“A Divine Light: Brilliance and Sacrality in Classic Maya Religion” with Jeremy Coltman

“A Divine Light: Brilliance and Sacrality in Classic Maya Religion” with Jeremy D. Coltman, University of California – Riverside; Anthropology; Lecturer Human beings are drawn to shiny things – a tendency some psychologists trace to an evolutionary association with water. Such attraction often intersects with divine materiality. A carved and polished Maya jade celt, Medieval reliquaries, and Yolngu paintings are all examples of radiant and brilliant materials linked to sacred power. The Classic Maya world radiated brilliance in materials that were imbued with divine qualities embodied by light. In Maya art and writing, qualifiers were used to specify shininess and brilliance. These qualifiers correspond to the Maya concept of k'uh “god, holy, sacred, sun,” which like the Nahua teotl, can be interpreted as a singular vitalizing energy that constitutes and comprises everything in existence. K'uh could be concentrated, pooled, or focused in sparkly, shiny things that offer a way to contact the elusive vitalizing energy directly, or at the very least affirm its divine existence. This talk will discuss several different variants of k’uh in the context of divine light. Moving away from Cartesian dualistic approaches, this talk employs a monist approach which opens brand new avenues for future research into ancient Maya thought. Jeremy Coltman is a Mesoamericanist specializing in the visual culture, religion, and archaeology of the Maya, Mexica, and related Nahua peoples of Central Mexico. He received his PhD under the direction of Dr. Karl Taube in the Department of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside. His dissertation examines the origins and legacy of solar ideology and symbolism at Early Postclassic Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico. Aside from Yucatan, Coltman has conducted archaeological research on Maya cave ritual in the Cayo District of Belize. His current research includes the Classic Maya legacy on Western Mesoamerica, the origins of the Postclassic International Style, Maya and Aztec aesthetics, and sacred geography. He has taught at Santa Monica College, California State University, Los Angeles, and University of California, Riverside where he is currently a lecturer. His book Sorcery in Mesoamerica, co-edited with John M.D. Pohl, was recently published by the University Press of Colorado. To subscribe to free monthly issues of The Aztlander: Magazine of the Americas, contact host Jim Reed at: [email protected]