86 MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 



ing to mark off the belly region. The second feature 

 is the small circle applied in bead-like rows to represent 

 scales. The profile serpent head is also seen in scrolls 

 and frets that elaborate many details of dress worn by 

 the human beings carved on the monuments. The 

 front view of the serpent's head is usually extended to 



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Fig. 27. Upper Part of Serpent Head made into a Fret Orna- 

 ment; a, Ixkun; b, Quirigua; c, d, g, Copan; e, Naranjo; /, Seibal. 



fill an oblong panel and is often used to decorate the base 

 of a monument or the facade of a building. There are 

 several monsters closely connected with the serpent 

 that will be discussed as the description proceeds. 



The Human Figure. The human beings pictured 

 on Mayan monuments are captives, rulers, and priests 

 or worshippers. The captives are poor groveling crea- 

 tures, bound by rope, held by the hair or crushed under 

 foot to fill a rectangular space over which the conqueror 

 stands. The rulers and priests are hard to distinguish 

 from each other, perhaps because the government was 

 largely theocratic and the ruler was looked upon as the 

 spokesman of divinity. The spear and shield of war 

 served to mark off certain human beings from others 

 who carry religious objects such as the Ceremonial Bar 

 and the Manikin Scepter. 



Elaborate thrones on several monuments are 

 canopied over by the arched body of the Two-headed 



