The stela of the lady Ix Mutal Ahaw is an impressive and rare example of Mayan art from the mid eighth century. A visual examination and analysis of the work can tell us more about the iconography of female Mayans of rank and privilege and their interaction with the divine. The stela is a carved limestone relief sculpture; it is 82 inches high and 42 inches wide. A formal analysis of this piece can be useful, because the civilization from which this piece has come has fallen and exploration of this piece of art can give us insights into both iconology as well as a glimpse at the role of a lady of rank as she engaged in a sacred rite. This is a piece of both political and religious significance. The various visual elements of the work are tightly arranged. There is very little negative space on the stela, but the small amounts of negative space are interesting. It is a well designed masterpiece
The stela depicts a charismatic female personage in a beaded dress, belted by a Xoc mask. Her body is depicted frontally, and she turns her face to the viewer’s left. She holds in her arms a large ceremonial bar through which a Vision Serpent passes. From the serpent’s mouth emerges the head an shoulders of K’awil, a principal Mayan deity. (Berrin, p. 7)
The lady is in profile and has a snake wrapping around her body four times. The carvings of her clothing and the snake are extremely elaborate. She is wearing a headdress with large plumes. The snake’s mouth is wide open, displaying large fangs as the deity passes from his mouth above the woman’s head There are four sets of glyphs on the piece as well.
K’awil is the the god of sustenance. K’awil is associated with royal power, which originates with the gods. The founder of the Maya culture. He brought maize and cacao and taught writing, healing, and the use of calendars. As the bringer of culture he became the state-god of the Mayan empire. As the moon-god he rules over the night. Also called 'God D' his title is 'lord of knowledge'. He is a son of Hunab Ku and with Ixchel he is the father of the Bacabs. He is related to the snake and the mussel. (http://www.mayankids.com/mmkbeliefs/gods.htm)
The artist was clearly a master. It would also be interesting to have seen the colors that this stela would have originally been painted. While this piece clearly fits with the stylistic devices other Late Classic Mayan stelae from the lowlands of Guatemala and southern Mexico, This piece is unique. Its main figure is a single woman. It is shows her strong connection with the world of the gods. She is standing instead of kneeling like the women in many other Mayan artworks. Stela such as this were made as to honor political personages of importance. It is rare to see a piece with such striking iconography. The snake is especially well designed. IT is unclear what the symbolic meaning of the snake encircling Ix Mutal Ahaw’s body four times is. It is clear to me that with Mayan cosmology emphasis on sacred numbers that this would also be important. This is a place in which our lack of knowledge about the culture decreases our ability to correctly interpret the art. Other artists clearly used the same limestone to create stelae with similar techniques and stylistic choices during the Late Classic period (600 AD-800 AD). It is purely the imagery itself that sets this piece off from others as unique.
It is unknown exactly who would have commissioned this particular stela. It is likely that the stela was created to honor the lady whose image is upon it. Ix Mutal Ahaw translates as "lady king of Mutal" (Boot, 59) . Mutal was the kingdom that included Tikal as well Dos Pilas. However, it is unlikely that this piece ever was in the kingdom of Mutal, because nobility rarely referenced place names if the art was in the place from whence they are from. The art historians from the De Young have theorized that this lady was given as a bride to a ruler of another nearby Mayan kingdom and he honored her by having this stela made. (http://www.famsf.org/files/collectionicons/index1.html). There are two dates on the stela. They are March 13, 760 AD and August 10, 761 AD. (Berrin, p. 7). The second is thought to be the date of dedication of the stela. The second date has a glyph next to it that translates as “he stacked wood.” This glyph is assumed by De Young historians to be a metaphor for tribute giving or taking captives. (http://www.famsf.org/files/collectionicons/index1.html) . The other glyphs on the piece translate as “At the halfway period of the k’atun” “was erected” “her stone” “Ix Mutal Ahaw” there is then an unintelligible continuation of the Queen’s name “he supervised it.” (http://www.famsf.org/files/collectionicons/index1.html).
The piece expresses feeling of awe and wonder. Its elaborate carving and supernatural imagery clearly had such intent. The expressive content of the piece causes one to realize that the woman on the carving was held in some respect, and held religious and political power among her people. As a feminist, I must say that it is intriguing to find a female figure from 760 AD depicted with such force of presence. It certainly was unheard of in Europe at this time with the exception of the Virgin Mary.
It is unknown where this stela was originally located. It was stolen by looters at some point, cut into smaller pieces, smuggled into the US and offered to the De Young for acquisition in 1999. The De Young contacted the Governments of Guatemala and Mexico before purchasing the piece. No Mayan art historians have been able to determine the exact location of the stela before it was removed from the jungles of south Mexico/Guatemala/Belize. It is unknown if it was part of a temple complex, or whether it was a solitary stela. Guatemalan art historians believed that this piece originated in Mexico while Mexican art historians believe that the piece is from Guatemala (Berrin, p. 6-8).
This piece has intense historic and political significance that we cannot fathom at today. Because of our lack of knowledge about the particular woman pictured as well as exactly what was happening in Mayan society between the years 760-761 AD it is difficult for us to get an exact reading of what the significance of this piece was at the time of its creation and installation. While Berrin (1999) theorized that the Vision Serpent had appeared to the Queen as the result of a bloodletting ritual, there is no such ritual pictured on the stela or alluded to in the glyphs. It is possible that Ix Mutal Ahaw was a Queen but also a very spiritual woman that engaged in sacred rituals that we have no knowledge about today. Beyond the bloodletting rituals, modern anthropologists and art historians have very little knowledge about the sacred women’s mysteries that certainly took place under the Late Classic period of the Maya.
Sources:
Berrin, Kathleen ( Autumn 1999) “Fine Arts Museums Acquire Mayan Stela:
Collaboration with Guatemala and Mexico Sets New Standards for Museums. FINE ARTS: M.H. DE YOUNG MEMORIAL MUSEUM CALIFORNIA PALACE OF THE LEGION OF HONOR, p.6-9 article was originally published in PreColumbian Art Research Institute Newsletter, no. 28, June 1, 1999.
Boot, Erik (2002) A PREL IMINARY CLASSIC MAYA - ENGLISH / ENGLISH –
CLASSIC MAYA VOCABULARY OF HIEROGLYPHIC READINGS Leiden University, the Netherlands Retrieved from http://www.mesoweb.com/resources/vocabulary/Vocabulary.pdf
“Feathered Serpents and More” (2008) Retrieved from
http://www.mayankids.com/mmkbeliefs/gods.htm
“Stela with Queen Ix Mutal Ahaw” (undated) De Young Collection Icons Retrieved from
http://www.famsf.org/files/collectionicons/index1.html
the stela in question
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