Spearthrower Owl
Encyclopedia
"Spearthrower Owl" (? - 439 AD) is the name commonly given to a Mesoamerican
personage from the Early Classic
period, who is identified in Maya inscriptions
and iconography. It has been suggested that Spearthrower Owl was a ruler of Teotihuacán
at the start of height of its influence across Mesoamerica in the 4th and 5th century, and that he was responsible for the introduction of Teotihuacán-related cultural traits in the Maya area.
However, in Tikal
, the name appears written once as an ordinary Maya glyph compound that can be spelled out. The suggested spelling for the name is Jatz'om K'uh, meaning "owl that will strike". This naturally also looks like a verbal description of the spear-holding owl symbol.
Various logographs or glyphs depicting an owl and a spearthrower are documented in Teotihuacán and in the Maya
cities of Tikal, Uaxactun
, Yaxchilan
, and Tonina
. They may or may not refer to the same individual, or have some other symbolic meaning.
Inscriptions on the Marcador monument at the Petén Basin
center of Tikal
record that Spearthrower Owl ascended to the throne of an unspecified polity on a date equivalent to 4 May 374. Monuments at El Peru, Tikal
and/or Uaxactun
describe the arrival of a personage Siyaj K'ak' somehow under the auspices of Spearthrower Owl in the month of January 378. The exact date of his arrival in Tikal sees the death of the Tikal ruler, Jaguar Paw. Tikal Stela 31 describes that in 379, a year after the arrival of Siyaj K'ak' at Tikal, Yax Nuun Ayiin
, described as a son of Spearthrower Owl and not of the previous ruler Jaguar Paw, was installed as king of Tikal
. His rule saw the introduction of Teotihuacán style imagery in the iconography of Tikal. Stela 31 was erected during the reign of Yax Nuun Ayiin's son Siyaj Chan K'awil and describes the death of that rulers grandfather, Spearthrower Owl, in 439 AD. Spearthrower Owl was mentioned in later texts; for example, on a door lintel of Temple One where the Tikal ruler Hasaw Chan K'awil
celebrated the anniversary of Spearthrower Owl by "conjuring the holy one"
The connection of Spearthrower Owl to Teotihuacán as well as the precise nature of Teotihuacán's influence on the Maya has been a hotly debated topic since the hieroglyphic texts first became fully readable in the 1990s. The controversy is related to the general discussion of central Mexican influence in the Maya area which was sparked by the findings of Teotihuacán-related objects in the early Maya site of Kaminaljuyú
in the 1930s. The controversy has two sides. The internalist side argues for limited direct contact between Teotihuacán and the Maya area. This side has been represented by epigraphers such as Linda Schele
and David Freidel
who have argued that the Maya merely had friendly diplomatic relations with Teotihuacán which caused the Maya elite to emulate Teotihuacano culture and ideology. The externalist side argues that Teotihuacán was an important factor in the development of Maya culture and politics in the Classic period. This viewpoint was first associated with archaeologist William Sanders
who argued for an extreme externalist viewpoint. But as more evidence of direct Teotihuacán influence in the Maya area surged at Copán
and new hieroglyphic decipherments by epigraphers such as David Stuart
interpreted Teotihuacán incursion as a military invasion, the externalist position was strengthened. In 2003 George Cowgill
an archaeologist specialising in Teotihuacán who had formerly espoused a mostly internalist perspective on Teotihuacán-Maya relations summarised the debate, conceding that Teotihuacán had probably exercised some kind of political control in the Maya area in the early classic and that left an important legacy into the late and epi-classic periods.
In 2008 an interpretation of Spearthrower Owl-related iconography at Teotihuacán suggested that the Spearthrower Owl was an important military god at Teotihuacán that had given name to both a place known as "Spearthrower Owl Hill" and to the ruler mentioned in the Maya hieroglyphic texts.
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and...
personage from the Early Classic
Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian , the Archaic , the Preclassic , the Classic , and the Postclassic...
period, who is identified in Maya inscriptions
Maya script
The Maya script, also known as Maya glyphs or Maya hieroglyphs, is the writing system of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica, presently the only Mesoamerican writing system that has been substantially deciphered...
and iconography. It has been suggested that Spearthrower Owl was a ruler of Teotihuacán
Teotihuacán
Teotihuacan – also written Teotihuacán, with a Spanish orthographic accent on the last syllable – is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, just 30 miles northeast of Mexico City, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas...
at the start of height of its influence across Mesoamerica in the 4th and 5th century, and that he was responsible for the introduction of Teotihuacán-related cultural traits in the Maya area.
Name
"Spearthrower Owl" is a name invented by archaeologists basically just describing the visual appearance of the Teotihuacán-originated spear-holding owl symbol stylised as one or two Maya glyphs usually used to represent his name. The symbols themselves are not readable Maya writing, even though inserted among otherwise normal glyphs.However, in Tikal
Tikal
Tikal is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centres of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now northern Guatemala...
, the name appears written once as an ordinary Maya glyph compound that can be spelled out. The suggested spelling for the name is Jatz'om K'uh, meaning "owl that will strike". This naturally also looks like a verbal description of the spear-holding owl symbol.
Various logographs or glyphs depicting an owl and a spearthrower are documented in Teotihuacán and in the Maya
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
cities of Tikal, Uaxactun
Uaxactun
Uaxactun is an ancient ruin of the Maya civilization, located in the Petén Basin region of the Maya lowlands, in the present-day department of Petén, Guatemala. The site lies some north of the major center of Tikal...
, Yaxchilan
Yaxchilan
Yaxchilan is an ancient Maya city located on the bank of the Usumacinta River in what is now the state of Chiapas, Mexico. In the Late Classic Period Yaxchilan was one of the most powerful Maya states along the course of the Usumacinta, with Piedras Negras as its major rival...
, and Tonina
Tonina
Tonina is a pre-Columbian archaeological site and ruined city of the Maya civilization located in what is now the Mexican state of Chiapas, some 13 km east of the town of Ocosingo....
. They may or may not refer to the same individual, or have some other symbolic meaning.
Biography
Maya inscriptions at several sites describe the arrival of strangers from the west, depicted with Teotihuacán style garments and carrying weapons. These arrivals are connected to changes in political leadership at several of the sites.Inscriptions on the Marcador monument at the Petén Basin
Petén Basin
The Petén Basin is a geographical subregion of Mesoamerica, located in the northern portion of the modern-day nation of Guatemala, and essentially contained within the department of El Petén...
center of Tikal
Tikal
Tikal is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centres of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now northern Guatemala...
record that Spearthrower Owl ascended to the throne of an unspecified polity on a date equivalent to 4 May 374. Monuments at El Peru, Tikal
Tikal
Tikal is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centres of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now northern Guatemala...
and/or Uaxactun
Uaxactun
Uaxactun is an ancient ruin of the Maya civilization, located in the Petén Basin region of the Maya lowlands, in the present-day department of Petén, Guatemala. The site lies some north of the major center of Tikal...
describe the arrival of a personage Siyaj K'ak' somehow under the auspices of Spearthrower Owl in the month of January 378. The exact date of his arrival in Tikal sees the death of the Tikal ruler, Jaguar Paw. Tikal Stela 31 describes that in 379, a year after the arrival of Siyaj K'ak' at Tikal, Yax Nuun Ayiin
Yax Nuun Ayiin
Yax Nuun Ayiin is the name of two ruling personages deciphered from the inscriptions of the Maya civilization site of Tikal:* Yax Nuun Ayiin I , aka "Curl Snout" Yax Nuun Ayiin (formerly sometimes written Nun Yax Ayin) is the name of two ruling personages deciphered from the inscriptions of the...
, described as a son of Spearthrower Owl and not of the previous ruler Jaguar Paw, was installed as king of Tikal
Tikal
Tikal is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centres of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is located in the archaeological region of the Petén Basin in what is now northern Guatemala...
. His rule saw the introduction of Teotihuacán style imagery in the iconography of Tikal. Stela 31 was erected during the reign of Yax Nuun Ayiin's son Siyaj Chan K'awil and describes the death of that rulers grandfather, Spearthrower Owl, in 439 AD. Spearthrower Owl was mentioned in later texts; for example, on a door lintel of Temple One where the Tikal ruler Hasaw Chan K'awil
Hasaw Chan K'awil
Jasaw Chan K’awiil I was a ruler of a polity centered at Tikal during its Late Classic phase. Tikal was one of the largest pre-Columbian Maya civilization cities of the period, located in the Petén basin of the central Maya lowlands region of Mesoamerica.-Biography:One of the most celebrated of...
celebrated the anniversary of Spearthrower Owl by "conjuring the holy one"
The connection of Spearthrower Owl to Teotihuacán as well as the precise nature of Teotihuacán's influence on the Maya has been a hotly debated topic since the hieroglyphic texts first became fully readable in the 1990s. The controversy is related to the general discussion of central Mexican influence in the Maya area which was sparked by the findings of Teotihuacán-related objects in the early Maya site of Kaminaljuyú
Kaminaljuyu
Kaminaljuyu is a Pre-Columbian site of the Maya civilization that was primarily occupied from 1500 BC to AD 1200. Kaminaljuyu has been described as one of the greatest of all archaeological sites in the New World by Michael Coe, although its remains today - a few mounds only - are far less...
in the 1930s. The controversy has two sides. The internalist side argues for limited direct contact between Teotihuacán and the Maya area. This side has been represented by epigraphers such as Linda Schele
Linda Schele
Linda Schele was an expert in the field of Maya epigraphy and iconography. She played an invaluable role in the decipherment of much of the Maya hieroglyphics. She produced a massive volume of drawings of stelae and inscriptions, which, following her wishes, are free for use to scholars...
and David Freidel
David Freidel
David A. Freidel is an American academic archaeologist, Mayanist scholar and author. He is best known for the books he co-authored with Linda Schele, Maya Cosmos and Forest of Kings. Friedel received both his B. A. and Ph.D. in anthropology from Harvard University. He is married to Carolyn...
who have argued that the Maya merely had friendly diplomatic relations with Teotihuacán which caused the Maya elite to emulate Teotihuacano culture and ideology. The externalist side argues that Teotihuacán was an important factor in the development of Maya culture and politics in the Classic period. This viewpoint was first associated with archaeologist William Sanders
William Sanders
William Sanders may refer to:* William Sanders * William Sanders * William Sanders * William David Sanders , U.S. teacher and victim of Columbine High School massacre...
who argued for an extreme externalist viewpoint. But as more evidence of direct Teotihuacán influence in the Maya area surged at Copán
Copán
Copán is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization located in the Copán Department of western Honduras, not far from the border with Guatemala. It was the capital city of a major Classic period kingdom from the 5th to 9th centuries AD...
and new hieroglyphic decipherments by epigraphers such as David Stuart
David Stuart (Mayanist)
David Stuart is a Mayanist scholar and professor of Mesoamerican art and writing at the University of Texas at Austin.-Early life:He is the son of Mayanist scholars George Stuart and Gene S. Stuart...
interpreted Teotihuacán incursion as a military invasion, the externalist position was strengthened. In 2003 George Cowgill
George Cowgill
George L. Cowgill is an American anthropologist and archaeologist. He is currently professor emeritus at Arizona State University. He received his PhD from Harvard in 1963 with a dissertation on The Post-Classic Period in the Southern Maya Lowlands. Most of his career has been devoted to research...
an archaeologist specialising in Teotihuacán who had formerly espoused a mostly internalist perspective on Teotihuacán-Maya relations summarised the debate, conceding that Teotihuacán had probably exercised some kind of political control in the Maya area in the early classic and that left an important legacy into the late and epi-classic periods.
In 2008 an interpretation of Spearthrower Owl-related iconography at Teotihuacán suggested that the Spearthrower Owl was an important military god at Teotihuacán that had given name to both a place known as "Spearthrower Owl Hill" and to the ruler mentioned in the Maya hieroglyphic texts.