On December 14, 2024, a six-part PowerPoint lecture was presented via ZOOM by FLAAR for The Pre-Columbian Society at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. All six parts together can be downloaded from the home page of www.Maya-archaeology.org, or you can download each individual chapter below.
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1. Crocodiles are obviously associated with Water, so in Maya Art, Crocodiles are associated with Water Symbolism of the Surface of the Underwaterworld. |
2. Maya portraits of Crocodiles as 3-dimensional ceramic figurines and deep-relief renditions |
3. Full-bodied Crocodiles as roof of Throne Rooms for God L |
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4. Crocodiles in Bas-relief Sculptures on Copan Stela and Altar, Honduras |
5. Crocodile Trees, Izapa stelae, Early Classic Maya, Late Classic (Codex Style vases) |
6. Crocodile and Composite Deer-Crocodile as Bicephalic Cosmic Monster. Also shows lots of images of the Quadripartite Badge Headdress Monster |
If you wish to download all six of these chapters in one single file, you can do this on the home page of www.Maya-archaeology.org.
Other FLAAR posts on iconography of crocodiles in Maya art
There is an August 2023 update on crocodile iconography in English for the July 2023 presentation in Spanish.
A bibliography on Crocodile Iconography of the Olmec and of the Maya, is also available as a download. A list of books on crocodiles, especially of Mesoamerica, is on this FLAAR web page.
Do not call the reptiles in Classic Maya art an alligator, since most are crocodiles and perhaps a few are caiman. There are three species of these reptiles each one in a different ecosystem of Mesoamerica.
Our first discussion on crocodiles in Maya art was posted in November 2011, updated in 2012 and in 2018, and more recently updated in May 2023. Lots of photos of crocodiles.
An in-depth presentation of the Cosmic Monster, Starry-Eyed Deer-Crocodile on Copan CPN 25, Altar of Stela M is available with lots of photos, in Spanish.
And remember, if you wish to have all six chapters of the December 2024 crocodile iconography lecture in a single file, go to home page of www.Maya-archaeology.org.
Posted December 2024 by Nicholas Hellmuth
