For sheer pageantry the Maya are virtually
unsurpassed. Their spectacles, performed
outdoors with the great stepped pyramids as a
backdrop, were dazzling displays of music,
dance and some of the most elaborate ritual
costumes ever created. The major ceremonies
were the accession of a king and bloodletting,
both of which would have involved the royal
family, great lords, notables and the entire
population as awed spectators. Such important
rituals, which were crucial to Maya religious life
and political stability, demanded the king appear
in full regalia. One of the most important items
was the celt, which hung in single or double
rows from the royal belt. They served as
emblems of power, imbued with kingly authority
through the images engraved upon them. In this
fabulous celt we see what is most likely a king
wearing a monumental headdress. He stares
straight ahead with a serene expression. The
frontal pose allows us to see the long nose plug,
ear spools and thick necklace he wears. The
headdress is highly ornate, composed of cloth
and brilliantly colored feathers, rising like a
tower of interweaving patterns, culminating in a
zoomorphic mask or supernatural being. It is
possible this king is involved in a bloodletting
letting ceremony, which would explain why his
lovely hands are held palm upwards in a gesture
of homage and meditation. In this context the
headdress may represent visions of other worlds
and the deities the king hoped to witness on his
vision quest. By depicting this sacred event on
beautiful jade, the object itself gains power, as
did the king who participated in the ritual, and
as do we who have the privilege of holding it!
- (PF.4635)
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