#mayan civilization

[r0ttingj3lly]

Queztal and Atreus being the best of siblings and Kratos being the best dad.

[thevibraniumveterans]

“Black Panther Wakanda Forever” has a supporting cast of actors and actresses, without whom the story may not have been as effective. Sure, our main leads and the secondary characters are cool and awesome, and the story is amazing, but it’s people like the ones above who play small but very important roles in the story.

Having a young boy witness the trauma of his people be subject to horrors no child should be privy to, and hold on to that fear and rage with a grip so tight it transforms into vengeance that burns within a god-king hell-bent on protecting his people… little Manuel Chavez may not have been onscreen long, but his presence very much informed the charismatic K’uk’ulkan who is both filled with rage and kindness in equal measure.

Like Manuel, Irma-Estel LaGuerre and María Mercedes Coroy may not have been onscreen much, but their portrayal of a mother who, for the sake of her unborn son, must ingest a concoction to save both her and her people from the raging fires of colonialism resonates with many. In the film, K’uk’ulkan wonders what it is like to be a people in a pristine land who never have to leave. His mother loved him, cared for him, and wished for him to bury her in the land she loved so much, even if it was being desecrated by people who most certainly did not belong there to begin with. LaGuerre and Coroy portrayed a woman who had so much love to give, yet lost so much; it is to nobody’s surprise that her son adopted the name “Namor”, itself shortened from “el niño sin amor”, the child without love.

Without Josué Maychi, there may well not have been the inclusion of the Yucatec Mayan language in the film. Maychi’s role as the shaman who was guided by a god to retrieve a plant grown in Vibranium-rich soil to heal his smallpox-afflicted people is very important to the story, as without him, Talokan is as good as nonexistent. It is thanks to the shaman that Talokan was able to thrive as we see it do in the film.

María Telón Soc portrays a Mayan elder in the film. Her role, though small, is crucial as she is one of the guiding forces who help convince K’uk’ulkan mother to ingest the herbal drink to save her and her unborn son. Like the other actors and actresses mentioned above, she may not have been onscreen for long, but her presence informs the decisions we see the other Mayan-Talokanil make.

[occvltswim]

Close-Up of the Cast of the Stela of K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat in the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

[viagginterstellari]

Mayan temple - Palenque, 2014

[peacocksandquetzals]

The Quetzal: The Sacred Bird of Mesoamerica (and also a Symbol of Freedom)

The quetzal is a bird native to southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. One particular subspecies of quetzal is known as the resplendent quetzal (Pharomacrus mocinno). It is larger than other subspecies of quetzals and is only found in the highly-elevated rainforests of Central America, known as cloud forests or montane rainforests. Moss covers the trunks of many of the trees in the cloud forests. There are many fruit-bearing trees that produce wild avocados, a staple of the quetzal’s diet.

Quetzals have iridescent bluish-green feathers on most of their body and red breast feathers. The shiny, green feathers help quetzals blend in with the leaves of trees in the rainforest. The species exhibits a striking example of sexual dimorphism, which is a difference between the appearance of males and females in a species. Female quetzals have grey breast feathers and short tail feathers. Their colours are less vibrant. They also do not have a crest, or a crown of feathers, on their heads like males do. Finally, male quetzals have bright, yellow beaks while females have black ones. Quetzals are most famous for the long, streamer-like tail feathers of the male quetzals. These can grow to be a metre long, more than twice the length of the bird’s body.

These beautiful tail feathers have long captured the artistic imagination of the cultures of Mesoamerica, who collected them to make headdresses for their rulers. Quetzals were revered as sacred. They appeared in the art and mythology of the Mayans and Aztecs. They became an important cultural symbol for all the people of Mesoamerica, both past and present.

To Mesoamerican cultures, the quetzal is associated with gods and rulers. Its feathers are valued more than gold. But the most important thing the quetzal represents is freedom and the continuity of Mesoamerican cultures. The bird dies in captivity. The Mayans and Aztecs knew this and never attempted to domesticate the bird, believing that it would rather attempt to kill itself than live confined. Modern zoologists have attempted to keep quetzals in captivity to breed them. Though it may be able to survive for a while and even reproduce, the quetzal shows poor mental and physical health in captivity. They are a shell of what they once were when they are confined. To the K’iche’ Maya of Guatemala, the quetzal is a symbol of their identity and their struggles to be free from their Spanish colonial oppressors. One of the most famous historical figures of the K’iche’ was Tecun Uman, their last ruler. He died in battle against the Spaniards in 1524. His spirit guide was a quetzal. The story of Tecun Uman firmly establishes the quetzal as a beloved cultural symbol for the K’iche’ and a symbol of freedom.

Tecun Uman fought bravely against the Spaniards, who were led by the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado. The town where the battle took place is now known as Quetzaltenango in Guatemala. Pedro de Alvarado was aided by Hernan Cortes, the conquistador who defeated the Aztec empire. It is difficult for historians to separate the legendary and historical elements of this story. Though Tecun Uman and the conquistadors were real people, the lore surrounding Tecun Uman’s quetzal seems more legendary. The faithful quetzal is said to have accompanied Tecun Uman in battle and flown alongside him when he charged against the Spaniards. Pedro de Alvarado killed Tecun Uman with a spear through his chest. When the K’iche’ ruler lay dying, the quetzal was so filled with grief that it landed on Tecun Uman’s chest, staining its feathers red with blood. This Mayan story is also used to explain how the quetzal got its red breast feathers. The quetzal was a spirit guide, so its life force was connected to Tecun Uman and died shortly after he died. Tecun Uman is now considered Guatemala’s national hero. He is honoured every year on February 20th. In the town of Quetzaltenango, there is a statue of Tecun Uman. He is also featured on stamps, coins and bank notes. 

The Maya people in Central America today still consider the quetzal to be one of their most important symbols. The unit of currency in Guatemala is called a quetzal, alluding to how quetzal feathers were traded as currency by the Aztecs and ancient Mayans. The flag of Guatemala has a quetzal on it. Though the Aztec empire was doomed when Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1519, the Maya were more difficult to conquer. One Maya kingdom, Itza, and its capital city of Nojpetén, did not fall until 1697. Even under Spanish rule, the various Maya peoples of the region fought to preserve their culture and traditions. Just like the quetzal, they could not be subjugated for long and they had to be free. The quetzal is not just a beautiful bird to them, it’s a symbol of their freedom. 

[haggishlyhagging]

In Rome, Diana was the protectress of the plebians, and in particular the guardian of slaves, outlaws, and thieves. Her temple stood in their city quarters, the Aventine. Roman slaves celebrated Diana's festival in mid-August (which is also the sacred festival day of Hecate, and of the Irish Triple Goddess Brigid). To the Christians, Diana the Moon was the Devil incarnate. Ninth-century church fathers in Europe condemned "deluded women who believe that in the dead of night they ride upon certain beasts with Diana—or the Witch Queen Herodias—and fly through the sky, among multitudes of women." Long into the Renaissance, she was imaged as a terrible demon. (Christians sometimes call the devil "Lucifer"; Lucifer, the "light-bringer" was in early legend Diana's twin brother, the morning star. The morning star, also the evening star, is Venus, which along with the moon was observed with very accurate calculations by ancient astronomers worldwide. To the Aztecs it was Quetzalcoatl, to the Mayans Kukulcan; to the Sumerians and Babylonians it was Inanna-Ishtar. Whenever Christians encountered astronomical-astrological observations and texts on Venus and the moon, they saw only "Devil-worship"; hence they destroyed library after library containing ancient wisdom and knowledge, including the Mayan astronomical library at Mani, as well as the library of Alexandria. Mayan astronomical knowledge was probably the most advanced in the ancient world; they invented the zero long before the Arabs did. In 1552 the Spanish Friar Diego de Landa, confronting all these texts containing Mayan intellectual brilliance as well as spiritual data, stated that they “contained nothing in which there was not to be seen superstitions and lies of the devil” and so “we burned them all.” Early Christian smashing of Dianic cults in the Mediterranean, as well as later church persecutions of witches in Europe, must be seen in this global context: wherever Christians saw knowledge—herbal, medical, astronomical, symbolical—they saw demonism, and moved to destroy it. The witch persecutions were not simply aimed at "Devil-worshipers," but at ancient human knowledge of the world.

-Monica Sjöö and Barbara Mor. The Great Cosmic Mother: Rediscovering The Religion of the Earth.

[redrabbitkreations]

[kvetch19]

Tulum - The Temple of the Descending God

[argonautsoul]

[varalgus]

Tlacochcalcatl

The tlacochcalcatl, meaning “Master of The House of Darts” was the highest ranking title of the Mexica military, the equivalent of a general or commander in modern terminology. He was responsible for all military decisions and planning, and lead the Mexica troops into battle.

The Tlacochcalcatl wore cotton armor for protection and mobility. His helmet resembled a human skull, adorned with hawk and quetzal feathers. In one hand he would wield a lance (tepoztopilli) tipped with sharp obsidian blades, his other brandishing a feathered shield (chimalli). On his back he wore three banners, topped with elaborate feathered decorations.

[aboutoriginality]

[wootwoothoot]

Wakanda Forever got me thinking about the atrocities colonizers committed against indigenous peoples.

Native America had massive, vibrant societies filled with dance and music and joy. There were roads spanning hundreds of miles, crossing through marsh, forests, and mountains. There were thousands of tribes, hundreds of cities, and a rich culture that had been thriving for centuries.

Then the colonizers came. 90% of the Americas was slaughtered, 56 million fucking people. That rich culture wasn’t just destroyed, it was fucking annihilated. Any records of dances, music, holidays, celebrations, leaders, PEOPLE were all fucking erased.

It has taken decades of dedicated study to find even the smallest traces of history relating to massive societies like the Mayans and Aztecs. Smaller tribes who were peacefully living their lives? Their culture was buried along with their bodies.

And props to this fucking movie for not shying away from all this tragedy, without reveling in it.

[timmurleyart]

600 year empire.🥇🏆💰🗡⚔️🛡💎(mixed media on canvas)🥇

[r0ttingj3lly]

Man God of War has now taken toll on me so here’s my insert oc Queztal, the daughter of the serpent god Kukulkán who was banished from her home to the Norse realm and was saved by Freya. She stays along her side until he goes on adventures with Kratos and Atreus, titling them as her family with Kratos being a terrifying father and Atreus being her little brother.

I remember I do have a old Aztec oc I need to revive, her name being of Xochiqueztal who was close with Atreus. I’m probably gonna have to redesign to since I lost of my doodles of her

[viagginterstellari]

Watching maya bas-reliefs - Palenque, 2014

[lutnistas]

Tikal Mayan Ruins ( Guatemala )