Skeletons, Skulls & Bones in the Art of Chich?n Itza

At northern Maya sites in Yucatán and at Chichén Itzá in particular, battle scenes, sacrifice, skulls, and bones are frequent themes in reliefs, murals, and other media such as jade and gold. The skullrack, a new architectural form decorated with sculpted impaled skulls, was prominently placed right next to the massive ballcourt. This may have served as a grim reminder of the potential power of Chichén’s rulers, even when no human heads were on display. Why this upsurge in graphic sacrificial and death imagery between about A.D. 800 and 1000? This is just one of the questions to be addressed by Dr. Miller.