The most famous burial is probably that of queen regnant Lady K'abel, dating to around 692. That's her above, flaunting her power.
The tomb includes the mosaic mask at the top of the post and a full suite of divining gear including a mirror and a divining plate.
And here is burial 37, a man also fully equipped with divining gear laid out in a ritual pattern that matches the gear of the Maize God shown on a famous stela.
He also had a mosaic mask beside him.
But I am most fascinated by burial number 39, apparently a king, although the skeleton was too poorly preserved to be sure. Here we have yet another set of divining gear; but notice the circle on the plan marked "Figurine Scene."That would be these figurines.Everyone interprets these as a depiction of a ritual, most likely a divination. The characters include the king,the queen – when this was part of a travelling exhibit of Maya figurines a few years ago it was described as a "proud warrior queen bearing a shield," but that isn't a shield, its a divination dish, as you can tell from the presence of the stylus that was rolled around to generate meanings –a praying child watched over by a big-eared deer that all the authorities assure me is a representation of a guardian spirit,and two dwarf boxers with removable helmets.I mean, really, for what kind of ritual do you need the king, the queen with her divining dish, twelve ball players, two balls, a praying child, the child's bizarre guardian spirit, two boxing dwarves, a blind dwarf, a fourth dwarf with an elongated head, a young girl, and a monster? Besides, this being the Maya we're talking about, bloodletting, human sacrifice, and hallucinogens?
But I am most fascinated by burial number 39, apparently a king, although the skeleton was too poorly preserved to be sure. Here we have yet another set of divining gear; but notice the circle on the plan marked "Figurine Scene."That would be these figurines.Everyone interprets these as a depiction of a ritual, most likely a divination. The characters include the king,the queen – when this was part of a travelling exhibit of Maya figurines a few years ago it was described as a "proud warrior queen bearing a shield," but that isn't a shield, its a divination dish, as you can tell from the presence of the stylus that was rolled around to generate meanings –a praying child watched over by a big-eared deer that all the authorities assure me is a representation of a guardian spirit,and two dwarf boxers with removable helmets.I mean, really, for what kind of ritual do you need the king, the queen with her divining dish, twelve ball players, two balls, a praying child, the child's bizarre guardian spirit, two boxing dwarves, a blind dwarf, a fourth dwarf with an elongated head, a young girl, and a monster? Besides, this being the Maya we're talking about, bloodletting, human sacrifice, and hallucinogens?
No, don't answer that.
Divinatory tokens from burial 39
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