THE CLASSIC PERIOD MAYA FIGURINES OF THE SOUTHERN BELIZE REGION: A COMPARISON OF NIM LI PUNIT, PUSILHA AND LUBAANTUN

Abstract

Figurines are small, portable pieces of art that were popular in the ancient Maya world. Typically made of fired clay, they portray individual humans, animals, and mythic beings in an assortment of poses and scenes. We report the results of an iconographic analysis of 215 whole and fragmentary figurines excavated in the last 20 years at three Late Classic period sites in the southern Belize region: Nim li Punit, Pusilha, and Lubaantun. Although Early Classic figurines were often modeled, the Late Classic saw a shift to mold-made figurines. This allowed higher levels of production and the repetition of certain motifs. The study of this dataset contributes to our understanding of household activities, gender, and social roles. Together, these collections reveal strong interest in everyday women’s work, warfare, and, especially, athletic ritual. The widespread distribution of figurines and the range of subjects they display provide an opportunity to view Maya life from the perspectives of commoners and elites, and from the mundane to the supernatural. We argue that figurines in the Southern Belize Region were more heavily focused on public spectacles of ritual as opposed to private domestic rituals.