Maya stelae are monuments that were fashioned by the Maya civilization
of ancient Mesoamerica. They consisted of tall sculpted stone shafts
and were often associated with low circular stones referred to as
altars, although their actual function is uncertain. Many stelae were
sculpted in low relief, although plain monuments are found throughout
the Maya region. Stelae became closely associated with the concept of
divine kingship and declined at the same time as this institution. The
production of stelae by the Maya had its origin around 400 BC and
continued through to the end of the Classic Period, around 900 AD,
although some monuments were reused in the Postclassic (c.
900–1521 AD). The major city of Calakmul in Mexico raised the greatest
number of stelae known from any Maya city, numbering at least 166,
although they are very poorly preserved. Stelae were essentially stone
banners raised to glorify the king and record his deeds, although the
earliest examples depict mythological scenes. Imagery developed
throughout the Classic Period, with Early Classic stelae (c.
250–600 AD) displaying non-Maya characteristics from the 4th century AD
onwards, with the introduction of imagery linked to the central Mexican
metropolis of Teotihuacan. As the Classic Period came to an end, stelae
ceased to be erected, with the last known examples being raised in
909–910 AD.
Read the rest of this article:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_stelae>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1621:
Myles Standish was elected as the first commander of the Plymouth
Colony militia, a position he would hold for the rest of his life.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myles_Standish>
1872:
Mariano Gómez, José Apolonio Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, collectively
known as Gomburza , were executed in Manila, Philippines, by Spanish
colonial authorities on charges of subversion arising from the 1872
Cavite mutiny.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomburza>
1913:
In the U.S. National Guard's 69th Regiment Armory in New York City, the
Armory Show opened, introducing Americans to avant-garde and modern
art.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armory_Show>
1964:
Gabonese military officers overthrew President Léon M'ba, but France,
honoring a 1960 treaty, forcibly reinstated M'ba the next day.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1964_Gabon_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat>
2003:
The London congestion charge, a fee that is levied on motorists
travelling within designated parts of London, came into operation in
parts of Central London.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_congestion_charge>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
pareidolia (n):
The tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the
observer, such as interpreting marks on Mars as canals, seeing shapes
in clouds, or hearing hidden messages in reversed music
<http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pareidolia>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The Divine Light is always in man, presenting itself to the senses and
to the comprehension, but man rejects it.
--Giordano Bruno
<http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Giordano_Bruno>