A Look at the Jaina Figurines

When it comes to ancient figurines and other artifacts, we have a tendency to view such antiquities with reverence. But Yale University Dean Mary Miller believes it is important to keep in mind that these items were not created to be museum works of art. They were once used by real people for everyday purposes.

Take the exquisite collection of more than 50 Mayan Jaina figurines now on display until September 15th at the Mexican Cultural Institute.  "They were all designed to be held in the hand," Miller says. "They're old and dear friends to me and I'm happy to think about them in a new way."

Miller, who has 4 decades of experience working with treasures from the Hispanic regions of the Americans, appeared at the Institute tonight to talk about the new exhibit  Jaina: On the Threshold of the Mayan Underworld.

Jaina, located in the present-day Mexican state of Campeche, was an artifically constructed island which served as a Mayan burial grounds from about 600 to 900 A.D. More than 1,000 graves have been excavated at Jaina, which the Mayans designed to be a point of contact between their Earthly world and the underworld.

The figurines found at the burial sites served as both messenger and message for the concept of regenerating life, which was the backbone of the Mayan mythological belief system. Mayans had many burial rituals. For example, buried males always faced north, while females faced south and infants faced west. Human sacrifices, often infants, were also part of the Mayan culture.

Notice the Mayan blue.

Miller said the figurines demonstrate the ideals of Mayan beauty. The Mayans used boards to reshape babies' skulls, flattening heads and elongating foreheads. They used nose extenders. "No nose could be too long," Miller said. Being cross-eyed was also desirous and the Mayans took artificial means to achieve that beauty ideal. "All notions of beauty are highly cultural," Miller said. "When I talk to young people they have a hard time understanding that until I show them the Jaina figures."

The Mayans had no gold, but the vibrant blue pigment (appropriately called Mayan blue) with which they stained some of their molded clay figurines served to designate richness. Miller said it appears the creation of these figures was a sort of cottage industry in Mayan times.

Many of the figures were used as musical instruments. Items on display included figurine whistles, rattles, and even ocarinas. "Music was an important part of Mayan funeral services," Miller said.

The figures also fall into some stock character categories including old gods, young women, vendors and crafters, athletes, warriors, and submissive captives. One of the more common figurines is a young woman, possibly representing the fickle goddess of moon, being suggestively fondled by a craggy, toothless old man. However, what you are seeing is not a scene debauched lechery, Miller said. Actually, it represents 2 gods together since only Mayan god figures could show signs of age, a tribute to their eternal longevity compared to the temporal nature of mortals.

Tales, Tips, and Tidbits

A Jaina ballplayer

The next time you plop a cigar in your mouth to celebrate the victory of your favorite sports team, you should thank the Mayans, Mary Miller says. The Yale dean points out that when the 1st Europeans arrived in the Americas, there were no team sports in Europe. The Europeans were captivated by team games such as an early version of soccer and imported that concept back to their native lands. "They discovered a world of team sports," Miller said. "They took some of the athletes back with them to Europe to say 'aren't they extraordinary.'" As for cigars, most all of us know from our history books that tobacco was a product of the New World. In fact, the origin of the word cigar comes from the native language of the ancient Mayans. The Mayans called the cigar a "Ciq-Sigan" which the Spanish word "Cigarro" is derived from. The New English Dictionary of 1735 called the cigar a "seegar", and was later adapted into the modern word    "cigar".