Memory in fragments : the lives of ancient Maya sculptures / Megan E. O'Neil.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

O'Neil, Megan E. (Megan Eileen), author.

Series:

Linda Schele series in Maya and pre-Columbian studies

The Linda Schele series in Maya and pre-Columbian studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Central America.

Maya sculpture--Social aspects.

Maya sculpture.

Mayas--Social life and customs.

Mayas.

Stele (Archaeology)--Central America.

Stele (Archaeology).

Upcycling (Waste, etc.)--Central America.

Upcycling (Waste, etc.).

Mayas--Religion.

Physical Description:

xvii, 248 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, (some color), color map ; 29 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

Lives of ancient Maya sculptures

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, 2024.

Summary:

"Here in the US, we're having difficult discussions about who we should monumentalize, the political implications of our statues, or what to do with monuments that no longer reflect our ideals. In a way, this book looks at how the Maya dealt with these and related issues. The author explores how the ancient Maya engaged with their history by using, reusing, altering, and burying stone sculptures. O'Neil shows, for example, how the ancient Maya repurposed stelae that were damaged by their enemies. In some cases, they would break the stelae to signify a change in their status, and bury them with others so that the buried monuments connected with those still standing in specific sacred sites. Infused with agency, the sculptures retained ceremonial meaning. O'Neil explores how those breakages and other, different human interactions, amidst unstable religious, political, and historical contexts, changed the sculptures' "lives.""-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Notes on language, spelling, and calendar conventions

Preface and Acknowledgments

Section I. Shaping the present and past. Fragments of and in the past ; Multi-disciplinary methodologies and theoretical approaches ; About time : engaging time, history, and materiality

Section II. Breaking and reuse. Violence, transformation, and renewal : material changes to ancient Maya sculptures ; Memory and materiality of reused, reset, and repurposed monuments

Section III. Burial. Ancient Maya sculptures, seen and unseen, Part I. Burial and renewal ; Ancient Maya sculptures, seen and unseen, Part II. Sculptures buried in architecture

Conclusion : lives of things.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-239) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: O'Neil, Megan E. (Megan Eileen). Memory in fragments.

ISBN:

9781477329399

1477329390

OCLC:

1399164632

Publisher Number:

90100521936