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Title:
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Constructing Flower World: Coba, Ruination, and Winahel
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Creator:
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Hart, Samantha M.
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Subject:
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Thesis (B.F.A.) -- Art History
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Subject:
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Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Art History
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Rights:
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Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
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Abstract:
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"Using ritual orientation practices, the Maya builders of the ancient city of Coba consciously created an axis-mundi connecting their kingdom with the cosmos. For the Maya, this celestial orientation of their built environment via a central pyramid temple tangibly incorporated sacred principles into their secular reality. The temple became an embodiment of the 'flowering mountain earth,' a Maya mythological realm serving as both a dwelling place for the ancestors and gods as well as their means of ascent into the celestial garden of Winahel ('Flower World'), the Maya afterlife paradise. While Coba's main Ixmoja pyramid was originally intended to serve as a portal between the earthly society and Winahel, Coba's ruins now bear a striking resemblance to Pre-Columbian descriptions of Flower World itself. In its current ruined state, Coba's exposed structures have been absorbed into the surrounding jungle. As a result, Coba’s physical condition has finally matched the site's symbolic goal of evoking Winahel. Through its ruination process, Coba's built environment reflects the entire philosophical lifecycle of the Maya. Analyzing Coba's Nohoch Mul temple complex as an emblem for ancient Maya mysticism enables Mesoamerican scholarship to accurately understand the site and the cultural notions influencing its design." -- Abstract
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Publisher:
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Savannah, Georgia: Savannah College of Art and Design
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Date:
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2021-11
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Format:
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1 online resource: 1 PDF (Thesis, 67 pages, color illustrations, maps)
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