ACTA MESOAMERICANA Volume 20 Genevieve Le Fort, Raphaél Gardiol, Sebastian Matteo and Christophe Helmke (eds.) The Maya and their Sacred Narratives Text and Context in Maya Mythologies Proceedings of the 12 European Maya Conférence Geneva, December 7-8, 2007 Separata a VERLAG ANTON SAURWEIN, "2009The Maya Maize God and the Mythic Origins of Dance Karl A. Taube UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE Abstract Dance constitutes one of the most common themes in Classic Maya art, with rulers and gods dressed in elaborate dance costumes and frequently while displaying explicit dance poses and gestures. However, there has been little study of the underlying symbolism and mythology pertaining to ancient Maya dance. In this paper, I examine the mythie relation of dance to the maize god, including the dancing maize god as a bird, and his dance of resurrection out of the earth. These themes appear to be of great antiquity. Not only can they be documented for the Late Preclassic Maya, but they probably originate among the still earlier Olmec of Formative Mesoamerica Resumen ‘La danza constituye uno de los temas més comunes en el arte maya clisico, con gobernantes y dioses vestidos con trajes elaborados de danza y frecuentemente mostrando poses y gestos explicitos. Sin embargo, ha habido poco estudio sobre el simbolismo y mitologia subyacente y pertinente a la danza maya antigua, En este articulo, examino la relacin entre Ia mitica de danza al dios de mafz, incluyendo el baiarin dios de maiz. como ppjaro, y su baile de rosurreccién emergiendo de la tierra. Estos temas parecen ser de gran antigiedad. No slo, pueden ser documentados para el Preclisico Tardio Maya, sino que probablemente se originan, aun antes, entre los Olmecas del Mesoamérica Formativo. For what is known of ancient Maya mythology of the Classic period, one of the ‘most salient beings related to sacred narrative events is the maize deity. In a paper published more than twenty years ago, I argued that a ‘major figure appearing on Late Classic Maya ‘vessel scenes was the maize god (Taube 1985). Because of his striking coiffure of a lower horizontal band of hair, a shaved central brow region and capping tuft of hair at the top of his elongated head, I termed him the Tonsured Maize God, in contrast to another form of this being that has a long, sharply bent ear of com emerging from the head. Although both ae present in the Classic period, this secord aspect of the maize god almost entirely replaces the Tonsured Maize God following the Classic Maya collapse. There are only to likely Late Postclassic examples that T am reasonably confident to cite, a canoeing scene from page 36b of the Codex Dresden and a tenoned sculpture from) Mayapan (Proskouriakoff 1962: Fig. 8g). Although the Postelassic foliated maize god appears in many scenes in the extant Mara codices as well as sculpture, there is little to be said of mythological events. However, for the Classic period “Tonsured Maize God” there is 4 great deal that can be discussed (unless otherwise stated in the paper, “maize god” will specifically refer to this same being for the Classic period). In my original paper devoted to this Classic Maya deity, 1 noted that he constituted the ancestral form of Hun Hunahpu of the Popol Vuh, the father of the hero twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, as well as the monkey artisans Hun Batz and Hun Chuen, described as the halt brothers of the hero twins. In support, there are many Late Classic Maya vessel scenes featuring the maize god appearing with both the hero twins and the monkey artisans. Moreover, a remarkable vessel in the Museo Popol Vuh portrays the severed head of the maize god in a fruitladen cacao tree, with one pod bearing human attributes, notably like the well-known Popol Vuk episode of the skull of Hun Hunahpu transformed into a calabash. A finely incised vessel often referred to as the “Death Vase” has what appears to be an early Classic version of this episode. In this scene, the maize god appears head-downwards as a fruit-laden cacao ‘ree with a small head sprouting maize foliation in its branches (see Kerr 2000: 972 [K6547). As in the case of the Museo Popol Vuh vase, this scene probably depicts. the severed head of the maize god being transformed into a fruit.42 ‘The rich corpus of material from Late Classic Maya vessel scenes have supplied information not documented in the sixteenth century Popol Vuh ot other Maya sources following the Classic Maya. As an historical process, this has recently been termed “spall” (see Houston and Taube 2008). For example, many Late Classic scenes feature the travel of the maize god through water, accompanied by comely women ~ probably his wives ~ as well as the hero twins carrying his regalia. In addition, many Late Classic Maya scenes feature the emergence of the maize god out of a turtle, a creature symbolizing the gently rounded earh floating on the sea (Taube 1985). Although the turtle is prominently featured in modem myths of Veracruz. featuring an infant maize god (see Braakhuis 1990), there is no mention of Hun ‘Hunahpu with a turtle in the Popol Vuh. In this paper, I discuss the relation of the maize god to dance, a theme that has been discussed by a number of authors. According to Mary Miller (1992: 159), the natural qualities of the living maize plant evokes dance: “In nature, maize plants sway to and fro, their crisp, green leaves moving like limbs of the human body; the Maize God, t00, is in motion, often seeming to dance and sway”. One of the most elaborately costumed figures in Late Classic Maya art, the Holmul Dancer, is clearly the maize god (Tauhe 1985; Honsten et al. 1992). In addition, Maya rulers are often portrayed in dance costume evoking the maize god: “The maize god was one of the most commonly impersonated beings in Classic Maya dance, with the sumptuous costumes of quetzal plumes and jade alluding to the verdant growth of the maize plant” (Taube 20012: 306). In short, if there is a Classic Maya god of dance, it would be the maize god. This study not only examines examples of dancing Maya maize gods, but also mythological scenes pertaining to dance, including images dating to the Late Preclassic as well as Classic periods The recently discovered Late Preclass.c ‘murals from Pinturas Structure Sub-1A at San Bartolo, Guatemala, have transformed our understanding of the origins of the Maya maize god and his mythology. Dating to the M century BC, the murals feature detailed scenes of early Maya creation mythology, especially the mythic deeds of the com deity. The major Karl A, Taube portion of the North Wall mural features the maize god and his retinue relaying food and water out of a zoomorphic mountain, probably an early version of the widespread myth of emergence as well as the Classic period episode of the netherworld joumey of the maize god (Satumo ef al. 2005b). For the larger and more elaborate West Wall mural, the maize god appears no less than six times, making it by far the most elaborate program conceming the maize deity known for the ancient Maya (Satumo et al. 2005a; Satumo 2006). However, for the topic of this discussion I focus on only two portions of the mural, the directional world trees and the resurrection of the maize god of the earth turtle, It will be noted that both scenes feature figures dancing or in dance costume, and constitute some of the earliest portrayals of dance known for ancient Mesoamerica The World Trees and Maize at the World Center For the southern half of West Wall mural at San Bartolo, there are a series of five world trees, each surmounted by a bird, For the first four trees, the bird is clearly the Principal Bird Deity, the ancestral form of Vucub Caquix of the Popol Vuh, Before these trees, four youths let blood from their phalli, and itis likely that they constitute early directional forms of ‘Hunahpu of the Popol Vuh, the hero twin who helps defeat Vueub Caquix. Whereas slain creatures, a fish, deer and ocellated turkey serve as the offerings, yellow, aromatic flowers are at the base of the fourth tree. The fourth tree scene is the most elaborate in the directional tree series and to the north side features three flying birds and a dancing duck- billed figure as well as an additional portrayal of the Principal Bird Deity descending to his tree (Fig. 1a). The scene also concems music and dance, themes entirely consistent with the aromatic blossoms, as flowers were widely identified with music in ancient Mesoamerica (Hill 1992; Taube 2004a), Not only do song scrolls emanate from the mouths of the birds, but the duck-billed figure is clearly dancing with a song or speech scroll emerging from his uptumed face. In addition, the tree on which the Principal Bird Deity perches is a gourd tree (Crescentia spp.), the fruit of which is used to create rattles. In the case of the fourth tree, the Principal Bird Deity appears frontally, and with