USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Maya stelae (singular stela) are monuments that were fashioned by the Maya civilization of ancient Mesoamerica. They consist of tall, sculpted stone shafts and are often associated with low circular stones referred to as altars, although their actual function is uncertain.

Detailed explanation-2: -In Classic Maya society, the stela was an important medium through which historical information was conveyed. Stelae are free-standing stone slabs carved in low relief that usually depict portraits of rulers, which are accompanied by hieroglyphic texts recording the rulers’ identity and actions.

Detailed explanation-3: -The most common subjects in Maya art are mortal rulers and supernatural beings. The royal courts of the Maya kings and queens employed full-time painters and sculptors, some of whom signed their works. In the Metropolitan’s Relief with Enthroned Ruler (1979.206.

Detailed explanation-4: -Yok’ib (Piedras Negras) To assert his authority, he commissioned royal sculptors to create a row of monuments, including this one, at the base of the city’s massive palace complex. Here the artists portrayed the king in a supernatural moment, enthroned as deities emerge from the jaws of a living mountain overhead.