Memory in Fragments: The Lives of Ancient Maya Sculptures

Here in the US, we're having difficult discussions about who we should monumentalize, the political implications of our statues, or what to do with monuments that no longer reflect our ideals. In a way, this book looks at how the Maya dealt with these and related issues. The author explores how the ancient Maya engaged with their history by using, reusing, altering, and burying stone sculptures. O'Neil shows, for example, how the ancient Maya repurposed stelae that were damaged by their enemies. In some cases, they would break the stelae to signify a change in their status, and bury them with others so that the buried monuments connected with those still standing in specific sacred sites. Infused with agency, the sculptures retained ceremonial meaning. O'Neil explores how those breakages and other, different human interactions, amidst unstable religious, political, and historical contexts, changed the sculptures' "lives."