Dwarfism and the Ancient Maya

This is a ceramic whistle depicting a man
with dwarfism. It was made around 600 AD to
800 AD and came from either southeast Mexico
or from north Guatemala. From LACMA.

Dwarfism is a term used for different conditions that all share one feature: the person who has it is shorter than is common when compared to the area they're born in.  Archaeologists have found that among the ancient Maya, dwarfism had cultural significance.

Evidence
According to several references used for this post, archaeologists have not found any remains so far of ancient Maya with dwarfism. Contradicting this, a 2009 article, also in the references, says otherwise.

Either way, archaeologists have found images of people with dwarfism in the art the ancient Maya made. Some examples are painted pottery, carved jade, stelae, and figurines made of ceramic. (In the Puuc region -- which is located in the north of the Yucatán Peninsula -- art showing people with dwarfism is more common than any other place in the Maya world.)

As there are different types of the condition, you may be wondering which one or ones have been found in ancient Maya art. The answer to that is achondroplasia. This is a term for multiple types of dwarfism that happen because of a gene mutation. (Achondroplasia can be passed on to one's children too.)

Role in Society

A wood artifact that may have been carved to represent
a man with dwarfism. The Maya may have used it as a setting
for a mirror. It was made between 410 AD and 650 AD, and might be
from either Mexico or Guatemala. From the Metropolitan Museum
of Art.

 Ancient Maya art shows people with dwarfism being able to become 
tax collectors, musicians, attendants for elites, and  quality control officials. An article on The Metropolitan Museum of Art's website says that the ancient Maya thought dwarfism gave a person the ability to see the future. (Images have also been found where people dressed as the Maize God were dancing with people with dwarfism.) Also it's possible that the ancient Maya thought that people with dwarfism were connected to the god K'awiil -- that they actually were K'awiil.

There's a theory that the elites in the ancient Maya world thought that dwarfism made a person a good candidate for marriage. And because of this, it may be why people with the condition show up in the art as much as they do.


Possible Symbolism
The idea of dwarfism may have been a symbol to the ancient Maya. They may have thought of it as being in some kind of in-between state. The same article from The Metropolitan Museum of Art mentioned above says that the ancient Maya saw dwarfism as beautiful in exactly the opposite way that the Maize God was beautiful.




Consideration: Uxmal's "Pyramid of the Dwarf"
You may have heard about the story of the magical dwarf and the site of Uxmal, located in the Puuc region. This story's history goes back over 150 years. There are different versions of what happens. A pyramid at Uxmal is supposed to have been part of the dwarf's story -- examples of the pyramid's names today include the House of the Dwarf, the Pyramid of the Magician, and the Pyramid of the Dwarf.

Also a ceramic whistle from made in the same
time frame. This one however, came from the
Mexican state of Campeche, located in the
Yucatán Peninsula. From LACMA.

References:
Google Books: "Bioarchaeology of Impairment and Disability: Theoretical, Ethnohistorical, and Methodological Perspectives"; Jennifer F. Byrnes, Jennifer L. Muller (editors); 2017

Purdue University: Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research: "Ancient Mayan "Deformity"": Cultural Accomodation of Congenital Physical Anomaly in Mesoamerican Prehistory"; Michael H. Lockman, Liberal Arts; 2015


Google Books: "The Ch'ol Maya of Chiapas"; Karen Bassie-Sweet; 2015

Google Books: "Telling and Being Told: Storytelling and Cultural Control in Contemporary Yucatec Maya Literatures"; Paul M. Worley; 2013
PubMed: "Colombia Médica : CM": "Achondroplasia among ancient populations of mesoamerica and South America: Iconographic and Archaeological Evidence."; Carlos A Rodríguez,  Carolina Isaza, Harry Pachajoa; September 30, 2012

Penn Museum: "Expedition" Volume 51 Issue 1: "Out of the Past and Into the Night: Ancient Mythical Dwarfs in Modern Yucatan"; Judith A. Storniolo; March 2009

The Free Dictionary: Encyclopedia: Dwarfism

Reed College: Architecture, Restoration, and Imaging of the Maya Cities of Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, and Labná: Architecture, Restoration, and Imaging of the Maya Cities of UXMAL, KABAH, SAYIL, and LABNÁ The Puuc Region, Yucatán, México: The Yucatán 

Bluffton University: Digital Imaging Project: Art historical images of sculpture and architecture from pre-historic to post-modern: Mary Ann Sullivan, Bluffton University: Uxmal, Mexico:Uxmal, Yucatan--page 1 (of six pages)

University of Idaho: Non-Western Architecture: Professor Anne Marshall 499/502: Mayan Architecture of the Yucatan Peninsula: Uxmal-Pyramid of Magician

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Column, Costumed Figure

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Achondroplasia

Image Credits:
LACMA: Figurine Whistle of a Dwarf

The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Mirror Bearer

LACMA: Dwarf Figurine Whistle

Río Bec Architecture

Río Bec is a term used to describe one of the approximately five different kinds of ancient Maya architecture. A style that combines styles of the northern and the central lowlands, the Río Bec style is named after a site located in Quintana Roo, a Mexican state in the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula. For those in search of Río Bec style sites, a few examples include Becan, Chicanná, Hormiguero, Xpuhil and of course the site of Río Bec.

History
Río Bec architecture developed in the Late Classic period (about 600 AD to 900 AD), and was influenced by the El Petén style of architecture. It is related to the Puuc style -- which came after Río Bec -- and Chenes style -- which also predates the Puuc style.

Features
One of the most distinctive features of Río Bec style buildings are its false towers. These false towers -- or very steep sided pyramids, filled with rubble. On top of these towers are "temples" -- also full of rocks -- that have false doors for entrances. Leading up to the false doors are steps too steep to be used. Decoration-wise, the Río Bec false towers' foundations have mosaics, and the tower-top temples have Chenes style facades and monster masks.



References:
"Handbook to Life in the Ancient Maya World"; Lynn V. Foster; 2005

Southwest Missouri State University: Maya Architectural Styles

"The Ancient Maya"; Robert J. Sharer, Loa P. Traxler; 2005

"Mesoamerica's Ancient Cities: Aerial Views of Pre-Columbian Ruins in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras"; William M. Ferguson, Richard E. W. Adams; 2001

Puuc Architecture

Puuc is a term used for one of the various styles of architecture that Maya developed before the arrival of the Spanish. Puuc -- or “low range of hills” -- was in vogue in the Yucatan Peninsula from around 770 to 1000 AD, (as around 1000 AD the Maya had abandoned the Puuc style sites.) Sites known for their Puuc style architecture include the cities of Sayil, Kabah, Uxmal and Labna.

Basic Setup
The Puuc style takes a building made from stones held together by a lime-based concrete and uses it as a “core” for the building. Over this core, thin pieces of cut stone are set to form a decorative veneer. Usually, only the top half of Puuc style buildings are decorated with the veneer, leaving the bottom half un-embellished.

Veneer Features
Veneer designs used for Puuc buildings include lattices made of “x” shaped stones and stepped frets -- a series of connected blocky spirals -- and also Chac masks -- which themselves are made of several pieces. Another mosaic piece this style makes use of is the engaged column, which isn’t a real column, but has a flat back that is attached to the wall. These designs would be combined in various ways to form the ultimate veneer.

Corbel Arch
The corbel arch is another part of Puuc architecture. It is made with “boot-shaped” stones to create an arch with a stepped appearance. Not to be confused with a “true” arch, the stones of the corbel arch do not use each other to hold each other up (and therefore, the corbel arch does not need a keystone.)

Alignment Features
Puuc style buildings tend to be aligned so that they all face the central plaza that was used for ritual purposes. The ceremonial centers in Puuc style sites are aligned to be 14 degrees to the right (east) of north.

Hybridization
The Puuc style wasn’t always used by itself. Sites exist that are a blend of Puuc style and a style that could be a northern Mexican style. One example is Chichen Itza, which was controlled by the Toltec people for a time. Chichen Itza contains both older buildings of purely Puuc (“Classic Puuc”) architecture and newer buildings of Puuc hybrid architecture. The Classic Puuc architecture is found in the southern area of the city, while the newer, hybrid buildings are found in the northern area of the city. However, it is possible that some of what looks like it came from northern Mexico could have just been invented in Chichen Itza.

References:
University of Idaho: Non-Western Architecture: Puuc Style

University of Idaho: Non-Western Architecture: Puuc Style Facades

University of Idaho: Non-Western Architecture: Puuc Style Facades II

University of Idaho: Non-Western Architecture: Puuc Style Vaults

University of Idaho: Non-Western Architecture: Puuc/Mexican Style

"The Ancient Maya"; Robert J. Sharer, Loa P. Traxler; 2006