|
YAXCHILAN
This formidable defensive sight is located in the “island”
formed by the Usumacinta river bending in a horseshoe configuration.
It was rediscovered by following the Lacandon Indians who
made pilgrimages to its ritual center. Yaxchilan stelae date
from AD 450-800 and show a great variety of format and subject
matter. According to Carolyn E. Tate, “The Maya... conceived
the imagery of each monument in relation to meanings woven
by symbols.. it was clear that cultural ideals and community
identity were being forged through art. The city [Yaxchilan]
itself was the work of art, not one which was passively admired,
but one whose creation attracted ideal order into the lives
of its inhabitants”
|
