Themenschwerpunkt

Das Herz: Organ des Körpers - Sitz der Seele

Prof. Dr. Francis Robicsek, MD PhD
Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

The Heart Sacrifice of the Maya.
Ethnographic and Anatomic Relevance.

Montag, 14. Juli 2003, 18.15 Uhr, Hörsaal N 3 (Muschel)

Vortrag in englischer Sprache. Die Diskussion kann auf Deutsch geführt werden.

Sacrifices were an important part of Mesoamerican worship. They ranged from simple offerings of food and various ornaments and valuables to the sacrifice of animals and humans. Human sacrifice in general, and ritual heart removal in particular, were especially widespread customs in the New World. The practice reached epidemic proportions in Mesoamerica during the Late Postclassic period when thousands were slaughtered on special occasions. Because only a few of the ancient Maya centers had defensive architecture, it was generally believed until the early part of this century that peace and concord prevailed during the Classic period, and that Maya lived in idyllic harmony and seldom practiced the cruel ritual of human sacrifice.
Contrary to these views, we now realize that the Maya princes abhorred neither raids on their neighbors nor the sacrifice of their own subjects. In the course of these hostilities high-ranking personages, including some of the rulers themselves, were often captured and later sacrificed.
Judging from the archaeological evidence, especially vase paintings, this sacrificial activity of the Classic and Early Postclassic Maya, although widespread, did not approximate the numbers of wholesale killings by the Central Mexicans or even the Late Postclassic Toltec-Maya. Surviving records also indicate that the Classic Maya heart sacrifice was a lofty ceremony, probably performed in the main plaza of the ceremonial center and accompanied by pomp and circumstance.
The ceremony of heart sacrifice itself underwent profound changes as the centuries passed. During the Classic period it was characterized by the high social standing of the shaman-sacrificer and probably of his victim as well. The heart removal was performed with the victim in a supine supported posture, probably using the technique of transverse anterior thoracotomy. In the Late Postclassic period, the number of heart sacrifices increased sharply and the ceremony was characterized by Mexican attributes, such as the flaying of the victim and occasionally the eating of his flesh. At this time, some of the ritual heart removals were performed with the victim in an upright position, using a left anterior intercostal approach. The ceremony persisted for a significant time even after the Spanish Conquest, during which period some of the attributes of Christianity were intermingled with the ancient Maya ritual.

Dr. Francis Robicsek was born in Miskolc, Hungary, in 1925. After his medical education he was in charge of the Department of Heart Surgery at the University of Budapest until 1956. Since that year he has practiced medicine in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, and is currently chairman of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Carolinas Medical Center, and Medical Director of the Carolinas Heart Institute. Being one of the most eminent surgeons in the USA and a member of numerous international scientific societies, his work comprises more than 600 publications in the field of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery.
Dr. Robicsek is a man of many talents. As a result of his research in hemodynamics he was appointed Adjunct Professor of Bioengineering at the University of North Carolina. He is also renowned for his expertise in the history of Mesoamerican cultures, especially the Maya, and has been appointed Adjunct Professor of Anthropology. His groundbreaking work finally enabled the deciphering of the Maya hieroglyphic code.

Nächster Vortrag dieser Reihe
Prof. Dr. Klaus Antoni (Tübingen):
Kokoro: Das Herz in der japanischen Kultur
Montag, 21. Juli 2003, 18.15 Uhr, Hörsaal N 3 (Muschel)