Male Narrator: At the center of this stone monument, called a stela, the face of a royal Maya woman appears in profile. She is swathed in jade ornaments, from her earrings, beaded collar, belt, and bracelets…to her skirt, which is a net of jade beads. [rattle sound effect] As she conjures the serpent deity that swirls around her, [sound effect ends] imagine the gentle clinking sounds her regalia would have made as she moved.
Her elaborate headdress radiates a lush spray of feathers, likely from the quetzal bird. [bird and ocean sound effects] James Doyle:
James Doyle: These would have been imported highly, highly valuable items from the Guatemalan highlands that were bright green, shining feathers. And these were the pinnacle of luxury for the Maya. [sound effects end] These were “soft jade.” So this woman has covered herself head-to-toe with green jade and feathers to connect her power to the cycles of agriculture and to mythological powers.
Male Narrator: The Maya had a written, hieroglyphic language, some of which appears on this stela at the bottom and the left edges. From this we know the woman is Ix Mutal Ahaw, the royal woman of Mutal, probably a reference to the ruling dynasty from the great Maya city-state of Tikal, in Guatemala. It’s likely that her husband or son commissioned the stela to celebrate her power and to reinforce his own.
[soft percussion with native flute evoking period and mood]
James Doyle: This would have been a freestanding monument, probably in a plaza, that actually served as a stone version of the performer who would have performed live. So you have, in a way, monumentalized an event here that was probably reenacted by this very woman in the center of a Classic Maya royal court.
[music ends]
Male Narrator: The sculpture was originally brightly painted, making the scene even more vivid and compelling.
