Though she is standing in Stela 1 rather than sitting, she is holding the same feather fan and making the same gesture with her hands. Gestures were as meaningful in Maya art and performance as ...

Each stela depicts a sumptuously bedecked king, and the monoliths are covered in hieroglyphs that, once deciphered, illuminated our view of Maya life. During the Spanish conquest of Mesoamerica in ...

Quiriguá is known for its many finely sculptured stone monuments. The site boasts the largest carved Maya stela, a 65-ton behemoth known as Monument 5. Dating to 771, Monument 5 stands 35 feet ...

Tikal, one of the most powerful Maya city-states, became a rival in this network. Previous discoveries — such as the famous “Tikal Marcador,” a carved stela referencing Teotihuacan’s ...

Sacrifice was a significant part of Maya religious life because the gods sacrificed themselves to create the world. The iconography of the maize gods and serpents on this stele relates to this ...