Lucia Henderson | Independent Scholar (original) (raw)

BOOKS by Lucia Henderson

""Excerpt from Introduction: "Though mentioned in many publications on Aztec art, Tlaltecuhtli , ... more ""Excerpt from Introduction: "Though mentioned in many publications on Aztec art, Tlaltecuhtli , the anthropomorphic version of the Aztec earth, is rarely discussed in depth. Among the numerous Aztec gods, Tlaltecuhtli is particularly difficult to understand, not only because so many variations of the deity are displayed in Aztec iconography, but also because images are most often carved on the undersides of stone objects, out of the sight of both the eyes of viewers and the cameras of catalogers. Despite their relative invisibility to the observer, however, these stone reliefs are “…among the most sophisticated and intricately carved in the whole range of Aztec art” (Nicholson and Quiñones Keber 1983:61). This mastery of form and media is especially remarkable when one recalls the fact that so many of these reliefs, found underneath objects, were never meant to be viewed by anyone or anything other than the earth itself.
...The purpose of this article is multi-fold. First and foremost, I aim to demonstrate not only that there were two main Tlaltecuhtli variants (here referred to as “Tlaltecuhtli 1” (Figures 1-5) and “Tlaltecuhtli 2” (Figures 6-7)), but that the first of these was female and the second male. Second, the current work enumerates and discusses the various iconographic elements borne by each of these variants in an effort to elucidate their meanings and symbolism. Finally, this article aims to compile not only the arguments and sources relevant to studies of Tlaltecuhtli, but also, for the first time, all known published images of the deity."""

In late prehistory, the ancestors of the present-day Hopi in Arizona created a unique and specta... more In late prehistory, the ancestors of the present-day Hopi in Arizona created a unique and spectacular painted pottery tradition referred to as Hopi Yellow Ware. This ceramic tradition, which includes Sikyatki Polychrome pottery, inspired Hopi potter Nampeyo’s revival pottery at the turn of the twentieth century.

How did such a unique and unprecedented painting style develop? The authors compiled a corpus of almost 2,000 images of Hopi Yellow Ware bowls from the Peabody Museum’s collection and other museums. Focusing their work on the exterior, glyphlike painted designs of these bowls, they found that the “glyphs” could be placed into sets and apparently acted as a kind of signature.

The authors argue that part-time specialists were engaged in making this pottery and that relatively few households manufactured Hopi Yellow Ware during the more than 300 years of its production. Extending the Peabody’s influential Awatovi project of the 1930s, Symbols in Clay calls into question deep-seated assumptions about pottery production and specialization in the precontact American Southwest.

DISSERTATION by Lucia Henderson

Doctoral Dissertation, Department of Art and Art History, University of Texas at Austin, 2013

Dedication For Ian, Quintessential gentleman, Raconteur, explorer. My friend. My mentor. With my ... more Dedication For Ian, Quintessential gentleman, Raconteur, explorer. My friend. My mentor. With my humblest, deepest thanks For everything. The things we see are beautiful. The things we know are more beautiful. The things we do not yet know are the most beautiful of all. -Enzo Carli, from Renfrew 2003:192 v Acknowledgements On the first day of classes my freshman fall at Harvard, I walked into David Stuart's classroom and was hooked on the ancient Maya for good. My life changed again one sunny fall day my senior year, sitting in rickety plastic chairs and sipping rum tonics with Ian Graham in the postage stamp of green he claimed was a backyard. That day, Ian gave me my first monument to draw, a small photograph of a stela, saying simply, "Let's see what you can do with this." Apparently I passed the test, and Ian invited me to join the Corpus of Maya Hieroglyphic Inscriptions as an illustrator after I graduated, working under his supervision, and Dave's as well. It was an unforgettable year.

ARTICLES by Lucia Henderson

Antiquity, 2016

Recent reassessment of the sequence at the highland Maya centre of Kaminaljuyu has led to a subst... more Recent reassessment of the sequence at the highland Maya centre of Kaminaljuyu has led to a substantial chronological revision for Preclassic southern Mesoamerica. The new chronology suggests that various centres on the Gulf Coast, in Chiapas and in the Southern Maya Region experienced political disruption or reorganisation at the end of the Middle Preclassic period around 350 BC. It also shifts the initial rise and height of Kaminaljuyu forward 300 years. These shifts dramatically alter our understanding of sculptural developments in the Southern Maya Region, and emphasise the role of inter- regional interaction in the development of Maya civilisation.

Archaeology and Identity on the Pacific Coast and Southern Highlands of Mesoamerica (Claudia Garcia-Des Lauriers and Michael Love, Eds.), 2016

In this chapter, I argue that Lake Amatitlán and Volcán Pacaya, as a long-lived and important pil... more In this chapter, I argue that Lake Amatitlán and Volcán Pacaya, as a long-lived and important pilgrimage destination, played a critical role in the formation of identity in the Southern Maya region. I begin with a summary of Lake Amatitlán and Volcán Pacaya, their geological characteristics and their importance as sites of offering through a remarkable span of time. I then provide a brief review of Amatitlán and Pacaya in the iconography of the region. According to ceramic imagery, this pairing was considered a creative world center, closely associated with themes of death, resurrection, the watery underworld, the jeweled otherworld, and transformative fire. I then summarize those offerings discovered at Amatitlán that provide evidence for multi-cultural interaction. I argue that this area was not only an important site of pilgrimage, but an important marketplace as well, where ceramics in foreign styles were locally produced to suit the tastes of diverse visitors.

The final chapter sections explore identity formation through the lens of pilgrimage. Approaching identity as a process rather than a categorical fact, I explore the ways in which personal and group ascriptions may have been maintained, contested, communicated, and constructed during pilgrimages to Amatitlán and Pacaya. In the end, I argue that this sacred landscape was an active participant in the formation and negotiation of identity and, as such, should be considered when addressing the complex mechanisms of identification in the Southern Maya region.

XXXI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2017, 2018

Newly discovered sculptures from Kaminaliuyu provide new insight into the ways in which the enyir... more Newly discovered sculptures from Kaminaliuyu provide new insight into the ways in which the enyironment was envisioned and expressed in early Maya art. Considered alongside the sculptures of neighboring sites, one encounters a clear visual emphasis on depicting an animated landscape, as capable of bestowing riches upon the population as it was capable of inflicting terrible harm. Because so many deities take on anthropomorphic forms, it can be easy to forget that these beings were not simply symbolic entities. lnstead, they represented real, physical embodiments of the surrounding topography and climate. This article examines this complex iconography in order to gain a better understanding of the ways in which the inhabitants of Kaminaljuyu envisioned the living landscape that surrounded them.
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Esculturas recientemente descubiertas en Kaminaljuyu proporcionan una nueva perspectiva sobre la manera en que el medio ambiente fue visualizado en el arte maya temprano. Cuando consideramos estas esculturas junto a las esculturas de sitios vecinos, se encuentra un claro énfasis en la expresión visual de un paisaje animado, tanto capaz de otorgar riquezas a la población que era capaz de infligir daños terribles. Ya que tantas deidades fueron representadas en formas antropomorfas, es fácil olvidar que eran más que conceptos simbólicos. En vez, representaron encarnaciones reales y físicas de la topografía y el clima de esta región. Este artículo examina esta iconografía compleja para obtener una mejor comprensión de las maneras en que las creencias de los habitantes de Kaminaljuyu fueron afectadas por el paisaje vivo circundante.

XXVIII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas de Guatemala, 2014, 2015

This paper approaches a topic that has been overlooked in most scholarly discussions: the iconogr... more This paper approaches a topic that has been overlooked in most scholarly discussions: the iconography of volcanoes in the Maya highlands and Pacific Coast. The topography and geography of this area is determined by one of the most active volcanic ranges in the world, with spectacular volcanic eruptions occurring with surprising frequency. The important role these volcanoes must have played in the religious beliefs of nearby populations begs the question: where is the iconography related to volcanoes and what were their ideological associations? The author provides a review of volcanic imagery from the Middle Preclassic through the Early Classic period from Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador and argues that, despite their absence from scholarly discussions, volcanoes played a crucial role in the iconography and cosmology of ancient highland and coastal populations.
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Esta ponencia aborda un tema que ha sido pasado por alto en investigaciones académicas: la iconografía de volcanes en la Costa Sur y el Altiplano. La topografía y geografía de este zona es determinada por una de las cordilleras volcánicas más activas del mundo, donde erupciones volcánicas espectaculares ocurren frecuentemente. Esta plantea la pregunta: donde está la iconografía de volcanes y que papel jugaron los volcanes en la ideología de esta región? La autora analiza imágenes de México, Guatemala, y El Salvador desde el Preclásico Medio hasta el Clásico Temprano. Argumenta que, a pesar de su ausencia de discusiones académicas, volcanes jugaron un papel importante en la iconografía y cosmología de las poblaciones ancianos de la Costa y el Altiplano.

XXIX Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2015, 2016

Over the last century, scientific excavations and urban construction projects have uncovered hund... more Over the last century, scientific excavations and urban construction projects have uncovered hundreds of monuments from the site of Kaminaljuyu, the majority of which were broken in antiquity. The author’s doctoral thesis, completed in 2013, provided an illustrated catalog of Kaminaljuyu’s bas-relief sculptures, which numbered approximately 70 monuments. Since then, a number of “new” bas-relief sculptures have been discovered, in archaeological excavations and in private collections. In this article, the author presents these new sculptures, providing illustrations and descriptions of their iconography. That so many fine sculptures have been discovered in such a short time should be seen as exciting proof that our work at Kaminaljuyu is only beginning and tells us that conserving what we can of this extraordinary site is of the utmost importance.
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Durante el siglo pasado, excavaciones científicas y proyectos de construcción urbana han desenterrados cientos de monumentos de Kaminaljuyu, la mayoría de las cuales fueron rotos en la antigüedad. El tesis doctoral de Henderson, completado en 2013, proporcionó un catálogo ilustrado de las esculturas en bajo relieve de Kaminaljuyu, numerando aproximadamente 70 monumentos. Desde entonces, una serie de nuevos bajorrelieves han sido descubiertos, en excavaciones arqueológicas y en colecciones privadas. En este artículo, la autora presentará estas nuevas esculturas, proporcionando ilustraciones y descripciones de su iconografía. Que tantas finas esculturas hallan sido descubiertas en tan poco tiempo debe ser visto como una emocionante prueba que nuestro trabajo en Kaminaljuyu está solo comenzando, y nos dice que conservar lo que se pueda de este extraordinario sitio es de suma importancia.

XXVII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas de Guatemala, 2013, 2014

This article highlights some of the insights that arose during the author’s dissertation research... more This article highlights some of the insights that arose during the author’s dissertation research, a project that sought to record and analyze the bas-relief sculptures of Kaminaljuyú, Guatemala. The following pages review the site of Kaminaljuyú, the objectives of the dissertation, and the new numbering system now in use for the site’s sculptural corpus. They describe the ways in which the process of archaeological illustration revealed new aspects of ideology and religion at this ancient site, including the identification of a new wind deity at Kaminaljuyú and a new understanding of the Late Preclassic Principal Bird Deity. It concludes with a brief summary of the ways in which monuments “meant” beyond iconography, specifically the ways in which the artists of Kaminaljuyú played with the natural qualities of stone to create deeper meanings.

XXVI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2012, 2013

Creating accurate illustrations of the bas-relief sculptures of Kaminaljuyú has revealed a patter... more Creating accurate illustrations of the bas-relief sculptures of Kaminaljuyú has revealed a pattern of both monument pairings and artist pairings. In some cases, two sculptors appear to have been involved in the carving of a single monument. In other cases, sculptures appear to have been conceived of as sets, displaying closely related iconography but differing in details and carved by two different artists. These patterns of paired monuments and paired artists, along with an apparent “playing with” the relationship between dualities and singularities, suggest that monuments at Kaminaljuyú represented materializations, manifestations, or moments of sociability, interaction, and exchange. Just as monument pairs appear to have interacted across and articulated space, the production of single monuments by artista pairs was a transactional process, a choreography of human bodies and their movements in relation to stone.

XXV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2011, 2012

This article serves as a first step in in bringing the Late Preclassic into discussions of human ... more This article serves as a first step in in bringing the Late Preclassic into discussions of human sacrifice in the Maya world, focusing on images from Kaminaljuyú as a lens into human sacrifice and its meaning and portrayal during the Late Preclassic period. The article is divided into four main subjects based on specific Kaminaljuyú sculptures: 1) Stela 67 and decapitation; 2) Monument 65 and captive imagery; 3) Throne 68 and the use of triple-blades in human sacrifice; and 4) three full-round “gladiator” sculptures. The discussion addresses imagery alongside textual and archaeological evidence to better understand human sacrifice in the Maya world. This perspective allows us to approach both sides of human sacrifice: the sacred nature of these events as well as their gruesome physical reality. Only by dealing with both aspects of sacrifice can we begin to understand its role in the Maya world.

XXIV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2010, 2011

Analysis of the material and iconographic records of Lake Amatitlán and Escuintla, Guatemala, ind... more Analysis of the material and iconographic records of Lake Amatitlán and Escuintla, Guatemala, indicate that ritual and pilgrimage may have played a key role in bringing Teotihuacanos to this area during the Early Classic period. The physical properties of the Lake Amatitlán region would have resonated strongly in Teotihuacano belief, recalling the three hearthstones of creation and the Flower Mountain paradise. This paper considers the impact Maya ideology may have had on Teotihuacano ritual by investigating Lake Amatitlán as a point of multicultural interaction, incorporating pilgrimage, procession, and the reverence accorded particularly sacred landscapes into discussions of Teotihuacán presence in the Guatemalan highlands.

Close analyses of glyphic, iconographic, and ethnographic evidence from the Maya area reveal that... more Close analyses of glyphic, iconographic, and ethnographic evidence from the Maya area reveal that pulque, often associated exclusively with the cultures of central Mexico, was known, valued, and consumed in the Maya area as well. Such studies also reveal numerous parallels between the ritual significance of pulque in the Maya area and its meaning in the Aztec world. Both groups appear to have associated pulque with water, blood, and vomit, all of which were deeply connected with themes of purification, sacrifice, and renewal. Far from being the sinful substance so often maligned in colonial accounts, pulque appears instead to have played a significant and complex role in the religious practices of widespread Mesoamerican cultures.

Facing the Earth, Grounding the Image: Representations of the Aztec Tlaltecuhtli, 2005

ILLUSTRATIONS by Lucia Henderson

Bodies Politic, Bodies in Stone: Imagery of the Human and the Divine in the Sculpture of Late Preclassic Kaminaljuyú, Guatemala, 2013

Producer of the Living, Eater of the Dead: Revealing Tlaltecuhtli, the Two-Faced Aztec Earth (BAR International Series 1649), 2007

Papers by Lucia Henderson

The 82nd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, 2018