Death and the Classic Maya Kings

Description

Like their regal counterparts in societies around the globe| ancient Maya rulers departed this world with elaborate burial ceremonies and lavish grave goods| which often included ceramics| red pigments| earflares| stingray spines| jades| pearls| obsidian blades| and mosaics. Archaeological investigation of these burials| as well as the decipherment of inscriptions that record Maya rulers’ funerary rites| have opened a fascinating window on how the ancient Maya envisaged the ruler’s passage from the world of the living to the realm of the ancestors.

Focusing on the Classic Period (AD 250-900)| James Fitzsimmons examines and compares textual and archaeological evidence for rites of death and burial in the Maya lowlands| from which he creates models of royal Maya funerary behavior. Exploring ancient Maya attitudes toward death expressed at well-known sites such as Tikal| Guatemala| and Copan| Honduras| as well as less-explored archaeological locations| Fitzsimmons reconstructs royal mortuary rites and expands our understanding of key Maya concepts including the afterlife and ancestor veneration.