Hostname: page-component-669899f699-tzmfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-24T16:29:04.777Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mirrors and reflective objects at Kaminaljuyu

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2023

Bárbara Arroyo Open the ORCID record for Bárbara Arroyo [Opens in a new window]
Bárbara Arroyo*
Affiliation:
Research Associate, Museo Popol Vuh, Universidad Francisco Marroquín, Guatemala
*
Corresponding author: Bárbara Arroyo, email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Slate disks have been reported from various excavations in the Maya Highlands. These artifacts have typically been described as supports or backings for iron-ore and pyrite mirrors. A number of these objects have been recovered in context at Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala. Whenever objects with reflective surfaces are identified in the field, they tend to be interpreted as mirrors, but they may have been worn as insignia on clothing. Recent finds at Kaminaljuyu, such as special deposits associated with Ballcourt B, suggest the use of reflective objects as part of the ballgame player's paraphernalia. The ballgame was an important ritual practice at Kaminaljuyu, as exemplified by the 13 ballcourts reported at the site. Archaeological evidence for this new interpretation will be presented, as well as a review of other examples excavated throughout the highlands, as part of an exploration of the exchange networks connected to regional trade in these exotic goods.

Resumen

Resumen

Varias excavaciones arqueológicas en sitios del altiplano maya han reportado la presencia de discos de pizarra, algunas veces con una cara de pirita. Estos han sido descritos como la base de espejos de pirita o algún otro mineral de hierro. Algunos de estos discos se encontraron en las excavaciones de los Montículos A y B de Kaminaljuyu. Generalmente, estos objetos se identifican en el campo como espejos; sin embargo, es posible que los mismos hayan sido utilizados cosidos a trajes e interpretados como insignias. Hallazgos recientes en excavaciones de Kaminaljuyu incluyen depósitos especiales asociados a la cancha de juego de pelota B del sitio, sugiriendo que los discos de pizarra fueron objetos reflejantes utilizados como parte de la parafernalia del juego de pelota. Este trabajo presenta información sobre estos recientes hallazgos, así como una discusión de otros ejemplos excavados en varios sitios del altiplano que formaron parte de una red de intercambio de estos bienes exóticos de la región.

Type
Special Section: Recent Research on Iron Ore Mirrors in Mesoamerica and Central America
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 35 , Issue 1 , Spring 2024 , pp. 29 - 41
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Adams, Richard W. 1999 Rio Azul: An Ancient Maya City. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.Google Scholar
Arroyo, Bárbara, and Ajú, Gloria 2023 Long Distance Exchange and the Ballgame at Kaminaljuyu. In Routes, Interaction and Exchange in the Southern Maya Area, edited by E. Robinson and Gavin Davies. Routledge, New York and London. In press.Google Scholar
Arroyo, Bárbara, and Paiz, Lorena 2015 El juego de pelota en el altiplano maya central. In El juego de pelota mesoamericano: Temas eternos, nuevas aproximaciones, edited by Uriarte, María Teresa, pp. 325–344. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City.Google Scholar
Arroyo, Barbara, and Henderson, Lucia 2020 The Monumental Aquascape of Kaminaljuyu, Water in the Archaeology of an Early Highland Site. In Approaches to Monumental Landscapes of the Ancient Maya, edited by Brett Houk, Barbara Arroyo, and Terry Powis, pp. 131–151. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arroyo, Bárbara, Paiz, Lorena, Rojas, Andrea, de Samayoa, Patty María, Ajú, Gloria, Estrada, Javier, Serech, Emanuel, and Linares, Adriana 2012 Avances e investigaciones recientes del parque Kaminaljuyú. In XXV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2011, edited by Arroyo, Bárbara, Paiz, Lorena, and Mejía, Héctor E., pp. 611–621. Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Instituto de Antropología e Historia, Asociación Tikal, Guatemala.Google Scholar
Arroyo, Bárbara, Inomata, Takeshi, Ajú, Gloria, Estrada, Javier, Nasu, Hiroo, and Aoyama, Kazuo 2020 Refining Kaminaljuyu Chronology: New Radiocarbon Dates, Bayesian Analysis, and Ceramic Studies. Latin American Antiquity 49:1–21.Google Scholar
Barrientos, Tomás, Sandoval, Andrea, Izuka, Yoshiyuki, Suzuki, Shintaro, and Estrada, Pablo 2020 Más allá del jade y la pirita: Diversidad de materias primas minerales utilizadas en la época prehispánica. In XXXIII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, Tomo II, edited by Arroyo, Bárbara, Salinas, Luis Méndez, and Álvarez, Gloria Ajú, pp. 1021–1036. Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Instituto de Antropología e Historia, Asociación Tikal, Guatemala.Google Scholar
Blainey, Marc C. 2007 Surfaces and Beyond: The Political, Ideological, and Economic Significance of Ancient Maya Iron-Ore Mirrors. Unpublished M.A. thesis, Department of Anthropology, Trent University, Ontario.Google Scholar
Braswell, Geoffrey E. 2003 Understanding Early Classic Interaction Between Kaminaljuyu and Teotihuacan. In The Maya and Teotihuacan: Reinterpreting Early Classic Interaction, edited by Geoffrey E. Braswell, pp. 105–142. University of Texas Press, Austin.Google Scholar
Druecker, Michael D. 1978 The Geology of the Bladen Volcanic Series, Southern Maya Mountains, Belize, Central America. Unpublished M.A. thesis, Department of Geology, Colorado School of Mines, Golden.Google Scholar
Freidel, David A., Escobedo, Héctor L., and Meléndez, Juan Carlos 2013 Mountains of Memories: Structure M12-32 at El Perú. In Millenary Maya Societies: Past Crises and Resilience, edited by Arnauld, Marie-Charlotte and Breton, Alain, pp. 235–248. Electronic document, https://www.mesoweb.com/publications/MMS/15_Freidel_etal.pdf, accessed April 25, 2023.Google Scholar
Gallaga, Emiliano 2014 Pyrite-Encrusted Mirrors at Snaketown and their External Relationships to Mesoamerica. Kiva 79:280–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gallaga, Emiliano 2016 Introduction. In Manufactured Light: Mirrors in the Mesoamerican Realm, edited by Gallaga M., Emiliano and Blainey, Marc G., pp. 3–24. University Press of Colorado, Boulder.Google Scholar
Escobar, García, René, Carlos 2009 Atlas danzario de Guatemala. Tipografía Nacional, Guatemala.Google Scholar
Graham, Elizabeth 1987 Resource Diversity in Belize and its Implications for Models of Lowland Trade. American Antiquity 52:753–767.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ichon, Alain, and Arnauld, Marie-Charlotte (editors) 1985 Protoclassique à La Lagunita, El Quiché, Guatemala. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut d'Éthnologie, Editorial Piedra Santa, Paris/Guatemala.Google Scholar
Ichon, Alain, and Viel, Rene 1984 Le période formative à La Lagunita et dans le Quiché meridional, Guatemala. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut d’Éthnologie, Paris.Google Scholar
Inomata, Takeshi, Ortiz, Raúl, Arroyo, Bárbara, and Robinson, Eugenia J. 2014 Chronological Revision of Preclassic Kaminaljuyú, Guatemala: Implications for Social Processes in the Southern Maya Area. Latin American Antiquity 25:377–408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kidder, Alfred V., Jennings, Jesse D., and Shook, Edwin 1946 Excavations at Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala. Publication 561. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Ladrón de Guevara, Sara 2010 El Tajín: La urbe que representa al orbe. Fondo de Cultura Económica, Mexico City.Google Scholar
Laporte, Juan Pedro 1989 Alternativas del clásico temprano en la relación Tikal-Teotihuacan: El grupo 6C-XVI, Tikal, Petén. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City.Google Scholar
Lunazzi, José J. 2016 On How Mirrors Would Have Been Employed in the Ancient Americas. In Manufactured Light: Mirrors in the Mesoamerican Realm, edited by Gallaga M., Emiliano and Blainey, Marc G., pp. 125–142. University Press of Colorado, Boulder.Google Scholar
Mason, J. Alden 1927 Mirrors of Ancient America. The Museum Journal 18(2):201–209.Google Scholar
Mata Amado, Guillermo 2009 Piezas singulares recuperadas en el fondo del lago de Amatitlán, frente a las playas del sitio arqueológico Mexicanos. In XXII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2008, edited by Laporte, Juan Pedro, Arroyo, Bárbara, and Mejía, Héctor E., pp. 526–545. Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Instituto de Antropología e Historia, Asociación Tikal, Guatemala.Google Scholar
Merriam-Webster, 2021 Mirror. Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Electronic resource, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mirror, accessed October 20, 2021.Google Scholar
Miller, Mary, and Taube, Karl 1993 Mesoamerican Pantheon: The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. An Illustrated Dictionary of Mesoamerican Religion. Thames and Hudson, New York.Google Scholar
Negrín, Juan 1975 The Huichol Creation of the World. E.B. Crocker Art Gallery, Sacramento.Google Scholar
Nelson, Zachary, Scheetz, Barry, Amado, Guillermo Mata, and Prado, Antonio 2009 Composite Mirrors of the Ancient Maya: Ostentatious Production and Precolumbian Fraud. PARI Journal 9(4):1–7.Google Scholar
Parsons, Lee Allen 1986 The Origins of Maya Art. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Pereira, Gregory 2008 La materia de las visiones: Consideraciones acerca de los espejos de pirita prehispánicos. Diario de campo 48:123–136.Google Scholar
Popenoe De Hatch, Marion 1997 Kaminaljuyú/San Jorge: evidencia arqueológica de la actividad económica en el Valle de Guatemala, 300 a.C. a 300 d.C. Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala.Google Scholar
Roberts, Ralph J., and Irving, Early M. 1957 Mineral Deposits of Central America. Geological Survey Bulletin 1034. United States Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Rochette, Erick 2009 Late Classic Organization of Jade Artifact Production in the Middle Motagua Valley, Zacapa, Guatemala. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, State College.Google Scholar
Schele, Linda, and Miller, Mary 1986 The Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth.Google Scholar
Scherer, Andrew K. 2015 Mortuary Landscapes of the Classic Maya: Rituals of Body and Soul. University of Texas Press, Austin.Google Scholar
Shook, Edwin M., and Kidder, Alfred V. 1952 Mound E-III-3, Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala. Publication 596. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Smith, A. Ledyard 1961 Types of Ball Courts in the Highlands of Guatemala. In Essays in Precolumbian Art and Archaeology, edited by Stone, Doris Z., Bird, Junius B., Ekholm, Gordon F., and Willey, G. R., pp. 100–125. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Smith, Ledyard, and Kidder, Alfred V. 1943 Explorations in the Motagua Valley, Guatemala. Publication 546. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Smith, Ledyard, and Kidder, Alfred V. 1951 Excavations at Nebaj, Guatemala. Publication 594. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Sugiyama, Saburo 2005 Human Sacrifice, Militarism, and Rulership: Materialization of State Ideology at the Feathered Serpent Pyramid, Teotihuacan. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taladoire, Eric 2017 Cinco tesis discutibles relativas al juego de pelota. Arqueología 50:191–209.Google Scholar
Taube, Karl 1992 The Iconography of Mirrors at Classic Teotihuacan. In Art, Polity, and the City of Teotihuacan, edited by Berlo, Janet C., pp. 169–204. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Taube, Karl 2004 Olmec Art at Dumbarton Oaks. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Taube, Karl 2016 Through a Glass, Brightly: Recent Investigations Concerning Mirrors and Scrying in Ancient and Contemporary Mesoamerica. In Manufactured Light: Mirrors in the Mesoamerican Realm, edited by Gallaga M., Emiliano and Blainey, Marc G., pp. 285–314. University Press of Colorado, Boulder.Google Scholar
Velásquez, Juan Luis 2006 La transición cerámica del preclásico tardío al clásico temprano: Una visión desde La Trinidad, Kaminaljuyu. In XIX Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2005, edited by Laporte, Juan Pedro, Arroyo, Bárbara, and Mejía, Héctor E., pp. 486–497. Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Instituto de Antropología e Historia, Asociación Tikal, Guatemala.Google Scholar
Wauchope, Robert 1975 Zacualpa, El Quiché, Guatemala: An Ancient Provincial Center of the Highland Maya. Publication 39. Middle American Research Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans.Google Scholar
Woodbury, Richard B., and Trik, Aubrey S. 1953 The Ruins of Zaculeu, Guatemala. 2 vols. United Fruit Company, Richmond.Google Scholar
Zender, Marc 2004 Glyphs for “Handspan” and “Strike” in Classic Maya Ballgame Texts. Pari Journal 4(4):1–9.Google Scholar