Ingenuity and Ambivalence in Maya Writing

Stephen Houston

doi:10.5209/reaa.64968

Ingenuity and Ambivalence in Maya Writing

Stephen Houston Brown University

Keywords: Classic Maya art and writing, scribal reception, social control of literacy, mergers of elite and mythic identity

Abstract

Scribal reception and status among the Classic Maya drew on subtle skills and playful games. But it also rested on an evident understanding that scribes (or sculptors) and their provincial patrons needed to obey their superiors. Certain clues indicate that the producers of script existed within established obligations of tribute, for written memorials as well. Elsewhere, myths provide enduring templates for humanity, and that was no less true for the Classic Maya. Historical figures merged with mythic scribes, and, to judge from unusual texts and images, the powers of the literate could be neutralized by physical replacement or even the threat of execution.

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2019-07-05

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Houston S. (2019). Ingenuity and Ambivalence in Maya Writing. Revista Española de Antropología Americana, 49(Especial), 225-240. https://doi.org/10.5209/reaa.64968

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Vol. 49 No. Especial (2019): En memoria de Alfonso Lacadena García-Gallo (2019)

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Ingenuity and Ambivalence in Maya Writing

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