Izapa Stela 5, Mexico: An Analysis Based on Gadamerian Aesthetics

Aims: This study aims to analyze the scene represented in the Izapa Stela 5 from the Gadamer’s aesthetic, to unveil the link between myth and logos in the horizon of understanding of the Mayan civilization.

Study Design: Philosophical research.

Place and Duration of Study: The fieldwork was carried out in Izapa, Chiapas, Mexico and the philosophical analysis in the Faculty of Medicine of the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico. The study was developed during the period of January-December 2016.

Methodology: A hermeneutic investigation was carried out in two stages (destructive and constructive) and four phases (analytical and comprehensive, reconstructive and critical). The following categories were analyzed: cosmovision, anamnestic content, aesthetic-moral meaning.

Results: Izapa Stela 5 narrates the life-death event linked to the Mayan cosmogony. Doing in the world is shaped by the anamnestic mythical truth giving meaning to the good and exposes the moral significance of Maya cultural coexistence and cultural coherence. The analysis revealed the following scales: word, dialogue, peace, solidarity; all of them articulated in a syncretic praxis that gives meaning to being and doing in the world of life of the Mayan population.

Conclusion: The beautiful nature of Izapa Stela 5 exposes the consciousness of the actual history of being and make of the Mayan culture communicating contents of life and death as axes of aesthetic experience.