Temple of the Night Sun is a detailed, richly illustrated monograph that presents a remarkable Early Classic funerary complex discovered in 2010 in the El Diablo group of the ancient Maya center of El Zotz. A multidisciplinary team of authors and contributors presents detailed descriptions and interpretations of the funerary temple, the royal tomb housed within it, and the associated artifacts and human remains.
The monograph contains six chapters and five appendices. It opens with an overview of the El Diablo group, a royal palace complex established in the fourth century AD; Burial 9, a tomb that the authors argue to be the final resting place of the founder of the royal dynasty of El Zotz; and the elaborate funerary complex that overlays the tomb, Structure F8-1, named the Temple of the Night Sun. Chapter 1 contextualizes the complex within the cultural and natural landscapes of El Zotz and compares it to funerary complexes of dynastic founders at other Maya sites.
Chapter 2 reconstructs the architectural history of Structure F8-1. The key phase of construction is Structure F8-1-Sub.1, a vaulted temple decorated with an elaborate stucco façade. Built in tandem with Burial 9 some time around the mid-fourth century AD, this structure served as a shrine to the deceased ruler. Within a short span of time—perhaps just a few decades—Structure F8-1-Sub.1 was ritually terminated, an event marked by intense burning in its rear chamber, the defacing of the stucco deity masks on its façade, and its careful entombing within a much larger pyramid, Structure F8-1-2nd.
Chapter 5 presents a detailed analysis of the stucco sculpture that adorned Structures F8-1-Sub.1. Detailed drawings are complemented by high-resolution Agisoft PhotoScan visualizations of the deity masks, which seem to jump off the page. These visualizations are remarkable for the degree to which they convey the masks’ three-dimensional volume, and they allow for a fuller appreciation of the skill of the ancient artists who made the masks. The iconographic program focuses on the sun (particularly the underworld sun) and Chahk, connecting these important deities to themes of royal accession, militarism, and sacrifice. Through rituals and commemorations in this shrine, subsequent rulers emphasized these themes in acts that legitimized their own royal authority and materialized their links to the dynasty's founder.
Chapters 3 and 4 focus on Burial 9. Chapter 3 presents the remarkable assemblage of objects in the tomb, which includes 38 ceramic artifacts; Spondylus shells and marine shell beads; an array of jade artifacts including a set of three plaques cut from a single jade celt, two mosaic masks, and a pair of earspools; and a single obsidian macroblade. Thanks to careful excavation and close collaboration with conservators, the investigators were able to identify in situ and conserve fragments of textiles and wooden objects that had originally been covered with painted stucco. Appendices I and II present the lithic objects in more depth; Appendices III, IV, and V describe the conservation, materials analysis, and textiles, respectively. Thanks to 93 figures—plans of the tomb, drawings of objects, and many high-resolution color photographs of objects in situ and following conservation—the reader can reconstruct in vivid detail the remarkable suite of materials assembled to be deposited with this early ruler.
Chapter 4 examines the physical remains of the occupant of Burial 9, as well as remains found in associated caches. The tomb's primary occupant was older than 35 years of age, likely a male, whose cause of death could not be determined. The body was laid to rest in an extended supine position, with the head to the north. At least parts of the corpse were coated in specular hematite, which was in turn covered with cinnabar. The remains of six children, all 5 years old or younger, accompanied this individual. Their placement in lip-to-lip caches and exposure to heat suggest they were sacrificed. Other offerings associated with the burial included caches of phalanges and anterior teeth that were likely removed from fleshed, presumably living bodies in a show of obeisance to the deceased ruler.
In their concluding Chapter 6, Houston and co-authors reconstruct the series of events entailed by the construction of the tomb, the preparation of the ruler's corpse, and the bringing together of the objects and people who were laid to rest to prepare this early ruler—whom they convincingly argue could be the founder of El Zotz's royal dynasty—for his journey into the afterlife. They further argue that the tomb assemblage makes a series of material statements about the ideology of Maya kingship and fundamental roles of Maya rulers—as Great Sacrficier, Great Consumer, Assembler of Wealth, and Exemplary Dancer—while linking these roles to the maintenance of larger cosmic cycles, particularly those revolving around the sun. This is an innovative and compelling interpretation of the symbolism of a royal burial, one that they link to broader Mesoamerican notions of rulership.
Temple of the Night Sun sets a new standard for the publication of archaeological data. Its rich descriptions, lavish color photographs, excellent line drawings, PhotoScan visualizations, and keen attention to detail in layout and production result in a presentation that is lush and richly textured. Beyond its visual appeal, the detailed presentation of the data allows the reader—or viewer, more accurately—to peel back the construction episodes and enter the tomb, examining the assemblage piece by piece. The level of engagement with the archaeological contexts and objects made possible by the presentation allows readers to more fully assess the authors’ interpretations and their broader conclusions. Houston and colleagues as well as the publishers at Precolumbia Mesoweb Press are to be congratulated for this impressive and important publication.
