Monuments have played an important role in recognizing leaders, commemorating
tragedy, glorifying war and leaders of war, and they have pointed to acts of
courage or endurance not played out on the battlefields. They have also helped
to shape the American identity as well (Levinson, 1998). Monuments tell a story
through their sculpture. The temples at Lamanai would be considered allegorical sculpture, as the figures of the mask and jaguar on the temples represented an idea (Uhrmacher & Tinkler, 2007).
Monuments reflect historical perspectives of that time, but as time goes on, the perspectives can
change. Monuments provide a window to the time when it was erected. They are
created to help future generations remember and commemorate events or people.
Monuments hold a unique meaning to different audiences. No two people will take
away the same exact meaning. As our tour guide Randy told us, the history of the Mayan Ruins depends on who you ask. He did a great job of offering information so that we are able to draw our own conclusions.
According to James Percoco, a retired history teacher, conversation
about controversial monuments is necessary. It’s not about finding the
answer; its discussion, conversation and dialogue about eternal questions.
These issues are central to who we are as Americans (Willoughby, 2013). A great discussion surrounding the Mask temple would be, who were the first inhabitants of the earth? Looking at the facial features displayed on the mask, they are features that are more dominant with the African American ethnic group. Does this similarity clearly show that this group were the first group on earth? Or do we take or own conclusions away from examining the monument?
Levinson, S. (1998). Written in Stone: Public Monuments
in Changing Societies (Public Planet
Books).
Uhrmacher, P. B., & Tinkler, B. (2007). A Monumental
Curriculum. Educational Leadership, 64.
Willoughby, B. (2013, May 15). Set in Stone. Retrieved
September 15, 2014, from
http://www.tolerance.org
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