stone rings

Wearing the skin of a jaguar, a young man dances to the sound of an unseen drum as he imitates the movements of the lithe jungle cat. Ruben and Gilda Perez depicts an image from a vase discovered at Altar de Sacrificios, an ancient Maya site locate upriver from Yaxchilan. An offering in Burial 96, the original polychrome vase is crafted of terracotta and on display at Guatemala's Museum of Anthropology and History.

The Guatemalan artisans etch the intricate motifs into natural jade and display the plaque on a black pinewood base.

Beginning in the sixth century B.C., varying versions of a ball game spread across Mesoamerica, and ball courts can be found in many pre-Hispanic cities. Stone rings, with openings just wide enough to allow the ball to pass through, hung vertically on each side of the court and opposing players tried to knock the ball through the rings using only their hips, buttocks and knees. By Elisa Camarena, this sculpture replicates a ball court ring from the Maya culture; it is displayed on a pinewood stand.

Perpetuating the legacy of the ancient Maya, Ruben and Gilda Perez depicts a canoe journey on a slab of dark green jade. Deities paddle the boat that carries the maize god, a spider monkey, dog, parrot and iguana with human attributes. The original image is etched into bone discovered at burial 166 in Tikal, and is on there display at the Morley Museum.

The Guatemalan artisans display the plaque on a black pinewood base.

Known as the Tree of Life, a mysterious tree reveals humans emerging from an opening in the side, suggesting it depicts a creation story. Ruben and Gilda Perez recreate the images on the monumental Stela 5 from Izapa. The Guatemalan artisans etch the intricate motifs into natural jade and display the plaque on a black pinewood base.