Maya engraving 02
by Weston Westmoreland
Title
Maya engraving 02
Artist
Weston Westmoreland
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Maya bas-relief, lintel 15 in Yaxchilan, Mexico. Around 770 AD.
Detail of the Vision Serpent carved in limestone in lintel 15 from Yaxchilan. The Vision Serpent was an important creature in Maya mythology, although the term itself is now slowly becoming outdated. Serpents were the vehicles by which celestial bodies, such as the sun and stars, crossed the heavens. The shedding of their skin made them a symbol of rebirth and renewal.
The Vision Serpent is thought to be the most important of the Maya serpents. During Maya bloodletting rituals, participants would experience visions in which they communicated with the ancestors or gods. These visions took the form of a giant serpent which served as a gateway to the spirit realm. The ancestor or god who was being contacted was depicted as emerging from the serpent's mouth. The vision serpent thus came to be the method in which ancestors or gods manifested themselves to the Maya. Thus for them, the Vision Serpent was a direct link between the spirit realm of the gods and the physical world. The Vision Serpent is prevalent in bloodletting ceremonies, in Maya religious practices, Maya jewelry, pottery and their architecture.
Original image by Gary Todd (https://www.flickr.com/photos/101561334@N08/36331195012/in/photolist-fXxwSy-84E3dE-84E1Z1-84ATYB-XmsSw1) edited and enhanced by Weston Westmoreland.
More amazing statues, sculptures and carvings at https://weston-westmoreland.pixels.com/collections/statues+sculptures+carvings
Weston Westmoreland
Uploaded
May 18th, 2020
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