An ancient Maya queen, vision serpents, and connections to the gods
Get to know ancient Maya art by looking closely at a stone monument showing a powerful Maya queen dripping in jade ornaments. Her name is Ix Mutal Ahaw. This stone sculpture (called a stela) dates back to 760 CE and was found in the Usumacinta region of Mexico/Guatemala. On display at the De Young Museum in San Francisco, this stela immortalizes the queen as a powerful figure with important divine connections.
She wears elaborate clothing and adornments, including a feathered headdress made of quetzal feathers, and she holds a ceremonial object that looks like a femur bone. The jade connects her to the Maize God. Queen Ix Mutal Ahaw is also experiencing a vision of a serpent and an ancestor, all of which communicate to anyone seeing this that she is powerful. It also increases her family’s power.
Maya art can be incredibly complex—and sometimes overwhelming! This video breaks down the details in this stone monument to explore how Maya rulers used public art, like steles, to publicize their authority and ability to talk to the gods. This video also discusses the importance of jade, the lightning god K’awiil, and the Maize God. Most importantly, it also talks about the important role of women in ancient Maya culture.
This video will appeal to anyone looking for content about women in art, queens, ancient Maya culture, medieval art, portraiture, and the AP Art History 250 materials.
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Speaker: Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank
NOTE: Videos like this help to counter ideas about ancient aliens, the ancient Maya, and pseudo-archaeology.
NOTE about Maya vs. Mayan: It is common in English language scholarship and studies to use Maya rather than Mayan when discussing Maya culture, history, society, and so forth, except when discussing the Mayan calendar and languages. (So the Maya people spoke one of form of Mayan.)
NOTE: Lady K’ab’al Xoc can also be spelled Xook.
Main artworks:
1. Stela with Queen Ix Mutal Ahaw, Maya, 761 CE, Classic Period, limestone, Mexico or Guatemala, height: 92 in., 45 x 3 in. (233.7 x 114.3 x 7.6 cm). De Young Museum, San Francisco
2. Lintel 25 showing Lady Xoc (Lady Xook), Maya, c. 681 CE, Classic Period, limestone, from Structure 23, Yaxchilán, Chiapas, Mexico, 121 x 85.5 cm. The British Museum
*CHAPTERS*
0:00 Introduction the powerful Maya queen, Ix Mutal Ahaw
1:18 Who were the ancient Maya? Why show a queen on a public monument?
2:19 Stele (stela) and portraits of rulers
3:02 Usumacinta River region and placement of the stela
3:42 Looking closely at the iconography (symbols) of Ix Mutal Ahaw's stela
4:25 Jade in the Maya region of Mesoamerica
5:03 Associations with the Maize God
6:08 Conjuring a vision / the vision serpent
6:48 Connections with the lightning god K'awiil
7:23 Her power and her family's power
7:44 Maya rola women like Lady Xoc/Xook
8:40 Hieroglyphic writing
Looking for readings, activities, and more to deepen your understanding of the Aztecs and Mesoamerica? Check out our resources: https://www.artsq.org/store/mesoamerica
#queen #maya #mesoamerica #arthistory #mayanart #history #worldhistory #socialstudies #education #mexico #mayancivilization #jade #mythology #ancienthistory #portrait
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