Classic Maya deity concurrence: Brides, gods, and inter-dynastic ritual exchange

Abstract

The Classic Maya (250–900 CE) lowlands of Mesoamerica were home to dozens of interconnected polities whose elites shared an intellectual and material culture. They also sustained common sociopolitical institutions like divine kingship, which relied in part on ritual performance to legitimate dynastic rule. This article suggests that exogamous marriage was an important context for maintaining this shared culture through inter-dynastic exchange. Using the example of deity concurrence or impersonation, I argue that noblewomen who married into another polity brought with them cultural knowledge that included ritual practices with which members of the royal family negotiated their dynastic identity. By performing deity concurrence and sharing their understanding of the ritual with their partners and offspring, foreign queens contributed to development of local dynastic tradition and to ongoing maintenance of a regional elite culture. This consideration of exogamous marriage recasts Classic Maya exogamous brides as cultural actors who shaped the identity and ritual tradition of the dynastic communities into which they married.