MAYA ART AND ITS DEVELOPMENT 



109 



of the vault on the inside," indicating 

 that the arch was built over a wooden 

 form. Maya roof structures are char- 

 acterized by both the roof comb and the 

 flying facade, the latter being the most 

 common form of roof structure in north- 

 ern Yucatan. The column, not found 

 at all in the south, and the doorway are 

 more or less closely associated. The 

 cornice, taken in its broadest sense, is a 

 special feature of Maya architecture. 

 Gargoyles, used as waterspouts, occur at 

 Copan. In facade decoration the mask 

 panel plays an important role. While 

 it may have originated in more than one 

 way, the mask as a rule clearly repre- 

 sents the feathered serpent. Purely geo- 

 metric motives occur on the buildings 

 of northern Yucatan. These are seen 

 not onl}^ as panels but also as string 

 courses and all-over patterns. 



The purpose of the great monolithic 

 monuments or stekne is uncertain. What- 

 ever their significance, they admit of 

 classification architecturally into inde- 

 pendent and auxiliary or temple stelse. 

 While stelfe occur at nearly all the ruins 

 of the south and west, only one has been 

 noted at Palenque. The altar was par- 

 ticularly developed at Copan and Quiri- 

 gua. The most widespread type is 

 drum-shaped, and may have originally 

 represented a bundle. The more elabo- 

 rate altars are characterized by animal 

 motives. There are still many vestiges 

 of color to show that the Maya painted 

 not only their stone buildings but also 

 their sculptures. 



Ceramics often affords the chief evi- 

 dence bearing on the art of a people. 

 Among the Maya however, ceramics 

 was overshadowed by architecture. As 

 everywhere else on the western hemi- 

 sphere, pottery was shaped by hand. 

 Some use was made of a block turned 

 by heel and toe, but this is not the true 

 potter's wheel. Pottery of a fine black 



or red paste with incised decorations was 

 the most common type. Stamp deco- 

 rations are unusual while figures in relief 

 are frequently met with, as are also zoo- 

 morphic and phytomorphic forms. Poly- 

 chrome vessels of painted ware may be 

 classed as the gems of ceramic art. 



Jadeite and other semiprecious stones 

 were extensively used in the making of 

 amulets and various small carved ob- 

 jects, the most noteworthy of which is 

 the so-called Leiden Plate with the 

 "incised figure of an elaborately attired 

 human being holding a Ceremonial Bar" 

 on one side and a column of hieroglyphs 

 on the other. Objects of metal, although 

 rare, evince a skill fully equal to the 

 metal work of the Isthmus or the Valley 

 of Mexico. Light on Maya textile art 

 ma}' be had from a study of the monu- 

 ments. 



Artistically the three Maya codices are 

 of unequal merit; the Dresden is easily 

 the best. But for its fragmentary con- 

 dition Codex Peresianus would rank with 

 the Dresden Codex. Both antedate the 

 coming of the Spaniards by many cen- 

 turies. The Tro-Cortesianus is of in- 

 ferior workmanship and belongs to a 

 later date. Attempts at decipherment 

 have been many, the most important 

 single contribution being Forstemann's 

 Commentary on the Dresden Codex. All 

 three manuscripts deal largely with reli- 

 gious and astronomical matters; Codex 

 Tro-Cortesianus in addition casts much 

 light on things of everyday life. 



The Author's contributions to chrono- 

 logical sequence are noteworthy. His 

 method is to take up one city at a time 

 beginning with the most archaic. He 

 attempts to throw into its proper chrono- 

 logical sequence the mass of sculpture on 

 stelse, altars and the facade as well as 

 interior decorations of the temples .... 

 Tikal is believed to be one of the first 

 Maya cities to become a center of art 



