Mayan iconography
The iconography of Mayan ceramic art is the main focus of the FLAAR Photo Archive of pre-Columbian art and archaeology. Gods, mythical creatures, and other deities of the pre-Columbian pantheon are of especial interest. The vase scenes document a complex mythology far beyond what is presented in the story of the Popol Vuh. With three different kinds of rollout cameras, FLAAR has created a research resource for Maya iconography of polychrome Mayan vases.
The vase here is a section from a rollout of a Codex Style bowl (another section of the same pot shows a female with a mythical bird-like insect).
Late Classic Maya vase Copyright FLAAR 1999 |
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| Midgets are often seen in Maya art but seldom adjacent to God D. | Although bats are common in Chama art, they are not well documented for Codex Style scenes. This particular bat has unusual wings and is more human than bat-like. In the middle is a Crocodile Tree rising from a bowl. God G gestuers from the right side. A similar scene of God D adjacent to a Crocodile Tree is pictured in the book "Monster and Men in Maya Art," (N. Hellmuth, 1987, ADEVA, Graz and FLAAR St Louis). |
