Nuckols, Catherine
From Imposition to Integration: Teotihuacan Influence on Maya Culture, as Evidence by Stela 7 at Piedras Negras
Faculty Mentor: Allen J. Christenson, Comparative Arts and Letters

Introduction

This project was inspired by the Maya monument known as Stela 7,
from Piedras Negras, Guatemala (shown at right). This stela, or upright
stone carving, portrays a ruler of Piedras Negras wearing a war
headdress. The headdress is Maya in style, but contains an element,
the Trapeze and Ray motif, that appears to have been adapted from
the Central Mexican culture of Teotihuacan, which by that point had
ceased to exist. Teotihuacan was a very large city situated in Central
Mexico. In AD 378, Teotihuacan invaded the nearunconquerable
city state of Tikal and imposed a new ruling dynasty. From that point
on, Teotihuacan continued to expand its influence into the Maya
heartland, affecting political relations and art, even after the city itself
crumbled. This research focuses on the appearances of the Trapeze
and Ray motif within the corpus of Maya art and its implications for
Mesoamerican relations.

Methodology

In conducting this research, I first began by searching for and
documenting every instance of the Trapeze and Ray motif in the corpus of Maya art and
monuments. After documenting these occurrences, I made note of the time period, ruler, and
political circumstances of the citystate
where the motif was found. As I did so, I began to
recognize recurring patterns, including two other elements frequently appearing in conjunction
with the Trapeze and Ray motif. From these patterns I was able to form and test theories in
order to arrive at a conclusion that offers insight into Mesoamerican culture.

Results

The results that were generated by this research were very interesting, and different from what I
expected to find. I found that the Trapeze and Ray motif forms part of a triad of elements that
tend to appear together in pairs or in the full trio throughout the corpus of Maya art. The other
two elements of this triad are the War Serpent Headdress and the ochk’in kalomte’ title, both of
which have reference to Teotihuacan. The War Serpent Headdress is representative of the
Teotihuacan War Serpent, which was first seen at Teotihuacan’s Feathered Serpent Pyramid,
and was later incorporated into Maya war c ostumes. The title o chk’in kalomte’ is a Maya term
that means “west overlord/emperor” and was given to the first ruler that Teotihuacan placed at
Tikal. It was later adopted by other Maya rulers, including some women. The most interesting connection uncovered by the results was that all of the polities where the Trapeze and Ray motif
appeared had some sort of connection or alliance with the large dynasty at Calakmul, leading
me to wonder if the motif in question in some way alluded to each polity’s alliance with
Calakmul.

Discussion

These results opened the door for important discussion concerning the relationships that existed
between the Maya and Teotihuacan, as well as between Calakmul and its neighboring
citystates. It is evident that Teotihuacan left an impression on the Maya world when it
conquered Tikal in the fourth century, and that conquest seems to have led some Maya
dynasties, namely Calakmul, to adopt Teotihuacan’s art and symbols in an effort to mirror the
city’s power. In a similar vein, there appears to be a connection between Calakmul and this triad
of elements. I believe that Calakmul appropriated these symbols in an effort to mirror
Teotihuacan’s conquest of Tikal two centuries earlier. Although Calakmul’s monument record is
very limited due to poor quality of stone, there are multiple references from other sites that
attribute the War Serpent and the ochk’in kalomte’ title to Calakmul. I plan on continuing this
investigation in an effort to discover a link between Calakmul and the Trapeze and Ray motif
and thus provide more concrete evidence of a link between this triad and the Calakmul dynasty.

Another floor for discussion created by this research is the role of women in Maya society. On
multiple occasions the Trapeze and Ray motif was worn by a woman, and in each of those
occasions the woman in point was portrayed in an activity that was usually carried out by a king,
such as bloodletting or taking captives. This sheds light on the role and influence of women in
Maya society, especially their importance in ruling kingdoms and waging war.

Conclusion

Through a thorough discussion of the possibilities suggested by this research, I was easily able
to conclude that there is a strong relationship between the Trapeze and Ray motif, the War
Serpent Headdress, and the o chk’in kalomte’ title. These three elements appear together
frequently and in the same context, alluding to the militaristic or political power of the
the nextinct Teotihuacan. In my ongoing research I hope to find evidence of the Trapeze and
Ray motif linking back to Calakmul, and thereby prove that this same triad of elements not only
alluded to the militaristic power of Teotihuacan, but also to the Late Classic power of the
Calakmul dynasty.
Figure 1 (left) – The Trapeze and Ray motif on top of the War
Serpent Headdress, as seen at Piedras Negras Stela 7.
Figure 2 (right) – The War Serpent Headdress as seen at Piedras Negras
Stela 7.