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To Be Like Gods: Dance in Ancient Maya Civilization (repost)

Posted By: Veslefrikk
To Be Like Gods: Dance in Ancient Maya Civilization (repost)

To Be Like Gods: Dance in Ancient Maya Civilization (The Linda Schele Series in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies) By Matthew G. Looper
Publisher: University of Texas Press 2009-01-01 | 280 Pages | ISBN: 0292709889 | PDF | 11 MB

The Maya of Mexico and Central America have performed ritual dances for more than two millennia. Dance is still an essential component of religious experience today, serving as a medium for communication with the supernatural. During the Late Classic period (AD 600-900), dance assumed additional importance in Maya royal courts through an association with feasting and gift exchange. These performances allowed rulers to forge political alliances and demonstrate their control of trade in luxury goods. The aesthetic values embodied in these performances were closely tied to Maya social structure, expressing notions of gender, rank, and status. Dance was thus not simply entertainment, but was fundamental to ancient Maya notions of social, religious, and political identity.