“Anointed with Blue:” Exploring the symbolic power of Maya blue paint in human sacrifice

Abstract

At Chichén Itzá, the bodies of sacrificial victims were covered in Maya blue before being killed and thrown into the Sacred Cenote. Previously, many researchers have equated the paint’s blue color to that of Chaak or Tlaloc, surmising that rites involving Maya blue were intended to propitiate that deity for rain. This simple explanation fails to account for Maya blue’s appearance in diverse ceremonies, as well as any possible connections to sky gods characterized by the same blue coloration. Drawing on a range of archaeological, iconographic, and documentary evidence, this study presents a more comprehensive view of Maya blue’s symbolic power and the consistent set of ideas it communicated over the course of Mesoamerican history. The meaning held in Maya blue’s materiality is evaluated using methods pioneered by art historian Diana Magaloni Kerpel. Her techniques are employed to perform the first symbolic analysis of Maya blue’s ingredients and preparation. This novel approach goes beyond mere color association to present a more productive explanation for why Maya blue played such a crucial role in creating the “god-images” necessary for sacrificial rites. Used in this manner, paints like Maya blue held and transferred complex natures and specific attributes, including divinity, purity, vitality, royalty, and centrality, among others. A body covered in Maya blue was equated with the sky itself as it became a “turquoise vessel” capable of traversing the blue “celestial waters” and arriving in Xiuhtecuhtli’s domain.