The nine papers in Bernal’s small but important volume deal with the problem of Mesoamerican iconography with varying degrees of success. Thompson’s, Nicholson’s, and Furst’s contributions are by far the most exciting. Thompson argues that the classic Maya rulers had divine authority. His ethnohistoric citations, combined with the abundant illustrations of classic period “rulers” with the appurtenances of Itzam Na, are quite convincing. Nicholson identifies the elements of the Aztec iconographic system and supplies a useful list of insignia for the major deities. Furst argues for the sacred character of ceramic figurines that come from the shaft tombs of West Mexico, by showing an extraordinary series of parallels with shamanistic practices in western Mexico and the American Southwest.
Bernal’s description of the rarely discussed art from Dainzu, where there are helmeted ballplayers and few deities, is unfortunately much too brief, as is Ekholm’s insightful but superficial summary of eastern Gulf Coast art. Michael Coe largely echoes Joralemon’s earlier volumes on Olmec iconography that appeared in the Dumbarton Oaks series. Haberland describes Central American sculpture, but makes no attempt to interpret it, and so its inclusion in this volume is inappropriate.
There is a fascinating exchange between Kubler and Willey. Kubler’s paper argued for meaning in Teotihuacan and Mesoamerican architectural profiles. Willey accuses him of leaning more upon pan-human frames of reference, rather than the specifics of Mesoamerica. Willey’s insightful discussion, and Kubler’s rebuttal, force the reader to evaluate the roles of science (anthropology) and humanism in the search for meaning in Mesoamerican art.
The 85 pages of text in Anton’s “art” book deal with the distaff side as reported by Sahagún, Landa, Cieza de León, and others. Headings, such as Prostitution and Orgiastic Religion, Food and Cooking, Burial Sacrifices, and Goddesses, may appeal to the public, but the writing is certainly not for scholars. Sources are rarely cited, and then not usefully, and the bibliography has little relation to the text. While specialists will object to the frequent inaccuracies, and misinterpretations, they should find of interest many of the 112 photographic plates of women in Mexican, Central, and South American sculpture. More than half of the pieces illustrated are from private collections, the major contributor being Dr. Kurt Stavenhagen of Mexico City. Since most of the material looted from archaeological sites is in private hands and unreported, Anton’s excellent photographs are a welcome addition to our knowledge of Pre-Columbian New World art.
