108 



THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



The artistic and ceremonial impor- 

 tance of birds and plumage in Maya art 

 is very great. The figures range from 

 realistic to vague and grotesque. The 

 bird face tends on the one hand toward 

 the serpent type and on the other toward 



the human as seen in glyphs The 



Author believes the anthropomorphic 

 birds of the manuscripts to be minor 

 deities, and notes a possible connection 

 between the Roman-nosed god and a 

 bird of some sort. He points out that 

 the higher period glyphs, including the 

 cycle, katun, and tun, commonly show 

 birdlike noses. The hieroglyph for the 

 month Kayab, once thought to be the 

 head of a turtle, is shown to be the head 

 of a macaw. The feather motive was 

 frequently employed by Maya artists 

 in drapery, headdresses, and even for 

 moldings on the facades of buildings. 



As for miscellaneous animal forms, 

 usually with distinct human attributes, 

 the turtle, snail and bat deserve especial 

 mention. Shells are used independently 

 as details of dross. The deer, dog and 

 peccary are generally represented in more 

 or less realistic form. The reviewer 

 would call attention here to the parallel- 

 ism existing between the principal Maya 

 figures with mixed attributes and those 

 of the Costa Rica-Chiriqui region, where 

 the parrot god, the jaguar god, and the 

 alligator (instead of the serpent) god 

 reign supreme. 



Symbols of death cast a shadow over 

 Maya art, as seen in the codices, sculp- 

 tures and even in architectural embellish- 

 ment. Human sacrifice was not so ap- 

 palling as among the Mexicans; there is 

 however undeniable evidence of its exis- 

 tence. Among the death symbols may 

 be note' skulls, skeletons, separate 

 bones, the maggot symbol (a device re- 

 sembling the percentage sign), dotted 

 lines connecting small circles, black spots 

 and closed eyes. The hieroglyphs of 



the death god (God A) have been deter- 

 mined with accuracy. As for astronom- 

 ical signs, the sun, the moon, the impor- 

 tant planets and the more conspicuous 

 constellations were represented. The 

 sun symbol (normal kin sign) occurs fre- 

 quently; the moon sign appears in the 

 codices on terms of apparent equality 

 with the kin sign. Few hieroglyphs 

 have as yet been deciphered; only those 

 connected with numbers and the calen- 

 dar have been determined. . . . 



Maya architecture is characterized 

 by an elaborate grouping of the city as a 

 whole, as seen to good advantage at 

 Copan — a massive platform mound, 

 with terraces and sunken courts; rising 

 from the level of the platform mound 

 are small pyramids crowned with temples, 

 the principal mound overlooking a large 

 plaza in which are set up stelse. As a 

 rule Maya cities are built upon level 

 ground; but in some cases, as at Palen- 

 que for example, the assemblage of the 

 city is modified by an accentuated topog- 

 raphy. 



The buildings seem to have been 

 largely of a religious nature. The 

 dwellings of the common people were 

 probably similar to the huts still in use 

 among the natives of Yucatan. In fact 

 such huts are seen in fresco at Chichen 

 Itza. Between palace and temple there 

 is no distinct line of demarcation. As 

 regards elevation plans, one room was 

 seldom placed directly over another, 

 owing to the cumbersome method of con- 

 struction. The ordinary wall construc- 

 tion is not true masonry, but a rough 

 concrete faced with stone. Building 

 stones were seldom cemented together, 

 but mortar was extensively used for 

 floors and as a thin coating on walls. 

 The principle of the corbellated or false 

 arch was doubtless understood by Maya 

 builders. In all Maya vaults, " there is a 

 projection of a few inches at the springing 



