Large Mayan Plate

This large Mayan plate portrays an elaborately decorated male figure wearing a feathered headdress, into which a bird is speaking. This graceful figure is encircled by hieroglyphs that accent the circumference of the plate. He stands with austere confidence, holding a weapon-like object. In Mayan civilization such plates were essential items because the plates were often decorated with royal portraiture of a ruler. The plates, thus, describe reigning eras of rulers who were considered as semi-divine beings. The figure on our Mayan plate displays numerous signs of such status and power: he shows cranial deformation (a sign of noble beauty), wears a large and impressive headdress, and is adorned with jade ear spools and elaborate clothing. The most interesting point of this plate, however, is the act of communication between the ruler and the bird–perhaps one of many Mayan gods. The ruler’s gesture and the marks that resemble speech scroll from the bird’s open beak signify communication and the ruler’s spiritual power of interacting with a god. The headdress was associated with gods in Mayan civilization and it sometimes took shapes of various gods. The glyphs around the plate may convey the ruler’s name and the dates of his reign.