Mayan Art Megathread

Looks interesting, I hadn't heard this one before, I will need to check it out once I finish watching all of samurai jack...

 

Some frescos (murals) from Tulum that I discovered recently.



This first one is obviously a reproduction, based on what remains from the current state of the murals, which look more like this one:



I did not see these when I went to Tulum, probably because they were inside the buildings and access is restricted. I plan to use some of this artwork in future terrain projects.

Spoiler: Tulum Murals

 

Also found this link, that says its from Tulum but I don't recognize it (or entirely believe it, but it was a cute little mayan-art-esque video)

 

Two Mayan carvings, first from Tikal, the second one from Copan:

Tikal:



Reproduction of a stelae of a lord from the city of Tikal

Copan



The lighting makes this one look very colorful. The carving is dedicated to Yax Kuk Mo, a king of Copan, whose name is clearly seen on the picture as it means Green (Yax) Quetzl (Kuk) Macaw (Mo), both the intertwined birds on the carving.

 

Lords of Xibalba

Not sure what vase this picture comes from, but the remastered version is quite beautiful and interesting to look at. Vase depicts six of the Nine Lords of the Night in Mayan mythology, who rule over the underworld Xibalba, land of the dead.

Spoiler: Lords of Xibalba

 

Earth Monster face, supposedly from Chalcatzingo.

 

Some artists' interpretations of life in the ancient New World.

Aztec farmers:


Martketplace:


Warfare:


Pic showing scenes from ancient Maya, Aztec, and Inca:




This one is apparently a Moche lord from Sipan (south America, possibly Peru). I imagine a slann court could look something like this.

 

Some more images, mostly of the Mayan culture:

Master scribes at work, constructing beautiful accordion-style Codexes:



Possibly from Palenque:



Pok-a-tok- the ballgame:

Spoiler

Views of Tikal:

Spoiler

A sacrifice in progress over the great cenote at Chichen Itza:

 

Thought this one was cool, very detailed Mayan warrior model

 

Cool drawing of a Mayan warrior:



Interestingly the artist looks like he used King Pakal of Palenque's face for inspiration.

Spoiler: King Pakal the Great

 

Two beautiful stelae, one a drawing the other one real:

Tzendales Stelae

 

These murals are by a Mexican artist named Diego Rivera, who in the more modern day has painted murals of Mexico's ancient cultures. Most are of the ancient Zapotec and Mixtec cultures, but I like the style that he paints. I can delicately see the influence of the ancient pre-columbian cultures in his work:



Looks like Tenochtitlan:

Spoiler: Diego Rivera Murals

 

I see your point. It definitely is a tragic and divisive issue throughout history.

I can't speak as much for the Aztecs or the Incas (other than that they were quite forcibly taken down by the Spanish and their native allies), but the height of the Mayan civilization in many ways had crumbled long before the Spanish came into the picture. Most of the pictures I have posted are from the heyday of the Mayan classical era (700-900 AD) or times immediately before or after. By the time the Spanish arrived, the Mayans were still around, and were still fighting amongst themselves in numerous petty kingdoms, but did not have the glorious "temple cities" we normally think about when viewing these cultures.

Map is the Mayan world ~1461 AD, showing the Mayan clans fighting constant wars against each other.



As much as this should have made them easier to conquer by the Spanish, the conquest of the Yucatan wound up being a very long process that never 100% finished, even up until the formation of Mexico.

But on the flip side, the Spanish, in particular one Bishop Diego de Landa, was both directly responsible for the destruction and preservation of Mayan culture.

In his notes he rightly admits to burning the wood-bark books containing the mass of wealth of Mayan astrological studies and ceremonial practices, which were burned as works of the devil. Considering how abhorent the Europeans viewed human sacrifices, and viewed snakes, which factored very strongly in Mayan art, as animals directly controlled by evil powers, it makes a perverted sense why he and others came to this conclusion. At the same time, his research and notes on the Mayans themselves are to this day one of the few sources of actual Mayan history, especially how their language and complicated writing system worked.

Some of his notes:





Its a sad history, though at the time Diego de Landa showed up to burn the books and destroy the temples, most had been destroyed by time, the jungle, or angry Mayan armies centuries before.

The world is a crazy place, and I keep learning more as I continue to read about this fascinating ancient culture.

 

Modern-day maps and stuff pulled from pinterest.

Yucatan:


Cozumel:


Between these two maps, all the Mayan sites I have visited are on these maps: Tulum, Xunantunich, Uxmal, and San Gervasio on Cozumel. I hope to continue to visit more!

Spoiler: tourist maps

Just some travel guides...

 

A couple fancy Mayan-esque terrain concepts. Most I think are from that cartoon El Dorado movie; original concept sketches for it.

Spoiler

 

A couple more that didn't fit in the first post. More beautiful concept art that would make great terrain pieces. I like the canals on this one, reminds me of the temple city concept I created, just more red! The color really works well here though:



Looks like an Engine of the Gods on top a temple-pyramid


I really like this one, I want to make a terrain piece like this once I secure some more insulation foam to act as the base. Hopefully to make it nice and modular:

Spoiler

 

Nice find!

 

Found some more, but these are actually real, allegedly from the Temple of the Serpent God (Quezacoatl/Kulkulkan) from Teotihuacan.

Spoiler

Also an old lithograph



And some fan art:

 

Yep they are real, I have actually been there.