Abstract
AbstractClassic Maya (a.d.250–900) art is filled with expressive figures in a variety of highly stylized poses and postures. These poses are so specific that they appear to be intentionally communicative, yet their meanings remain elusive. A few studies have scratched the surface of this issue, suggesting that a correlation exists between body language and social roles in Maya art. The present study examines whether one type of body language (hand gestures) in Classic Maya art represents and reflects elements of social structure. This analysis uses a coding approach derived from studies of hand gesture in conversation to apply an interactional approach to a static medium, thereby broadening the methods used to analyze gesture in ancient art. Statistics are used to evaluate patterns of gesture use in palace scenes across 289 figures on 94 different vases, with results indicating that the form and angling of gestures are related to social hierarchy. Furthermore, this study considers not just the individual status of each figure, but the interaction between figures. The results not only shed light on how gesture was depicted in Maya art, but also demonstrate how figural representation reflects social structure.
Highlights
Body language is a form of communication that permeates everything we do
Body language in art has a history of subtly storing detailed information for its targeted audience, a strategy well-known from the mudras of East Asia, which were used in Buddhist and Hindu ritual and iconography to identify divinities and seal rites (Todaro 1985)
Past studies have shown that class and social identity are illustrated through the clothing and absolute placement of figures in Maya art (Jackson 2013; Parmington 2003). We demonstrate that these distinctions are visible in the gestures and body language of depicted figures, and consider what these depictions of gesture tell us about the underlying structures that governed class and interaction in Classic Maya society
Summary
Body language is a form of communication that permeates everything we do. Many of the gestures we use reflect the beliefs, practices, and metaphors of the societies we inhabit (Kita 2009; Quinn 2008), yet despite its cultural ubiquity, archaeologists know little about the body language and gestures of past civilizations. Gesture is a unique form of communication independent of text and speech, with the capacity to express information about the gesturer’s intended meaning, and about their identity and relation to others. Beckoning someone closer with the palm facedown indicates both something about the communicative intent (beckoning), and something about the gesturer (that she is probably from a country like Italy where beckoning is typically done palm-down). It could tell you something about the status of the individual (e.g., that they have the power to call others to their side, at least in the context of the gesture). The Maya are an ideal case study due to the rich repertoire of posed figures that are
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