Vessel with a mythological scene (Maya)

(soft piano)

- [Narrator] We're in the Maya galleries

at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art looking at

a spectacular cup.

It's ceramic and it dates
to the Eighth Century.

- [Man] This is a drinking cup that likely

was part of the vessels
that were used in feasting

at a royal ancient Maya
ceremony and then placed

in the tomb of a deceased ruler.

- [Narrator] This comes
from the classic period.

- [Man] We call it that
because it was the pinnacle

of ancient construction
of monumental buildings

and the time from which we have
the most hieroglyphic texts.

- [Narrator] And this
particular cup is such a

spectacular example of the
very fine calligraphic art

that is associated with classic Maya.

- [Man] We called this
style the codex style.

Codex is the term we
use for the Maya books,

which were screenfold bark
paper or hide documents

that were mostly destroyed by the Spanish

in the 16th century but,
the four that still exists

are painted in this
grayscale, calligraphic style

with washes and frames
of red color and other

polychrome applications.

- [Narrator] So these cups
are especially important

since so few codex survive.

- [Man] We have to infer a
lot of the Maya narrative

tales from ceramic vessels.

- [Narrator] So this
is not only a register

of the mythology, but it was an object

that would've actively been used.

- [Man] Because it's a
cylinder, it invites the user

to turn the vessel around at a close view

to see all the characters and texts.

During a feast or during a
ceremony, the viewer or user

would be invited to tell
the tale that's represented

in this mythological scene.

- [Narrator] I'm not sure
that I would say that

there's a front, but one of
the most significant figures

is a rain God who takes up almost

the entire height of the cup.

- [Man] This rain God
is a youthful version

of the deity we know by the
hieroglyphic name of Chahk

and he is present in very
early Maya art and it was

very important into the Colonial period.

The deity of falling water, of course,

in an area where there's a
pronounced dry and rainy season

was very important.

- [Narrator] What strikes
me is how animated he is.

He raises up his right leg, his left arm,

and he seems to almost be dancing.

- [Man] The pose where the heel is lifted,

one leg is off the ground,
he's throwing an ax back

behind him with his
right hand and he holds

an enament stone in his left
hand, which he's raising.

This is most likely associated
with a dance or ceremony

that could be a representation of combat.

- [Narrator] His youth is
so beautifully represented

in that noble profile
and if you look closely,

you can see that he's got
very large ear spools.

- [Man] The rain God
is often depicted with

Spondylus shell ear spools
which reinforces and underscores

his role in fertility related
to watery environments.

The deity's often portrayed
with kind of wild hair

or watery vegetation
sprouting from it's head

and that's part of this
unpredictability of rain

and the ax is symbolic of lightning.

- [Narrator] And if you look very closely

just under his thighs and
along the back of his calves,

you can see a scaly motif
that is meant to represent

a reptilian quality.

- [Man] This is also repeated on the being

in front of him and it's to
again, evoke this shimmery,

watery realm.

- [Narrator] Let's take a peak
at that rather extraordinary

creature in front because
this figure is challenging.

- [Man] It is the
representation of a mountain

known in the hieroglyphic
inscriptions as witz

and it is in profile.

The creature's head is
an expanded hieroglyph

for stone itself.

- [Narrator] And those
half circles of dots are a

hieroglyphic reference
to that stony quality.

- [Man] And the great bunch
markings as their known

are also referencing the
surface of the stone.

- [Narrator] Help me untangle
the really complicated

imagery on the left side
of this mountain creature.

- [Man] So, the mountain
creature's upper lip

reaches up and curls towards the rain God

and from it's mouth is
emanating this smoky,

watery essence that is shown by the wash.

- [Narrator] Reaching down
is a kind of emanation,

almost like a tongue
coming out of the mouth.

- [Man] Yes, this could
be part of the mountain

creature's mouth or it
could be representing liquid

that's flowing from it's mouth.

- [Narrator] But probably
my favorite part of this cup

is the infant that lies
on the mountain creature.

- [Man] So, this is affectionately
known as the baby jaguar.

It's an infant deity,
which is a theme we see

across Mesoamerica shown
with a supernatural face

and a jaguar tail and hands and feet.

This posture of reclining
is often seen when

the artist is evoking birth or rebirth.

So, this scene is interpreted as the birth

of the baby jaguar.

- [Narrator] This makes a
lot of sense when we look at

the figure to the right of the baby.

This figure stands in sharp
contrast to the rain God

at the left.

- [Man] This is a skinny,
skeletal, spindly death God

that's shown with a
skeletal head and a lot of

interesting attributes
including extruded eyeballs

that decorate his skull.

- [Narrator] He's meant to represent decay

and he's a perfect opposite to
the vitality of the rain God.

- [Man] When we have the
opposing forces of rain

and fertility and life
opposite death and decay

and the baby jaguar is born in between,

it's that necessary interaction of rain

and decayed material to
produce the new growth

or new individual.

- [Narrator] But this God of
death does not show up alone.

He's got with him two other creatures.

There's a wonderful dog-like figure below

and a firefly above.

- [Man] The firefly probably
signifies that this event

may take place at night.

The firefly holds in
his left hand a torch,

which for the Maya was an
imitation of the bioluminescence

of the actual fireflies.

- [Narrator] And we know
that light itself was an

important indicator of the
divine and so, one can imagine

the important role that
a firefly would play.

- [Man] They are shown
very often in scenes of

mythological importance
across other painted vessels.

- [Narrator] Just above
the baby jaguar are glyphs

and in many cases,
glyphs can help orient us

in terms of the mythology
that's being presented.

- [Man] Unfortunately,
this vessel has a text

that's a little bit opaque.

The artist chose to create
a date that is not real.

We think that the artist
was trying to signify

that this event was happening
in supernatural time,

not in human time.

- [Narrator] Very much the way
a children's book might say,

"In a land far, far away."

- [Man] Exactly and the Maya
also sometimes marked vessels

by their particular owners,
but this one is very

non-specific.

- [Narrator] The calligraphy
itself is spectacular.

There is a kind of
energy that's represented

for all of these figures
that makes this cup

a joy to look at.

(upbeat jazzy piano)