Archaeology Magazine - June 1972 - 54

MAYA

CLASSIC

MUSIC

Part
Rattles,

Shakers,

Raspers,

By NORMAN

Part

Wind

and

String

Instruments

HAMMOND

I: Maya Drums, in Archaeology
25 (1972) 124-131,
presented evidence for percussion instruments
from which sound was produced
by beating:
the pax , the tunkul , the pottery hand-drum,
the large circular drum, and the turtle carapace.

second class of percussion instruments
flanking the "Reviewing-Stand" at Copan and a
decorated rattle is shaken by the god Ek Chuah
comprises those that are shaken or rattled.
The The common form of rattle used
on
the Santa Rita fresco. Objects which are probthe
by
Lacandon Indians in the beginning of this cenably rattles appear on the Uaxactun fresco and
the Chamá vase in the Dieseldorff Collection, the
tury consisted of a gourd mounted on a stick with
latter being proportionally thirty-seven centicopal gum; this might have its own dried seeds
meters in total length. One of the figures on
inside, or might be split and filled with other
Codex Dresden 34a waves what seems to be a
objects. There are Postclassic references in the
Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel (a collection
rattle made from a perforated gourd. Rattles are
of religious texts from the Maya area in Yudepicted on Classic figurines; one from Nebaj
catán originally written in the Maya language) :
has a man with two, while from Lubaantún one
"the drum and rattle of the lord of 11 Ahau shall
example shows at least one and another shows
"the
is
a drum and rattle together.
drum
its
the
its
rattle
is
resound";
crop,
"there
is
blood
on
rosette
the
head";
coagulated
of his rattle". The word used for the rosette is
shaken objects included bells and tinklol} usually meaning a large blossom, and the apOther
teness
of
this
can
be
lers.
The
bells were probably of pottery or copthe
seen
from
some
of
posi
Classic portrayals of rattles. Those on the Bonamnine
per;
pottery examples were found in a
frescoes
horizon
burial at El Paraiso, Quezalhave
Plumbate
crests
that
would
have
been
pak
about twenty-five centimeters long. These are the
seems to have been copper
while
what
tenango,
in
bells
a
state
of
advanced
an
inwith
largest rattle-representations known,
decay were found in
ferred length of over eighty centimeters including
Cache CI at San José. Both occurrences date from
the rosette, which seems to be made of feathers.
the terminal Classic or early Postclassic. Copper
Five members of the band shake two each, while
bells lacking a dated context have been found in
the man with a hand-drum has a small rattle only
the Maya area at Quiriguá and Ixbobo near
about forty centimeters long. In the battle scene
Poptún. One of those from Quiriguá has a burstin Room 2, rattles about sixty centimeters long
out wall which may indicate a waster and thereare in use. This intermediate size is also used in
fore local casting. The existence of bells in the
the dance scene in Room 3. The bodies of the
Classic, however, of one material or the other is
rattles are red, the handles ochre and the crests
shown by their depiction on the Late Classic
yellowish-green, perhaps
parrotindicating
figurines from Lubaantún and their possible defeathers.
piction as ankle-bells on the Bonampak frescoes.
A similar form of rattle but with a short handle
Copper bells, it has been proposed, appeared in the
and an Ik sign on the body is held by the figures
Maya area ca.A.D.1000.
THE LINE DRAWINGS
BY MRS.L. P. MORLEY
AREBY MISS SUSANBIRDANDTHE PHOTOGRAPHS

Archaeology Magazine - June 1972

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - June 1972