A landmark work on the iconography of one of the world's great civilizations
This book presents foundational work on Maya iconography from leading practitioners in fields ranging from archaeology, anthropology, and art history to linguistics, astronomy, photography, and medicine. The period discussed runs from the last centuries B.C. through the great Maya Classic period, with some discussion of later eras and of regions outside the Maya area. Featuring an incisive introduction by Elizabeth Benson and Gillett Griffin, Maya Iconography demonstrates how Maya beliefs developed over time and makes important connections between Preclassic and Classic iconography.
The contributors are John Carlson, Michael Coe, David Freidel, Donald Hales, Norman Hammond, Nicholas Hellmuth, John Justeson, Barbara Kerr, Justin Kerr, Mary Ellen Miller, William Norman, Lee Parsons, Francis Robicsek, Linda Schele, David Stuart, and Karl Taube. Elizabeth P. Benson (1924–2018) was the Andrew S. Keck Distinguished Visiting Professor of Art History at American University. Her books include The Worlds of the Moche on the North Coast of Peru and Birds and Beasts of Ancient Latin America. Gillett Griffin (1928–2016) was curator emeritus of pre-Columbian and Native American art at the Princeton University Art Museum. His books include Sculpture and Cosmology in Ancient Guerrero.
