A female attendant (above, far left) holds a mask that the king will wear during the dance ... when the Maya population grew dramatically, and royal courts, with their flamboyant ritual displays ...

The puppets, unearthed in El Salvador, have movable heads, strange facial expressions and may have been dressed for ritual roles.

Kings and nobles are often depicted as richly costumed dancers; they would have performed before their people in ritual events. Dance was a way for the Maya to cut through boundaries, connecting ...

Gestures were as meaningful in Maya art and performance as they are in, say, Buddhist or Balinese art and dance, but they are ... An important emblem of sacrificial ritual, the badge carries ...