his right. He wears a simple loincloth and short skirt.
The Maya had many gods, some of
whom had several names. For example, the goddess Ixchel, or Rainbow,
was also known as Ix U Sihnal or Moon Patroness of Birth. She was
the moon goddess and patroness of sexual relations, procreation and births.
She was associated with all natural bodies of water, and at the same time,
she was the goddess of medicine and weaving. Apparently, as the goddess
of weaving, she was known as Ix Chebal Yax, or Old Red Goddess
of Weaving, and women formed a guild in her honor, which included spinners,
dyers and weavers of various types of cloth.
In
Figure 6, a noble women carries a
wooden loom, carved with a two-headed snake, and a bobbin of yarn to offering
to the goddess. The worshipper is wearing a skirt and tunic, in which
the color blue, associated with religion, predominates. Her braids, interwoven
with ribbons, flow down the back of her head, which bares the ritual deformation
typical of the ancient Maya.
The
Ball game also had religious connotations, from its association with
the Sun, or Venus. In the first case, the coming and going of the ball
was thought to represent the movement of the Sun through the sky; in the
second, it was Venus, which appeared to be a star, imitated by play in
the four corners of the court. In general, the association with the cult
of the sun evolved in the Classic period, whereas the connection with
Venus was a Post-Classic development.
Players
who were specially trained for inter-city games were noted for their gaudy
clothing, with wide, protective stomach wrappings girded by a belt worn
over a loincloth. One arm was also wrapped, and players wore wide wrist
and knee guards. All this protection was very important, since players
were not allowed to use their hands to hit the large, solid-rubber ball.
This uniform can be observed in
Figure
7.
On special occasions and in very
important cities, the loser of the ball game was sacrificed to the god
of fecundity. Thus in Edzna, Campeche and Chichen Itza, Yucatan, you can
see representations of the Nacom or sacrificial priests dressed as ball
players, each carrying a sacrificial knife in one hand and the head of
a player in the other.
The
custom of ball game sacrifice was originated by Mexican tribes like the
Totonaca from the Gulf Coast, who eventually migrated to the Yucatan Peninsula.
In Figure 8 found on the island of
Jaina, we see the influence of the central regions of the state of
Veracruz
in the ball player's costume, which has a fish in its headdress. The uniform
depicted in the molded, orange statuette is similar to those from other
regions: stomach protector, belt, and wrist and knee guards.
Jaina's sculptors, when faithfully
copying their models—the people of their time—recorded ancient
Maya physical characteristics in clay. These included short stature, oblique
eyes, a hooked nose, straight hair, as well as artificial characteristics
like an intentionally deformed skull, which made the forehead seem to
join and follow the same line as the nose (called an oblique tabular deformation),
mutilation, ornamentation of the teeth, and intentionally crossed eyes.
They
also depicted common people going about their daily activities. We see
weavers seated in front of their waist-looms, ball players at the doors
of temples, dwarfs, musicians, the sick, the blind and the old. In
Figure
9 an old woman is shown, her hair braided and coiled on her forehead,
along with a porter carrying a fat man on his back.
In Jaina, there is a marked difference
between the handmade and the molded figurines. Those, which are handmade,
are almost all unique, though often two and even three copies of the molded
statues were often made. Although there is no exact dating, the figurines
seem to have been produced between A.D. 600 and 1000. The earlier ones
are predominantly handmade and those of later eras are often mold reproductions.
In
all the figures, one observes a change in clothing according to the social
status and occupation of the individual, though local availability of
materials and level of trade also influenced clothing. Thus, a countrywoman
wore a skirt, a huipil and a cotton quechquemitl, or yoke
to cover her breasts, while those of a higher rank might wear the same
items of clothing, but might adorn them with colored string. In addition,
they wore short shawls and elegant jewelry made of jade, shells and other
basic materials. Figure 10 is an excellent
example of this type of costume.
The
influence of the central region of Veracruz, famous for its caritas
sonrientes, or smiling little faces, and Nopiloa figurines (made of
orange-colored clay and painted white), is evident in Jaina. In
Figure
11, we see a woman with her hair pushed back and flowing down her
back, her mouth half-open so her mutilated teeth can be admired. She is
wearing a beautifully woven huipil with a border of flowers. Topping her
huipil is a yoke, embroidered with a design and topped by a necklace with
several strings of colored beads. This statuette is thought to depict
a worshipper of the god of rain, wind and vegetation.
Another
of the molded, hollow figurines painted in white is
Figure
12. Here we see the use of a short huipil decorated with a series
of diamond shapes surrounding a central circle. Over the huipil is a quechquemitl
embellished with a design featuring the heads of birds, snakes and jaguars.
A necklace adds the finishing touch to this elegant costume. This figure
is noteworthy for the holes in the joints of the limbs, which led archaeologists
to believe it was used as a puppet.
The statuettes mentioned are but a small sample
of the many pieces on exhibit in museums and private collections. They
are surprisingly true to the natural human form and are perfectly executed.
The sculptures serve as portraits of a people and their times, of the
society and its evolution on the island of Jaina. Today researchers think
they were made as offerings for the debts for which they died, and to
be companions to the dead on their trip to the beyond.
