Why go
The names and glyphs on a monument were produced by trained people, not by an anonymous city. Looking for a relationship between image, text and patron helps make Chichen Itza’s carved surfaces social records. Signatures and tools offer rare traces of individual makers and their status.
The full story
The Maya term aj tz’ib means a person who writes or paints, reflecting the close relationship between the two crafts. Evidence points to elite settings for much scribal training, though it does not show that every noble could read or that all commoners lacked literacy. Images of female scribes show that at least some women practiced the craft. How training was organized remains less certain. Objects found with individuals add detail. Jasaw Chan K’awiil I of Tikal was buried with a paint pot, and writing implements accompanied some members of the Copán royal family. Sculpture in a Copán palace depicts figures holding inkpots and has been associated with a noble scribal lineage. A few makers signed ceramic vessels or stone carvings. At Piedras Negras, eight sculptors recorded their names on one stela; most surviving works, however, have no known artist’s signature. These examples come from several cities and periods, so they should not be assumed to describe a single Chichen Itza workshop. They show how closely skilled writing, political status and visual art could meet.