The El Perú-Waka’ narrative figurine scene, purposefully arranged by mourners in an ancient Maya royal tomb, brings three-dimensionality to ritual scenes depicted on Maya polychrome vases. Together with the hieroglyphic inscriptions and portrayals of queens, kings, and other royalty on monumental stelae, these representations provide insight into the lives of Maya rulers as well as complex Classic Maya politics. When augmented with the critical information revealed by archaeological excavation, connections between historically-known individuals can occasionally be further illuminated. The fascinating relationship between the Waka’ narrative scene, El Perú Stela 33 at the Cleveland Museum of Art depicting Waka’ queen Lady K’abel, and a tomb excavated at Waka’ in 2012 provides the opportunity to explore ritual, politics, and portraiture in the Classic Maya world.
Michelle Rich is currently the Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow of Latin American Art at the San Antonio Museum of Art. Rich received her Ph.D in anthropological archaeology from Southern Methodist University; she has been conducting field research in the Maya region since 1993, and at the ancient site of El Perú-Waka' since 2001. Rich previously served as a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. While at LACMA, Rich curated the exhibition Ancient Bodies: Archaeological Perspectives on Mesoamerican Figurines, which featured internationally-loaned objects from the excavations at El Perú-Waka'.