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Sacred Turtles in Mayan Art and Iconography

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Sacred Turtles in Mayan Art and Iconography Sacred Animals and Exotic Tropical Plants by Dr. Nicholas M. Hellmuth Sacred turtles in Mayan art and iconography new FLAAR Report* now lists all picted in Mayan art as one of the housings of the animals that were sacred or of God N (also called Pauahtun). Normally Aotherwise considered as special by God N is in a conch shell or snail shell, but the Classic Maya. !ere are animals that are sometimes he can be in a turtle carapace. related to the sky (constellations, stars, plan- Turtles are found in the various Mayan ets), the forests and those that are associated codices and in the murals of Bonampak. with rivers, lakes, swamps and the oceans. Any good book on Mayan archaeoastrono- !ese waters are conflated by the cosmology my will discuss the turtles (and peccary) in of the Preclassic and Classic Maya into the the murals and codices. Turtles are decora- underwaterworld. tion for a typical Puuc structure at Uxmal On the surface of this underwaterworld you in the Yucatán. Turtle symbolism is deeply get the major interaction of exotic creatures. embedded in Classic Maya beliefs. Crocodiles, fish, sharks, turtles—both sea tur- Dr. Nicholas M. Hellmuth is director of FLAAR tles and freshwater turtles—are often depicted. Reports (Foundation for Latin American Anthro- It has long been recognized that turtle pological Research). To view the list of sacred ani- mals visit www.maya-archaeology.org or contact carapaces were used as musical instruments. Dr. Hellmuth at frontdesk@flaar.org !ese instruments are pictured in murals * See the complete list of sacred animals at and on pottery vases, especially in the Late www.maya-archaeology.org Classic period (AD 600-800). Turtles that you can find in the rivers, lakes and mangrove swamps of Guatemala, southern Mexico or Belize include: Central American !e turtle carapace scene shows a youth- river turtle tortuga blanca, Dermatemys mawii; Furrowed wood ful deity figure splitting out of a sea shell on turtle, rhinoclemmys areolata; Mexican snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina; Narrow-bridged musk turtle, Claudius angustatus; a plate. !is resurrection from a giant turtle Northern (Mexican) giant musk turtle, Staurotypus triporcatus, carapace is one of the truly important mo- three parallel ridges along back; Red-eared terrapin, Mesoamerican ments in Mayan cosmology. slider, jicotea, Trachemys scripta; Scorpion mud turtle, Kinosternon scorpioides; Tabasco mud turtle, Kinosternon acutum; White- !e carapaces of turtles are often de- lipped mud turtle, Kinosternon leucostomum; Creaser’s mud turtle, Kinosternon creaseri; Yucatan box turtle, Terrapene carolina. 100 .
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