back to Artwork by Dirk Gillabel
All images are copyright © by Dirk Gillabel
Here are my drawings based on ancient Mayan sculptures. I have always been very interested in the Mayan culture of Meso-America. They were such a diverse people, and I wondered what they looked like. We have sculptures, in stone, clay or otherwise of Mayan people. But a clay or stone figure is just that, I wanted to bring them alive. So I drew their faces guided by my intuition. I had to take the headdresses liberally as the original artist often simplified them, and also we do not know for sure what the hair dressings and ornaments all looked like. Most important was their faces, and it worked out quite well. You can judge for yourself what an interesting people they were.
Pay attention that some of the people have noses that start in the middle of the forehead. Quite unusual, more about that underneath the image gallery.
- Yum Caax, the maize god, from a clay figure found in Copan. I thought I start with Yum Caax. Maize or corn was the primary food of the Mayans, and was thought to be a gift from the god(s). Yum Caax is not only the god of corn, but also the the ideal beauty. This is how the Mayans imagined the most beautiful person to be.
- Mayan: The eyes are oriental. There is still debate whether people from the Far East have settled America in the pre-Columbian days. We find more and more proof that the ancients have traveled all over the globe.
- This one is more European looking.
- Mayan
- Mayan Priest, JainaHe doesn’t look too happy. Judging from the wallets under his eyes, he must have had kidney problems.
- Looks like he might have been another Mayan priest. From Jaina.
- Mayan priest from Jaina. The marks on his face are probably tattoos.
- Another figure found at Jaina.
- Totomaac. Happy figure. Probably priest or priestess summoning some good energies. The spiral on the headdress might indicate an active Crown Chakra.
- From a clay head found in the Temple of Inscriptions, in Palenque.
- From a mask found in the same temple.
- From the Middle Coast.
- Another Totomaac found in Vera Cruz.
- A Zapotec, found in Monte Alban.
- Olmec head
- Olmec head at San Lorenzo.The Olmecs are the oldest Mayan tribe. They have strong Asiatic, or almost negroid features. The earliest Chinese art objects are adorned with features which bear a very strong resemblance with the Olmec art forms. The stone heads are huge, and probably represent rulers. As the stone heads rests on the soil, one can assume that their body is the land itself. This way it shows that the ruler is literally the land of which he rules. The seem to wear leather hats, each of which has different designs, probably giving his rank or status.
- Olmec head found at Vera Cruz. He is almost military looking.
- Olmec Head at La Venta.
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