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Ceremonial
& Religious Structures and Ritual Areas – Lamanai, Belize
Ethnographic
data gathered from those who first recorded and described what they
encountered in Mesoamerica indicates that the Maya generally carried
out rituals in order to ensure a healthy prosperous life and
successful crops. Sacrifices
and rituals were also conducted to appease the various gods and
rulers. These rituals are
not only documented through various ethnographic sources but
depictions occur on ceramic vessels (especially the famous Classic
period cylinders),
Maya codices, and murals such as those found at Bonampak in the
Chiapas region in Mexico.
Rituals and ceremonies included human and self-sacrifice,
dancing, divination and altered consciousness.
The Maya worshipped various gods and deities that included
Itzamna (Elderly, wisdom), Chac (Rain), and Kinich Ahau (Sun).
Various deities the Maya worshipped included animal species
such as the jaguar, crocodile, and snake; these are often depicted in
the art and architecture of the Maya.
 Alter
1, N10-PA2 (Jaguar Temple Plaza)
Recently
night photographed by Stuart Laidlaw, this alter contains eroded hieroglyphs that
became more legible with the night images recorded by Laidlaw – this
plaza area also contains another important ceremonial platform seen
below
 Structure
N10-10 – Lamanai, Belize
Small
Postclassic platform just visible in the lower front – an important
ritual feasting or sacrifice of white tail deer took place some time
during the Postclassic, N. Stanchly
has recorded cranial elements indicating over 30
deer that may have been slaughtered publicly for either feasting or
ritual purposes
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 Structure
N9-56 (Mask Temple) from the air depicting the proximity of the lagoon
to this major Maya ceremonial structure at Lamanai, Belize
New
River Lagoon (upper portion of image) is one of the most important
features of the ancient (and modern) city of Lamanai; it served as a
transportation and communication route
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 West
bank of the New River Lagoon as seen looking north – the 'hills' are
structures located in the N9 Quad (N9-56, Mask Temple)
Certainly
water was sacred to the ancient Maya – the cenote at Chichen Itza
produced numerous important artifacts and discoveries, one being that
ritual activity took place regularly there – although no work to
date has been conducted in the New River Lagoon we certainly feel this
body of water must have had important ceremonial and ritual
significance
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 Ritual
Mayapan Censor Smashing – Late Postclassic Period - Lamanai, Belize
Well
after the large ceremonial structure of N9-56 is abandoned and no 
longer utilized on an everyday basis numerous large Mayapan censors,
similar to the one shown here are ritually smashed on a small Late
Postclassic platform built in front of N9-56 – this platform is yet
another example of the numerous late platforms that are so difficult
to discern, often looking like collapse from the main temples – this
platform is represented by the uneven surface with a few exposed
facing stones visible in the lower front portion of this image
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 Evidence
of ritual dancing
Incensario
from the Postclassic period at Lamanai – visible on the upper leg
are copper bells, these status items are currently being studied by S.
Simmons (http://people.uncw.edu/simmonss/lamanai.htm)
- certainly we know the Maya held ceremonies that included dancing,
some of these include Pocam, Chic kaban,
and Pacum chac - the murals of
Bonampak,
also provide us with valuable information about musical instruments
that may have been utilized during these dance ceremonies also
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