What appears to our eyes to be a simple plate,
was instead infused with a much greater
purpose. Our modern minds have become
rational and scientific, thus certain aspects of
earlier, “primitive” cultures might seem bizarre
and baffling, or even blasphemous. Throughout
the ages there have been countless descriptions
of the meaning of life and the workings of the
world. Each reality is the truth to those who live
according to its rules and laws. Thus, in order to
fully comprehend the potent energy of Pre-
Columbian art, it is necessary to abandon our
daily reality, to forget our lives, and to travel
back within ourselves to another world we left
behind long ago. Gazing upon this plate is
entering a lost realm of the spiritual, a part of
our lives that remains as mysterious today as it
ever was. Not science, not philosophy, not
reason nor logic can answer the most haunting
questions we ask ourselves alone at night.
However, to the Mayans, this plate was an
answer. Originally, this polychrome piece of
pottery would have been placed above the skull
of the deceased. The large hole in the center
was an access route for the encapsulated spirit
to rise out of and travel towards the heavens.
The alligator, one of the most powerful and
revered creatures known to the Mayan, a symbol
of fertility, might have served as a guardian.
Greeting us with a grinning smile, showing off
his menacing teeth, this reptile also might have
been a symbol for the identity of the deceased,
often times Mayan people were named after
animals or parts of animals. This plate seems to
be so simple to us, we seems to think we
understand it, and yet the word we use, “plate,”
describes little except for the form. The true
meaning of this plate, like the meaning of life, is
beyond our comprehension.
- (PF.5749)
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