La Jolla Surfer

Contrary to northern Mexica and Aztec culture's ritual sacrifice culture (similar to the Vikings), the Maya seemed to have been more preoccupied with the concept of transcendence and pleasing the gods through auto sacrifice (as was customary in the North American plains Sundance culture). This is a painting based on a carved relief stone lintel depicting a story from the life of a queen Lady Ix Balam (Wind Jaguar) who has in a previous lintel pulled a thorned rope through her bottom lip to bleed a message onto paper which in this scene has been set on fire in the ceremonial red shell seen at the bottom. From the smoke emerges a dragon, but because of the fear which the serpent usually provokes, it manifests a holographic smoke image of her dead husband used to communicate with her concerning the promotion of their child.