Protective weaponry

The implements used for protection in combat consisted of different types of helmets, flexible and rigid shields, breast plates, and quilted and stringed body armor. Most of these were made of perishable materials, such as skins of animals, wood and textiles, none of which survived the passage of time and the humidity of the tropical rain forest. Probably the only protective military equipment available for studies are some magnificent jade beads, bars and pendants, which properly stringed may have served not only as decoration of high ranking officials but also to deflect thrusts of weapons aimed at their bodies.

According to ALVARADO, at the time of the Conquest the Guatemala Maya wore elaborate protective armor which consisted of quilted caps, padded jacket or surcoat shown on many figurines found in the Quiche area. Interestingly enough, we have very little evidence that any such protective clothing had been worn by the warriors of the Maya Lowlands. Some of the sculptural and painted portraiture often shows the Lowland lords in most elaborate costumes, but even in battle scenes, the purpose of their attire seems to be decoration rather than protection. The helmets are too large to be practical and too complicated to be protective and the belts and collars are far too heavy. One cannot escape the conclusion that they were entirely ceremonial and that the lords could not have worn them on the battlefield.

In contrast to body armor, shields were popular both in the Highlands and the Lowlands throughout the entire Classic Period. The commonest type of shield portrayed on Classic monuments and painted ceramics is the round variety, also called >>Sun<< or >>Classic<< shield. The ones carried by high ranking dignitaries are usually shown decorated with a large face bearing the characteristics attributed to the Sun God, and are often embellished with a long fringe of feathers or tassels. Less commonly seen are the angular shields usually carried by lower ranking lords, some of them also heavily ornamented. Both types of shields seem to be made of rigid material, and shields which appear to be made of flexible material. Just as with helmets and body armor, we have no surviving examples of Classic Maya battle shields.

In conclusion, we may state that archaeological weapon finds of the Classic Maya are limited to stone artifacts, some of them of very high quality workmanship. The study of indirect evidence, i.e., sculptural and pictorial representations, indicate that they also possessed armor made of perishable material some of which was of great splendor but not of special military sophistication.