Maya Sculpture of Copan: The Iconography

Copan, one of the most important Classic Maya sites, is renowned for the artistry of its high-relief stelae and altars and for the wealth of detail on its freestanding and architectural sculpture. In Maya Sculpture of Copan: The Iconography, internationally known Mayanist Claude-Francois Baudez provides a masterful survey of these elaborate and intriguing carved images.

In Part I, Baudez identifies and deciphers the specific motifs on each monument and shows how the elements were combined to produce meaningful iconographic messages. The architectural sculpture expresses the meaning and function of the buildings and complexes, many designed to represent the sky, earth, and underworld and to serve as stages for rituals. Photographs and drawings clarify the intricate forms.

Part II relates the iconography to the religion and politics of the city-state. Baudez traces the evolution of the motifs in relation to the history of Copan and the multiple functions of the king - his cosmic role, the continuous reference to his ancestors, and the dynastic cycles.

Sacrifice - bloodletting by the king and the sacrifice of captives - is of paramount importance. Growth and rebirth required constant offerings of blood to the earth and to the sun, to ensure its rebirth at dawn after its nocturnal journey through the underworld. The monuments give a coherent picture of Maya cosmology.