Suzanne Nolan

Dwarfs as an Ancient Maya Metaphor for the Stars

Abstract

Ancient Maya artists commonly embedded hieroglyphics into pictorial art to help define and inform readings of the iconography. On Hieroglyphic Stairway 2 (HS2) of Yaxchilán, this can been seen in the form of two dwarfs bearing the ek' hieroglyph on their bodies. Montgomery (2006) defines it thus: EK' (ek'/Ek') (T510af) 1> n. "star"; represents one-half of the full "star" glyph 2> n. "Venus"? The word for 'dwarf', aak, has also been translated as a constellation: either Gemini (Roys 1965; Milbrath 2000) or Orion (Foster 2005; Bricker 1992). Why have the dwarfs of HS2 been qualified with the ek' hieroglyph? What can this tell us about their identities and purpose on HS2? This paper seeks to answer these questions, and discuss how the dwarf could be used as a metaphor for a celestial body - whether a constellation or planet - within Maya art and architecture. It will demonstrate the multi-layered meaning of the dwarfs' presence on HS2, as metaphors for astrology and astronomy in Maya art.

Biography

Suzanne Nolan is a PhD candidate in completion in the School of Philosophy and Art History at the University of Essex. She completed her BA, and MA in Pre-Columbian Art and Architecture at Essex. Suzanne's research focuses on the Classic Maya civilisation (250-900 A.D.), and its political organisation. She specialises in late-Classic political transformations at Yaxchilán, a ceremonial centre situated in Chiapas, Mexico. She teaches workshops on Maya hieroglyphic writing, and lectures on pre-Columbian culture and contact period history. Suzanne has presented at international conferences, including the ASA in new Delhi and EMC in Brussels.