Mayan Art Megathread

Faces of Copan

Lots of random faces scattered about the ruins. Some quite mysterious...

Spoiler: Faces of Copan

cute happy face:


Face with no mouth:


Jaguar-stair Sun God statue:

Also I have shown this skull before, but found another awesome picture. I just really love the detail.

Spoiler: Copan Skull

 

Transitioning to some artwork covering Mayan ruins, next up is the work of Frederick Catherwood. I am a huge fan of his work!

Catherwood was an architect/artist who from London who travelled to Egypt, Greece, and several other spots around the globe, taking copious notes and sketches as he did so. He was eventually enlisted by John Lloyd Stephens (an American) to conduct a joint venture into Central America, to explore the rumors of hidden temples of great beauty. Stephen's travelogue and Catherwood's drawings were later published into two volumes "Travels in the Yucatan," and are the first examples of a European artist accurately reflecting and depicting Mayan art/architecture/ruins in print.


Frederick Catherwood never did a self-portrait (that I can find...) but he did make a cameo in one of his Yucatan works making measurements of the ruins.


John Lloyd Stephens

Spoiler: Incidents of Travels in the Yucatan

Spoiler: example of Catherwood's earlier Egyptian work

sketch of one of Catherwood's panoramic views of Thebes, on display in his New York workshop for a long time. He was also famous for a stunning panorama of Jerusalem. The majority of his work was destroyed in one of the 1800's New York fires, but fortunately his work on the Mayans and Egyptians survived in published works.

 

Catherwood- Copan

Stela H Waxaklajuun Ub'aah K'awiil (18 Rabbit)


Stela D (also 18 Rabbit) and Altar, representing Chac supposedly.

Spoiler: Stela D and Altar

More Examples:

Spoiler: Stela

looks like a bunch of fruit!

Spoiler: Ruins

ruined stela:

Also found a good link giving great real-life pictures of all of the stela at Copan! by Günther Eichhorn

 

Catherwood- Tulum

Very interesting to see how similar the site looked, even back then! Of course before Catherwood made any sketches, they had to hire native work crews to clear the site of the overgrown jungle in order to even see the buildings. Many of the locals feature randomly in his artwork.

the Castillo at Tulum

Spoiler: Castillo

Spoiler: Tulum

I used these two for easy references for terrain works, very simple ones to make.


This building is called the Temple of the Falling God because at the top their is a picture of a god-creature that is upside down, like it is falling. Later archeologists think that the symbology actually stands for birth.

 

Catherwood- Palenque

Last upload for today, some of Catherwood's views of Palenque. It was raining the entire time Catherwood and Stepehens were at the site, and Catherwood caught a cold/malaria or something. He kept working though sick and produced some great work. If I find his work on the insides of some of the Palenque temple I will post them as well, but the internet is eluding me and I am far from my research books.



Inside the vaunted chambers:


This epic landscape is one of the few examples of Catherwood taking MAJOR artistic license; that giant mountain (which looks suspiciously like a hidden pyramid) doesn't exist. There is a mountain on that spot but it is nowhere that height. Also the temples aren't quite that large either.

Spoiler: more views and architecture of Palenque

the Palace at Palenque




Temple of Inscriptions:

 

Catherwood- Ixmal

Also I have read it before as "Izamal." Currently located underneath a Guatemalan city, this particular ruin doesn't exist anymore. Catherwood's drawing is the only evidence it ever existed. Also one of my favorites...

Spoiler: Ixmal Concept Sketch

This was the original sketch of the stone face. The final picture (the one with the leopard) is another example of artistic license. I highly doubt the intrepid 19th century explorers figured out a way to get a black jaguar to pose for the artist's pencil while he sketched the scene.

 

Scenery ideas all around ...

 

Catherwood- Chichen Itza

In the present day, the redone Castillo at Chichen Itza is probably the most recognizable and most visited Mayan archeological site. Back in the early 1800s it was mostly overgrown, but it still was an inspiring sight!

Spoiler: Chichen Itza

Another colored picture, based on Catherwood's work. I just liked the colors...


Also here is what the refurbished Castillo looks like at Chichen Itza today.

Another building at the Chichen Itza is the circular Caracol, a unique building thought to be an ancient observatory. The Spanish named it caracol because of its peculiar round shape, which reminded them of a snail.


Chichen Itza is also known for the Great cenyote. If Catherwood pictured the great cenyote I cant find it, but I did find another picture of a cenyote in active use by the local population. He illustrated the watering-hole of the village and the giant ladder that the locals had to climb down multiple times each day just to get water.

Spoiler: cenyote

 

Awesome!! I was at chichen Itza an it is truly amazing!! Maybe the spawning pools were inspired by the cenyotes!!

 

That is amazing I am hoping to go there myself at some point!

that is a good idea

 

Catherwood- Arch of Labna

A unique and beautiful Mayan piece, also inspired me to make a terrain piece myself!

Spoiler: Arch of Labna

This is what the arch may have looked like in its prime.


Arch today:

Spoiler: my own humble attempt

 

This is so good!! I was trying to find something that would look like a good mayan wall!! I ove this thread, it makes me not need to do research!!

 

I agree with @Jorgik this thread is great! I learn something, then I want to know more!
Great terrain piece you have done there! Looks awesome!

 

Catherwood- Uxmal

Beautiful site visited and depicted in many pieces of Catherwood's artwork, highly detailed stuff!

Spoiler: Catherwood- Uxmal

 

Time for a couple other Mayan artists. This one, named Lord Waldeck, arrived in the New World some time before Catherwood and Stephens first expedition. He firmly believed the Mayans were the scions of Atlantis, the Egyptians, or the Israelites, and helped make those theories very popular at the time through his drawings. Unlike Catherwood, he made a lot of stuff up...



Much of his art, instead of sticking true to the stuff in front of him, was very inspired by Roman or Greek ancient art. Also he made up his own glyphs, like the famous "Elephant Glyph" which definitely never existed. Very good case of someone seeing what they wanted to see, instead of what was actually in front of them.

Spoiler: More Waldeck

Waldeck also did some work further up Mexico in Aztec territory.

Spoiler: Aztec Warrior and Pyramid of Xochicalco

Awesome mural

 

This particular mural, from the source I found, I believe is wrongly attributed to Waldeck. He definitely visited Palenque (the picture of the Mayan king on a double-jaguar-headed-throne above is definitely Palenque) but I am pretty sure the picture below is Catherwood's work, not Waldeck; this is simply because the picture is MUCH more true to the Mayan original than Waldeck normally was. But I am too far away from my sourcebooks at the moment, so for now, here is the beautiful artwork!

 

Xochicalco

Already showed a picture in the previous Waldeck post, and I was so interested in the mural I had to look it up.

The mural at the Temple of the Feathered Serpent looks like a great example of cultural diffusion in the Mesoamerican region. About 75 miles from Mexico City, the site of Xochicalco shows a definite Mayan and Teotihuacan influence in its mural artwork.

Spoiler: Xochicalco

Dude with an obvious Mayan headdress

 

Cacaxtla

Another amazing example of cross-cultural diffusion. Cacaxtla was a major trading post, despite at its height not having more than 10,000 people (estimated of course). The palace displays some beautiful murals in a distinct Mayan style; there is a strong chance the city was settled by a Mayan trade family.

The two main murals the site is known for are the Bird Man and the Feline Man:

Spoiler: Bird Man and Feline Man

Some details...

A feathered serpent


Reconstruction of the murals:

Spoiler: More murals of Cacaxtla

the Battle Mural, very long mural (this is maybe an eight of the total length of the mural)


Another fragment of the Battle Mural

Another mural on a door jamb, with a distinctive Mayan headdress

Spoiler: more proof the Slann are real

This mural is known as the Mural of the Red Temple, located on the steps leading up to the "Governor's Room."


a frog!

 

Lord Kroak's yearbook picture!

 

Next artist that I just learned about, Adela Breton! (hail Bretonnia)

Some amazing work from Uxmal


She also did some great work at Chichen Itza.

Spoiler: Adela Breton

notice the giant scaled dude at the bottom of the picture under the oroboros-snake. Wonder what the story is for that one...


cover of her book, giant snake-column from Chichen Itza


another shot from Uxmal, chac faces:

Spoiler: Adea Breton- more stuff

Temple of the Niches at El Tajin, Veracruz


restored temple:


cliff carving (really want to know where this is!)