 |
| A young spider monkey with its mother. Credit: Kevin Lafferty, USGS. |
Two monkeys are found in
the Maya area: the Central American spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi), the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata), and the black howler
monkey (Alouatta pigra). Monkeys in ancient Maya times were part of the
Maya’s lives in multiple ways. The Maya made them part of their religious
beliefs, but they also were used more practically.
In Religion
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| A vessel from 600 AD to 900 AD. Courtesy of LACMA. |
There were monkey gods
who were patron gods of the arts connected with scribes. (Versions of these two gods
may or may not be in the Popol Vuh, as the Hero Twins’ older
half-brothers, Huun Chuwen and Huun Bats’ or One Artisan and One Monkey. They had lots of talents and could even see the future, but were mean to the
Hero Twins -- who turned them into monkeys.) No one knows what kind of monkey the gods were supposed to looked like. There has been a view, though, that wonders if the Maya connected howler monkeys with their various arts.
Somewhat connected to this is the monkey-headed god C -- which isn't thought to be a god now. Instead archaeologists currently think god C is just a way the Maya said "supernatural being" or "god."
Somewhat connected to this is the monkey-headed god C -- which isn't thought to be a god now. Instead archaeologists currently think god C is just a way the Maya said "supernatural being" or "god."
Other than gods, the
ancient Maya thought that there were wahys -- a kind of spirit being (see more here) -- that were monkeys.
In Art
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| A Peten region plate from between 600 AD and 900 AD showing a "supernatural monkey". Courtesy of LACMA. |
The ancient Maya used
monkeys to represent the idea of doing things you shouldn't really do. They
also connected monkeys with being creative. Examples of things the Maya drew
monkeys doing include drinking and dancing.
Practical Use
Among the animals the
ancient Maya hunted for food were howler and spider monkeys. However, it must
be said, archaeologists haven't found that many monkey bones at sites so
far.
Consideration: Species
There’s a view that it’s
possible that during ancient times, the Maya area may have been home to five
kinds of monkeys: two species of howler monkey, the capuchin monkey, and two
types of spider monkey.
 |
| Detail of Plate 39 of "Animal Figures in the Maya Codices". |
References:
Google Books: Art and Myth of the Ancient Maya"; Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos; 2017
Cambridge Core: "Revisiting Monkeys on Pots: A Contextual Consideration of Primate Imagery on Classic Lowland Maya Pottery"; Prudence M. Rice. Katherine E. South; 29 December 2015
Google Books: "Mortuary Landscapes of the Classic Maya: Rituals of Body and Soul"; Andrew K. Scherer; 2015
Google Books: "Cosmology, Calendars, and Horizon-Based Astronomy in Ancient Mesoamerica"; Anne S. Dowd, Susan Milbrath (editors); 2015
Google Books: "Encyclopedia of the Ancient Maya"; Walter R.T. Witschey (editor); 2015
Google Books: "Maya Figurines: Intersections between State and Household"; Christina T. Halperin"; 2014
LANGUAGE: "Journal of Mesoamerican Languages and Linguistics" Vol. 1, No. 1: 1-34, 2008; K'U: The Divine Monkey; Brian Stross
Google Books: "Animals & Plants of the Ancient Maya: A Guide"; Victoria Schlesinger"; 2001
Cambridge Core: "Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus capucinus) and the Ancient Maya"; Mary Baker; 1992(published online: 10 October 2008)
Image Credits:
USGS: "Baby Spider Monkey Snacking While Clinging to Mom"; Kevin Lafferty, USGS; December 4, 2013
LACMA: Vessel with Young Lord and Monkey
LACMA: Plate with Supernatural Monkey
Project Gutenberg: "Animal Figures in the Maya Codices"; Alfred M. Tozzer. Glover M. Allen; 1910
