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| This figurine comes from the Mexican state of Campeche. It's 7.25 inches tall and dates to around 700 AD to 900 AD. Courtesy LACMA. |
There’s evidence the elites of the ancient Maya civilization used dance, just like other civilizations in Mesoamerica. (Curiously, the Spanish involved in colonizing the Maya area didn't talk about dance too much.) Dance was in their politics and religious practices, and they danced them in their temples and in open spaces meant to be used for displays.
Dance Items
Examples of things worn in dances are rattles, shields, different kinds of staffs, axes, drums, belts made of shells meant to make noise (called tinklers), jade celt pendants, jaguar skins, fans, animal headdresses, and god headdresses. Another example is a scepter called a mannikin scepter, which were related to K’awiil, also called god K).
What dance items the dancers put on depended on the dance – for instance, a dance called the K’awiil Scepter dance involved the mannikin scepter. Dressing up as gods to impersonate them was a common feature – rulers could then talk as the god to everyone watching the dance.
Purpose
The ancient Maya elites were known to hold dances for all kinds of occasions, each meant to show off their power. Most often, they had dances as part of other ceremonies. Some examples of occasions where they included dance are: victories in war, dedicating a building, the summer solstice, when there was a new ruler taking the throne, getting tribute items, the end of a k’atun (group of 20 years), and the end of a tun (1 year).
Who Danced
A lot of art only shows men being dancers. But there is art that shows women dancers with men dancers. The Dances were watched by an audience. Dancers tended to be rulers, sometimes with governors who worked for the rulers.
Music
Music was part of Maya elite dances. Several other instruments included ceramic flutes and whistles, like the ocarina. Yet another instrument used in dances was a long trumpet, which you might see called the hom-tah. (The Maya made hom-tahs with wood or paper, gourd (for the end or bell of the hom-tah), clay, and beeswax, which was for the mouthpiece. The beeswax would have helped players keep their mouths pressed firmly against the mouthpiece.)
The ancient Maya elites used drums in their dances. There are three drums that archaeologists have found that the elites used. These are called the turtle drum (with a turtle shell base), the pax (which was small and could have a base of gourd, ceramic, or clay), and the “huehuetl” (which had a wood base and is named after an Aztec type of drum with the same name.)
Deciphering “To Dance”
Nikolai Grube is the discoverer of an ancient Mayan verb that is supposed to mean “to dance.” He deciphered this glyph, which is understood to be said “ahk’ot” in 1992.
According to "The Hidden Maya", the term also means "to perform ceremonies that manifest divine beings." It also says that the phrase "ti ahk'ot" means "he or she went or goes dancing" but it's not strictly that dancing happened. It means any ceremony used to connect with the gods, either making them manifest or talking with them.
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