Teotihuacan y Bonampak. Relaciones más allá del tiempo y la distancia

Abstract

For many decades the various Meso-American cultures have been studied as specific entities within precise geographical and temporal limits, communication between the different cultures being a fairly recent area of study. The present article deals with the relations between two such cultures: Teotihuacán and the Maya (the latter being represented by the particular case of the city of Bonampak). The article presents a hypothesis suggested by certain ritual practices (especially the ball game), and the different iconographic elements associated with representations of such practices: these include the water-lily flower at Bonampak, symbolizing the aquatic world, and the face of Tláloc at Teotihuacán which is also found in numerous images from the central Maya zone as a symbol of nobility and prestige. The author also detects the presence at Bonampak of the Maya sign known as puh, which is associated with the same rituals; through a study of the diffusion of this symbol, she explores the temporal and calendar-related significance of the ritual practices connected with the ball game.