Waters, Droughts, and Early Classic Maya Worldviews

Résumé En

"A growing body of evidence shows that around the beginning of the Common Era, the Maya Lowlands suffered an ecological setback. Drought, which was partly caused by deforestation, left its mark on the landscape as well as in people’s minds. The iconography on Early Classic ceramics clearly reflects the concerns that the Mayas of this period had for nature, fertility and, above all, water. The watery Underworld and the humid world of lakes and swamps are key themes of Early Classic iconography. The cycle of life and death is depicted revolving around the aquatic realm. Everything seems to come from and go back to the watery world where powerful supernatural beings live, where the souls of the dead go, where ancestors reside, and where death is transmuted into life. This was of such paramount importance to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th century Mayas, that the royal iconographic repertoire hosted various symbols referring to vegetation and water, among which were water lilies, green stones, and water birds. The ceramics of the Early Classic period show the intricate relationship between different sets of symbolic attributes, merging the religious, political, and ecological spheres." (source éditeur)