Spatial Situations Surrounding the Burial of a Mayan King

The artifact that I have chosen is a jade burial mask that adorned the face of a deceased Mayan ruler. Several different spatial situations can surround this mask in various different scales. All of these scales can be compiled into the funeral procession of the king; from the public space of the courtyards and pathways of the Mayan city to the more private space of the burial tomb in which the king would lay.

Client: The Ancient Mayan King of Uxmal

Spatial Situations:

-Public: The largest of all the situations is that of the actual funeral procession. In ancient Mayan times the death of ruler was mourned by all inhabitants of the city. The funeral procession would take place throughout the various pathways of the site but would focus mainly on the group space the lies along the intersection of the main vertical and horizontal axis. The procession would finally come to stop at the location of the burial site (tomb) at the intersection point of the main axis. The occupants of the public space would be the inhabitants of the city, specifically focusing on the upper class and members of the royal family. A trail of mourners would follow the procession while bystanders light candles in honor of the deceased king.

-Group: Following the funeral procession the deceased king is taken down into the actual burial chamber. The space in the actual chamber is significantly smaller than that of the public space and therefor will only hold a select group of people. The occupants of the chamber include the deceased king (obviously) and multiple spiritual beings as well as earthly beings. The king is placed in a kneeling position beside a spirit. The kings arms are crossed which to show penance. While the spiritual beings may not take up physical space, they are still a pivotal part of the burial ceremony. The purpose in the presence of the spirits is to cure the king of his final affliction which is death. The main focus of the ceremony is making sure that the king's spirit travels safely to the afterlife. The main occupants of the burial chamber at this point are the presiding king and his queen. They are responsible for the well-being of the deceased king in the afterlife. The Scribe King is the presiding figure over the ceremony. He holds a red shell that contains a small piece of jade together they represent new life emerging from the underworld. The Scribe King in this case represents what could most closely be compared to the high priest. the person responsible for conjuring up the spirits is singer, who is usually female. Accompanying the singer is her assistant ( a dwarf) who holds a conch shell and is responsible for helping her summon the spirits. The final members of the funeral party are two more dwarfs dressed as boxers who are prepared for to fight as a part of the funeral. The jade burial mask is placed on the face of the deceased king at the end of the ceremony to protect him on his journey to the next life.

-Solitary: The solitary space can be represented in two different aspects. The space can be represented by the very small space that exists between the face of the king and the mask itself. This mask is created when the king is younger and is used throughout his rule in various different ceremonies. The mask however is never adorned on the face until the time of the burial; it is always worn tied upside down around the neck. The other way that the solitary space can be represented is through the solitary journey that the spirit takes to reach the afterlife This journey is filled with many tribulations including dangerous encounters with malevolent gods of death and disease. This is why it is important for the spirit to protect itself with the jade burial mask. Finally these gods are defeated by Hunaphu and Xbalanque, the twins who resurrect their father, the Maize god. The king's final destination is realized after he finally reaches the afterlife.