Hostname: page-component-77c78cf97d-xcx4r Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-04-23T20:04:48.700Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Hieroglyphs and Archaeology at Copan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2010

David Stuart
David Stuart
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Box 6050-B, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the 'Save PDF' action button.

The study of Copan's extensive hieroglyphic texts has grown hand in hand with long-term architectural excavations. Recent progress in Maya decipherment, much of it derived from work at Copan, now allows for new and potentially rewarding opportunities to integrate epigraphy and “dirt” archaeology. Toward this end, this paper provides an overview of the current knowledge of Copan's elite history, summarizing current knowledge of the ruler sequence and attributions of monuments and architecture to individual reigns. Thematic and stylistic changes are evident in the inscriptions between the Early and Late Classic periods, including a proliferation of subordinate elite texts in the decades leading up to political collapse. Also, new information is provided on the changing relations between Copan and Quirigua throughout the Classic period.

Resumen

Este ensayo sirve como resumen del trabajo reciente sobre los textos jeroglíficos de Copan, incluyendo ue tratamiento detallado de la secuencia dinástica de este sitio durante la época clásico. La discusión se enfoca sobre varios cambios temáticos eetre las inscripciones del clásico temprano y del clásico tardío.

La mayoría de los textos del clásico temprano son fragmentários y muy difíciles à leer; por eso, la historia de este época se queda largamente obscura. Sin embargo, hay mucha información esenciál sobre el clásico temprano eh los monumetos de subsiguientes épocas, como Altar Q y la escalinata jeroglífica de la Estructura 10L-26. Los datos que tenemos, aunque scan escasos, afirman que estas fuentes tardías no son exageradas en sus recuentos de la historia más antiguo.

Al contrario a los otros sitios mayas, a los textos de Copan, es-pecialmente los más tempranos, les faltan la calidad narrative de la historia. Cerca del fin del clásico tardio, después de la muerte del Gobernante 13, ó Waxaklahun Ubah K'awil, los textos acercan más la forma narrativa. Los temas de esos textos se tratan de figuras como Gobernante 16 y otras personas de la nobleza. Esos cambios de tema pueden ser productos de influencias exteriores o cambios politicos poco antes del colapso ca. 850 d.C.

Tratando los hechos sobre estos temas, este ensayo intenta integrar los datos arqueológicos y epigráficos para que otros puedan hacerlo mismo.

Information

Type
Special Section: The Archaeology of Ancient Copan
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 3 , Issue 1 , Spring 1992 , pp. 169 - 184
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

References

REFERENCES

Ashmore, Wendy 1991 Site-Planning Principles and Concepts of Directionality Among the Ancient Maya. Latin American Antiquity 2(3): 199–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aveni, Anthony F. 1980 Skywatchers of Ancient Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.Google Scholar
Baudez, Claude F. 1988 Solar Cycle and Dynastic Succession in the Southeast Maya Zone. In The Southeast Classic Maya Zone, edited by Booee, Elizabeth H. and Willey, Gordon R., pp. 125–148. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Beetz, Carl P., and Satterthwaite, Linton 1981 The Monuments and Inscriptions of Caracol, Belize. University Museum Monographs No. 45. University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.Google Scholar
Berlin, Hienrich 1958 El glifo “emblema” en las inscripciones mayas. Journal de la Societe des Americanistes 47:111–119.Google Scholar
Berlin, Hienrich 1968 The Tablet of the 96 Glyphs at Paienqee, Chiapas, Mexico. In Middle American Research Institute, Tulane University 26:135–149.Google Scholar
Brown, Cecil H. 1991 Hieroglyphic Literacy in Ancient Mayaland: Inferences from Linguistic Data. Current Anthropology 32(4):489–496.Google Scholar
Carlson, John B. 1977 Copae Altar Q: the Maya Astronomical Conference of A.D. 763? In Native American Astronomy, edited by Aveni, Anthony, pp. 100–109. University of Texas Press, Austin.Google Scholar
Coe, Michael D. 1976 Early Steps in the Evolution of Maya Writing. In Origins of Religious Art and Iconography in Pre-Classic Mesoamerica, edited by Nicholson, Henry B., pp. 107–122. UCLA Latin American Center and the Ethnic Arts Council of Los Angeles, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Fash, William L. 1983 Maya State Formation: A Case Study and its Implications. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University.Google Scholar
Fash, William L. 1989a A New Look at Maya Statecraft from Copan, Honduras. Antiquity 62:151–169.Google Scholar
Fash, William L. 1989b The Sculptural Facade of Structure 9M-82: Content, Form, and Significance. In The House of the Bacabs, Copan, Honduras, edited by Webster, David, pp. 41–72. Studies in Pre-Columbian Art and Archaeology No. 29. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Fash, William L. 1991 Scribes, Warriors and Kings: The City of Copan and the Ancient Maya. Thames and Hudson, New York.Google Scholar
Fash, William L., and Sharer, Robert J. 1991 Sociopolitical Developments and Methodological Issues at Copan, Honduras: A Conjunctive Perspective. Latin American Antiquity 2(2): 166–187.Google Scholar
Fash, William L., and Stuart, David S. 1991 Dynastic History and Cultural Evolution at Copan, Honduras. In Classic Maya Political History: Hieroglyphic and Archaeological Evidence, edited by Culbert, T. Patrick, pp. 147–179. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Fash, William L., Williamson, Richard V., Lanes, Carlos Rudy, and Palka, Joel 1992 The Hieroglyphic Stairway and its Ancestors: Investigations of Copan Structure 10L-26. Ancient Mesoamerica 3:105–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodman, J.T. 1897 The Archaic Maya Inscriptions. Appendix to Biologia Centrati Americana: Archaeology. Taylor and Francis, London.Google Scholar
Grube, Nikolai 1990 A Reference to Water-lily Jaguar on Caracol Stela 16. Copan Note 68. Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Grube, Nikolai, and Schele, Linda 1987 U Cit Tok, the Last King of Copan. Copan Note 21. Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Grube, Nikolai, and Schele, Linda 1988 Cu-Ix, the Fourth Ruler of Copan and Ms Monuments. Copan Note 40. Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Houston, Stephen D. 1983 A Reading for the Flint-Shield Glyph. In Contributions to Maya Hieroglyphic Decipherment, vol. 1, pp. 13–25. HRAF: New Haven.Google Scholar
Houston, Stephen D. 1989 Archaeology and Maya Writing. Journal of World Prehistory 3(1):1–32.Google Scholar
Houston, Stephen D., and Mathews, Peter 1985 The Dynastic Sequence of Dos Pilas, Guatemala. Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute, Monograph 1. Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute, San Francisco.Google Scholar
Jones, Christopher 1983 New Drawings of Monuments 23 and 24, Quirigua, Guatemala. In Quirigua Reports, no. 2, edited by Sharer, Robert J., Shortman, Edward M. and Urban, Patricia A.. University Museum Monograph 49. University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.Google Scholar
Longyear, John 1952 Copan Ceramics: A Study of Southeastern Maya Pottery. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Lounsbury, Floyd G. 1989 The Names of a King: Hieroglyphic Variants as a Key to Decipherment. In Word and Image in Maya Culture: Explorations in Language, Writing and Representation, edited by Hanks, William F. and Rice, Don S., pp. 73–91. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City.Google Scholar
Marcus, Joyce 1976 Emblem and State in the Classic Maya Lowlands. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Martínez Hernández, Juan 1929 Diccionario de motul maya-español atribuido a fray Antonio de Ciudad Real y Arte de la lengua may a por Juan Coronel. Talleres de la Compañia Tipografica Yucateca, Mérida.Google Scholar
Mathews, Peter 1988 The Sculpture of Yaxchilan. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, Yale University.Google Scholar
Millar, Fergus 1983 Epigraphy. In Sources for Ancient History, edited by Crawford, Michael, pp. 80–136. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Miller, Mary E. 1988 The Meaning and Function of the Main Acropolis, Copan. In The Southeast Classic Maya Zone, edited by Boone, Elizabeth H. and Willey, Gordon R., pp. 149–194. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Miller, Mary E., and Houston, Stephen D. 1987 The Classic Maya Ballgame and its Architectural Setting: A Study of Relations between Text and Image. Res 14:46–65.Google Scholar
Morley, Sylvanus G. 1920 The Inscriptions at Copan. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Orejel, Jorge L. 1990 The “Axe/Comb” Glyph as ch'ak. Research Reports on Ancient Maya Writing No. 31. Center for Maya Research, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Pendergast, David M. 1989 The Products of their Time: Iconography in Social Context. In Cultures in Conflict: Current Archaeological Perspectives, edited by Tkaczuk, Diana Claire and Vivian, Brian C., pp. 69–72. Archaeological Association of the University of Calgary, Canada.Google Scholar
Proskouriakoff, Tatiana 1960 Historical Implications of a Pattern of Dates at Piedras Negras, Guatemala. American Antiquity 25:454–475.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Proskouriakoff, Tatiana 1963 Historical Data in the Inscriptions of Yaxchilan, Part I. Estudios de Cultura Maya 3:149–167.Google Scholar
Proskouriakoff, Tatiana 1964 Historical Data in the Inscriptions of Yaxchilan, Part II. Estudios de Cultura Maya 4:177–201.Google Scholar
Proskouriakoff, Tatiana 1973 The Hand-grasping-fish and Associated Glyphs on Classic Maya Monuments. In Mesoamerican Writing Systems, edited by Benson, Elizabeth P., pp. 165–178. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Riese, Berthold 1984 Hel Hieroglyphs. In Phoneticism in Maya Hieroglyphic Writing, edited by Justeson, John S. and Campbell, Lyle, pp. 263–286. Institute for Mesoamerican Studies Publication No. 9. State University of New York, Albany.Google Scholar
Riese, Berthold 1986 Late Classic Relationship between Copan and Quirigua: Some Epigraphic Evidence. In The Southeast Maya Periphery, edited by Urban, Patricia A. and Shortman, Edward M., pp. 94–101. University of Texas Press, Austin.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Riese, Berthold 1988 Epigraphy in the Southeast Zone in Relation to Other Parts of Mesoamerica. In The Southeast Classic Maya Zone, edited by Boone, Elizabeth H. and Willey, Gordon R., pp. 67–94. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Riese, Berthold 1989 The Inscription on the Sculptured Bench of the House of the Bacabs. In The House of the Bacabs, edited by Webster, David, pp. 82–88. Studies in Pre-Columbian Art and Archaeology No. 29. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Ringle, William M. 1988 Of Mice and Monkeys: The Value and Meaning of T1016, the God C Hieroglyph. Research Reports on Ancient Maya Writing No. 18. Center for Maya Research, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Sanders, William T. 1989 Household, Lineage, and State in Eighth-Century Copan, Honduras. In The House of the Bacabs, edited by Webster, David, pp. 89–105. Studies in Pre-Columbian Art and Archaeology No. 29. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Schele, Linda 1986 Moon-Jaguar, the Tenth Successor of the Yax K'uk' Mo' Lineage. Copan Note 14. Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Schele, Linda 1989a The Early Classic Dynastic History of Copan. Copan Note 70. Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Schele, Linda 1989b A House Dedication on the Harvard Bench at Copan. Copan Note 51. Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Schele, Linda 1990 Early Quirigua and the Kings of Copan. Copan Note 75. Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Schele, Linda, and Friedel, David 1990 A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya. William Morrow, New York.Google Scholar
Schele, Linda, and Grube, Nikolai 1987 The Brother of Yax-Pac. Copan Note 20. Unpublished manu-script.Google Scholar
Schele, Linda, and Stuart, David 1986 Waterlily-Jaguar, the Seventh Successor of the Lineage of Yax K'uk' Mo'. Copan Note 16. Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Seler, Eduard 1899 Die Monumeete von Copán and Quiriguá ued die Altarplatten von Paleeque. Zeitschrift filr Ethnologie 31:670–738.Google Scholar
Seler, Eduard 1890 Einiges mehr iiber die Monumente von Copán und Quiriguá. Zeitschrift fur Ethnologie 32:188–227.Google Scholar
Sharer, Robert J. 1978 Archaeology and History at Quirigua, Guatemala. Journal of Field A rchaeology 5:51–70.Google Scholar
Sharer, Robert J., Miller, Julia C., and Traxler, Loa P. 1992 Evolution of Classic Period Architecture In the Eastern Acropolis, Copan: A Progress Report. Ancient Mesoamerica 3:145–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stephens, John Lloyd 1841 Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan. 2 vols. Harper and Brothers, New York.Google Scholar
Stone, Andrea 1983 The Zoomorphs of Quirigua, Guatemala. Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Art History, University of Texas at Austin.Google Scholar
Stuart, David 1987 Ten Phonetic Syllables. Research Reports on Ancient Maya Writing No. 14. Center for Maya Research, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Stuart, David 1992 Historical Inscriptions and the Maya Collapse. To appear in On the Eve of Collapse: The Eighth Century Classic Maya, edited by Sabloff, Jeremy and Henderson, John. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Stuart, David, and Houston, Stephen D. 1991 Classic Maya Place Names. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC, in press.Google Scholar
Stuart, David, and Schele, Linda 1986 Interim Report on the Hieroglyphic Stairway of Structure 26. Copan Note 17. Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Taube, Karl 1983 The Teotihuacae Spider Woman. Journal of Latin American Lore 9(2): 107–189.Google Scholar
Trigger, Brace 1989a A History and Contemporary American Archaeology: A Critical Analysis. In Archaeological Thought in America, edited by Lamberg-Karfovsky, C.C., pp. 19–34. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trigger, Brace 1989b History of Archaeological Thought. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Webster, David 1989 Introduction to The House of the Bacabs, Copan, Honduras, pp. 1–4. Studies In Pre-Columbian Art and Archaeology No. 29. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Willey, Gordon R., and Leventhal, Richard M. 1979 Prehistoric Settlement at Copan. In Maya Archaeology and Ethnohistory, edited by Hammond, Norman, pp. 75–102. University of Texas Press, Austin.Google Scholar