Gents wondering if anyone can post some mayan shield designs i have
some but need a LOT more..would be very helpfull
maybe Cdm or Bowman have some hidden visual treasures on this front!! 
The sad irony is that the Maya were the only people that developed a written language as we understand it. They wrote many books, that were sadly destroyed by the Conquistadors at the behest of their clergy. so we don't have the beautifully illustrated codices as seen with the Aztecs. Therefore, we have to rely on Mayan mural painting.
The best preserved murals come from Bonampak. Here is an overview of the Emperor Chaan Muan presented with captives after a battle:
Try to pay attention to the "flunkies" at the bottom of the mural. That is the typical soldier, in this case, all unarmoured. Infuriatingly, none of the soldiers seem to have a "pacal" or shield.
Here is a close up of Mr. Chaan Muan himself:
Note the typical design of the "tok" or spear. Note the other figures seem to carry a type of macana or edged club. The end of the macana seems to be decorated in quetzal feathers. That is only my guess. The implement could be something entirely different.
Here is another detail from another mural showing Chaan Muan in action:
Just like the depictions of Aztec warfare, the victor clasps the captive by the tufts of his hair. Note that Chaan Muan is wearing the same jade decorations over his jaguar shirt/armour. The fellow next to him seems to be holding a "pacal", however the artist (again, infuriatingly) decided to paint it on end.
A word of warning; Chaan Muan existed in the 8th Century, placing him smack in the Classical Era. Unfortunately, the Conquistadors showed up about 700 years later, during the Post-Collapse or Terminal Era.
For pictorial depictions of warfare set in the time of the Conquest, we only have the murals of the Temple of the Jaguars in Chichen Itza to go by. If you are lucky enough to be there, you will find a painting of a battle between the invading Toltec-like Central Mexicans and the defending Mayan Itza. The painting is breath taking. However, any type of photography is strictly forbidden and enforced. There are very few pictures of this mural. Here is the best one I can find. It is only a small portion of the entire painting:
It's hard to make things out. The Toltec influenced Central Mexicans wear a flattened head piece adorned with blue feathers, carry an atlatl, and have the painted round shield, typical of central Mexico. It's difficult to make out any Maya, if there are any.
Eventually the Toltecs defeated and merged with the local Maya, and made Chichen Itza a local capital. The famous buildings we are all familiar with such as the Great Pyramid (El Castillo), the ball court, the Tzompantli, and the Temple of the Warriors are all from this Toltec influenced era. Eventually the Itza overthrew there Toltec masters, but retained some of their characteristics, such as architecture, etc. How did these Post Collapse Mayan warriors look? No clue. Sorry.
10 April 2014, 06:14:10 PM
