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Author Topic: Red List of Latin-American Cultural Objects at Risk  (Read 269 times)
Description: types of object from Latin America which are particularly at risk
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« on: February 06, 2007, 01:23:51 PM »

PRE-COLUMBIAN OBJECTS
Ceramics

Maya Polychrome Vessels

Maya polychrome vessel, ceramic, 15.5 x 16.5 cm
Museo Nacional de Arqueolog?a y Etnolog?a, Guatemala
? Museo Nacional de Arqueolog?a y Etnolog?a



Maya polychrome vessel, ceramic, high: 12.5 cm
Museo Nacional de Arqueolog?a y Etnolog?a, Guatemala
? Stuart Rome



Maya polychrome vessel, ceramic, high: 30.5 cm
Museo Nacional de Arqueolog?a y Etnolog?a, Guatemala
? Stuart Rome



Maya polychrome vessel, ceramic, diameter: 29.2 cm
Museo Regional de Antropolog?a de M?rida, Mexico
? Stuart Rome


--Origin
Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
   
--Characteristics
Maya culture extended throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, the state of Chiapas in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and western Honduras.

Fine Maya polychrome ceramics come from tombs of high-ranking personages dating from the Classic Period (250 to 850 AD).

Maya vessels have a wide range of shapes and styles. The most common are cylindrical vases and large plates with supports and lids. Cylindrical vases are between 12 and 30 cm high and dishes are between 20 and 30 cm in diameter.

These objects' painted decoration is set against a white or cream stucco layer or an orange background. Black lines or incisions are used for sketching. Different shades of red and orange are customary, as well as white, cream, black, pink and blue.

The most ancient vessels, which at times feature modeled decorations, are red and black on an orange background.

The best-known and most popular vessels are those featuring human figures with scenes and hieroglyphs. Religious and political ceremonies are the most common themes.There is usually a high-ranking figure wearing lavish dress, standing or sitting with crossed legs over a throne or a ceremonial bench.This character is surrounded by secondary figures such as warriors, servants and prisoners, which are usually portrayed in a standing position.

Hieroglyphic inscriptions explaining the scene are commonly found between the characters.There is a group of vessels known as 'Codex style' vases that feature detailed inscriptions in black on a cream background, very similar to those appearing in Maya stelae and codex.

 
--Urgency of the Situation
Vessels are invaluable sources of information about Maya history and culture. They are essential to the understanding of the Maya belief system, mythology, and ideology. They are sources of historical knowledge as they also recount the lives of the characters represented in them.
One single vessel can provide considerable information about the life and activities of the person in whose tomb it was found. Most of this information can be lost if the object is taken away from its funeral context, making its exact place of origin unknown.

A market for this type of object started developing around 1970 with items obtained through looting and illicit trafficking. Archaeological sites have been deeply affected as looters, in their search for tombs, excavate tunnels in the buildings, destroying monuments and tombs, and forever hindering the reconstruction of history.
   
--Bibliography    
    * Gallenkamp, Charles, & Johnson, R.E. Maya,Treasures of an Ancient Civilization. New York, Abrams, 1985.
    * Schmidt, Peter, Garza, Mercedes de la, & Nalda, Enrique (coord.). Maya. New York, Rizzoli ed., 1998.
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« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2007, 02:30:14 PM »

Urns from the Amazon River Region

Origin: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.


Marajoar? urn, ceramic, high: 84 cm
? Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi


Macar? urn, ceramic, high: 66 cm
? Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi


Guarita urn, ceramic, high: 45.5 cm
? Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi


Cunani urn, ceramic, high: 78 cm
? Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi

Characteristics 
Funerary urns have not been studied in depth in spite of the fact that they are found throughout the Amazon region. Brazilian funerary urns are the best known and most endangered of all. They are classified in four different types according to the region they are issued from: Marajoar? (Maraj? island), Macar?, Cunani (Amapa state), and Guarita (mostly in the Urubu river).

Even though scientific and chronological excavations are limited, urns can be dated from 500 to 1500 AD. Urns were used to keep ashes and human remains. They range from 30 to 85 cm in height and are characterized by a more or less globular shape and intricate geometric decoration.

Marajoar? or Maraj? urns are globular with a wide mouth and intricate incised geometric decoration painted in white, red, and ochre with a few slightly protruding elements. Schematic human features can be distinguished, particularly human faces, and animals such as turtles, birds, snakes and figures with human and animal features.

Macar? urns are big and in the shape of animals and human figures. Those in the shape of human figures, which are much more common, are cylindrical with protruding arms and legs.The arms are usually folded in a forced manner and placed on the knees. The lids portray the head. Human depictions can be both male and female and they are mostly portrayed seated on stools. Zoomorphic urns are oblong with an opening in the back and four legs. They feature geometric designs and remains of white, black, yellow and red paint can be identified.
Guarita urns have cylindrical bodies, which are wide in the base and represent schematic human figures with arms, legs and protruding faces. They have lids that represent a head or head-dress.

Cunani urns are small, with cylindrical and somewhat globular bodies and a wide mouth. The surface shows incised geometric decoration painted in red and white. They represent schematic human figures with their faces in the neck of the vessel and the arms and legs in the body. They can also have holes in the base.

Urgency of the Situation
Studying sites and carrying out explorations or scientific excavations becomes difficult due to the limited accessibility of the vast Amazon area. A new funeral site containing urns of a completely different style could be found anytime. These characteristics encourage the looting and illicit trafficking of such objects. In the case of the Maraj? island, which is of considerable size such as the other sub-zones, urns can be found while cultivating the earth, which makes their monitoring and recuperation difficult.

These urns have been commercially exploited since the seventies, as they are particularly valued for their rarity and scarcity. For this reason, searches for them are conducted in the Amazon region.

They are sold in antique shops and over the Internet at an international level. Many belong to private collections in Brazil and are not legally registered, which exposes them to illicit trafficking.

Legislation Protecting these Objects
See Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela
   
Bibliography    
    * McEwan, Colin, Barreto, Cristina & Neves, Eduardo (eds.). Unknown Amazon. London, British Museum Press, 2001.
    * Meggers, Betty J. & Evans, Clifford. Archaeological Investigations at the Mouth of the Amazon.Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 167, 1957.
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