Kingdom of Shukuup

Kingdom of Shukuup
c. 426–c. 9th century
Coat of arms
Map of the largest Mayan cities. The kingdom of Shukuup was located in the extreme southeast of the Mayan lands, which are highlighted in red on the map
Capital	Copan (Khushvitik/Khushvintik)
Common languages	Mayan, Lencan, Jicak
Religion	Maya Religion
Government	Monarchy
Ajaw and kaloomte
• c. 426 – 437	K'inich-Yash-K'uk'-Mo
• c. 437 — ?	K'inich-Popol-Khol
Historical era	Maya civilization
• Established	c. 426
• Disestablished	c. 9th century
...

The Kingdom of Shukuup was one of the ancient Mayan states, which existed from c. 426 to the 9th century in the territory of modern southeastern Guatemala and northwestern Honduras. Its capital was the settlement Copan, in ancient times called Khushvitik or Khushvintik.

Population

Due to the fact that Shukuup was located on the very outskirts of the Mayan lands, its population was more diverse than in other kingdoms. In addition to the actual Maya, who spoke a language close to Cholti, representatives of such Mesoamerican peoples as Lenka lived on the territory of the kingdom. Jicaquean, Paya, etc. At the same time, the level of development of these nationalities was lower than that of the Mayans.

The Shukuup nobility, like the nobility of all other Mayan kingdoms, used the Maya script for speech and writing.

History

Shukuup was founded in 426 by K'inich-Yash-K'uk'-Mo', who presumably came from Caracol.

At the beginning of the 8th century, during its heyday, this kingdom, along with the Mutul, Kanul, and Baakul was one of the strongest Mayan states classical period and claimed hegemony in all southern Mayan lands. The end to his power was put by the kingdom of Tsu', which defeated Shukuup in 738. And although Shukuup was able to maintain independence and even began to revive over time, he never managed to fully recover from this defeat.

The kingdom disappeared in the 9th century for unknown reasons. At the same time, the collapse of all other Mayan kingdoms occurred.

Shukuup left a very rich cultural heritage: examples of its architecture and sculpture are considered one of the best monuments of the Mayan civilization, and the ruins of its capital, Copan, were included in the World Heritage list in 1980 UNESCO.

Etymology

At the end of the 20th century, significant progress was made in deciphering the Mayan writing, which led to a breakthrough in the study of the political history of the ancient Mayans. Because of this, the original Mayan anthroponyms and toponyms became known. The term "Shukuup", in particular, was taken by modern researchers from the central part of the "emblem hieroglyph" of Copan, meaning his kingdom, and is a translation of the ligature syllabic signs xu -ku-pi. However, although it is now considered generally accepted, there is an alternative reading, according to which the real name of the kingdom is "SIP-pi" or "Sip".

Art

Architecture

The architecture of Shukuup was generally similar to the architecture of other Mayan kingdoms (step pyramids, platforms, terraces, etc.), but at the same time it had its own characteristics. The main distinctive feature of Shukuup monumental architecture is its extremely lush decor.

Also, Shukuup architecture was characterized by low pyramids, in comparison with other kingdoms. Their cornices were extremely simple and consisted of two rows of protruding stone masonry.

The monumental architecture of Shukuupa used andesite and volcanic tuff, while in other Mayan kingdoms limestone.

The walls of the buildings were constructed from a mixture of earth and crushed stone, cemented with lime. The facing consisted of rectangular stone blocks of approximately equal size, laid in a strict order.

It is at Copan that the oldest known Mayan stadium for Ballgame was discovered.

Model of the center of Copan	Temple 22 in Copan	Reconstruction of the Temple of Rosalila in Copan	Stadium for Ball Games in Copan	Temple 11 in Copan	Hieroglyphic staircase in Copan

Sculpture

One of the main cultural achievements of Shukuup was the creation of skillfully carved steles, which stand out significantly from the steles of other Mayan kingdoms. Usually they were vertical stone slabs with a full-length image of the ruler holding in his hands a “ritual strip”, a symbol of his power, and hieroglyphic inscriptions. At the same time, even after 7th century, when other kingdoms began to use new regalia - a “dwarf scepter” and a small round shield with the image of a mask of the sun god, the sculptors of Shukuup remained faithful to archaic traditions, and in this kingdom the rulers on the steles were depicted exclusively with a “ritual stripe”.

Masters from this kingdom managed to ensure that on some steles the depicted figures protruded from the plane of the stele by about three quarters. Other features of the Shukuup steles were the desire for the roundness of the monument, convex relief, incredible splendor, scrupulous elaboration of small details, as well as focusing on the face of the depicted figure. At the same time, the faces on the steles had obvious features of individuality, which is very rare in the art of pre-Columbian America.

Another monument of Shukuup sculpture are altars. The most notable of these is the Altar Q, consistently depicting all the rulers of the kingdom who lived at the time of its establishment.

A unique feature, characteristic only of the sculpture of Shukuupa and Tsu' (Quirigua), are the so-called “zoomorphs”. They were huge boulders, which were given the shape of some mythical creature, similar at the same time to a toad, a turtle and a caiman. The back and sides of these figures were covered with reliefs and inscriptions, and sometimes a face or even a whole human figure was visible in their open mouths. Their purpose is unknown.

Stele B from Copan	Stele C from Copan	Altar Q from Copan	"Zoomorphs" from Los Sapos	Stele H from Copan

Ceramics

The samples of Shukuup ceramics discovered in Copan are considered one of the most outstanding artistically in all Mayan lands. They are distinguished by their special liveliness and lightness.

The themes of paintings on ceramics were varied: decorative geometric and floral patterns, hieroglyphic inscriptions, animals, birds, people, deities, etc. The color scheme was mainly red and yellow, the contours of the design were highlighted in red, white or black.

It is also known that ceramic censers for incense were made in Shukuup. Thus, in the Copan sanctuary of Chorcha, twelve ceramic incense burners were discovered, the lids of which were made in the form of various Shukuup kings.

Vessel 8th century—10th century discovered in Copan	Bowl in the form of a jaguar's head discovered at Copan	Ceramic incense burner depicting one of the rulers of Shukup	Funeral urns discovered in Copan	Funeral urns discovered in Copan

Other

Among other things, Shukuup craftsmen were skilled bone carvers. The bones of both humans and animals were used for the products. In particular, during excavations in Copan, a finely carved skull of bakers.

Head of the young corn god from Copan Temple 22. Harvard University, Cambridge

Location

Map of the largest Pre-Columbian sites in the southern part of Mesoamerica.

The Motagua river basin is visible, as well as the jade deposits located in it

The core of the kingdom was the mountain valley of the Copan River, a tributary of Motagua. This is a valley stretched from west to east with very fertile soil, 13 km long, 2.5 km wide, with an area of about 30 km², framed by steep mountain peaks, in some places reaching a height of 900 meters. Over time, the power of the kings of Shukuupa spread far beyond its borders, to the neighboring mountain valleys of northwestern Honduras and southeastern Guatemala.

The territory of this kingdom was located in the extreme southeast of the lands of Maya. However, it maintained connections with other kingdoms such as the Mutul (Tikal), Baakul (Palenque) and K'antu (Caracol), as well as the rulers of the mountainous regions of modern Guatemala.

Religion

The inhabitants of Shukuup adhered to the same Polytheistic Belief System as the inhabitants of all other Mayan kingdoms. At the same time, Ah-Mun occupied a special place in the pantheon - the young god of corn, depicted as a young man in a headdress in the form of an ear of corn, which is found on many Copan monuments.

Also, as a result of cultural interaction, images of some Teotihuacan deities penetrated into Shukuup, such as Tlaloc and Xipe Totec.

It is known that substances such as liquid mercury, cinnabar and graphite.

In addition, as in many other Mayan kingdoms, the cult of the founder of the ruling dynasty took place in Shukuup. For example, Altar Q, which is one of the most important sources on the dynastic history of Shukuup, was erected precisely in honor of the first Shukuup king - K'inich-Yash-K'uk'-Mo'.

Science

Copan was a very important center of Mayan scientific progress, and astronomy in particular flourished there. This science developed in Shukuup approximately from 6th century a and at one time reached such heights there that it was far ahead of the level of development of astronomy in the rest of the world. Shukuup priest-astronomers observed the movements of Sun and Venus, calculated in 682 lunar months, and they also calculated with incredible accuracy the duration of the tropical year.

Economy

Altar Q, depicting the first sixteen kings of Shukuup

It's known that Copan was an important center of trade and a transshipment point for goods such as jade and obsidian.

Finds from the burials of Copan testify to how wide the trade connections of Shukuup were. Thus, during excavations, a large number of shells were discovered, which clearly indicates the trade of the kingdom with the settlements of the coast. But more importantly, among the finds are obsidian and pyrite, testifying to Shukuupa's trade with Teotihuacan, which was located more than a thousand kilometers from Copan and was at that time the most important trading center in all of Mesoamerica.

There are also finds indicating the existence of trade links between Shukuup and the territory of modern Panama. In particular, under one of the Copan steles, fragments of a gold figurine made in Panama were discovered.

In addition, on the territory of the kingdom itself, in the valley of the Motagua River, there were deposits of jade, which was a very important luxury item in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.

Bibliography

In Russian

• Veretennikov A.M. (2003). Cities of the Mayans and Aztecs. Veche.
• Gulyaev, Valery Ivanovich (1979). Mayan City-States. (Structure and functions of the city in early class society). Science. p. 304.
• Gulyaev, Valery Ivanovich (1983). Ancient Mayans. Mysteries of a lost civilization. Knowledge.
• Kinzhalov, Rostislav Vasilievich (1968). The Art of the Ancient Mayans. Art.
• Kinzhalov, Rostislav Vasilyevich (1971). Culture of the Ancient Mayans. Science.
• Belyaev D. D., Tokovinin A. A. (2005). "The sacred power of the Mayan kings (III-IX centuries AD)". Sacralization of power in history civilizations. Archived from the original on 2016-10-16. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
• M. A. Al-Bakhit, L. Bazin and S. M. Sissoko, ed. (2003). "Mayan Territory". History of Humankind. Vol. 4. VII—XVI centuries. UNESCO, Master-Press. ISBN 5-89317-156-X.

In English

• Andrews, E. Wyllys, Ed.; Fash, William L., Ed. (2004). Copan: The History of an Ancient Maya Kingdom. Santa Fe: School of American Research Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Bell, Ellen E., Canuto, Marcello A., Sharer, Robert J. (2004). Understanding Early Classic Copan. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Fash, William L. (1991). Scribes, Warriors and Kings: The City of Copán and the Ancient Maya. New York: Thames and Hudson.
• Martin, Simon, Grube, Nikolai (2008). Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya. Second edition.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Stuart, David (2004). "The Beginnings of the Copan Dynasty: A Review of the Hieroglyphic and Historical Evidence". In Bell, Ellen E.; Canuto, Marcello A.; Sharer, Robert J. (eds.). Understanding Early Classic Copan. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology. ISBN 978-1931707510.
• McNeil, Cameron L.; Burney, David A.; Burney, Lida Pigott (January 1, 2010). "Evidence disputing deforestation as the cause for the collapse of the ancient Maya polity of Copan, Honduras". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 107 (3): 1017–1022. Bibcode:2010PNAS..107.1017M. doi:10.1073/pnas.0904760107. PMC 2824285. PMID 20018691. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
• Zorich, Zach (October 2009). "The Man Under the Jaguar Mountain". Archaeology. Vol. 62. Retrieved 2014-09-15.