Plazas are generally larger and more open than courtyards, having the space to potentially hold many hundreds, if not many thousands, of people. By comparison, courtyards are much smaller and are typically associated with the interiors of quadrangles and palace-type structures (Andrews 1975: 59-63). Plazas and courtyards functioned as public meeting areas as well as arenas for elite display and conspicuous ritual. More broadly, they have been described as “culturally defined spatial settings for diverse public interactions that may be sacred or mundane - processions, commercial exchanges, executions, games, fiestas or chats on public benches” (Moore 1996: 789-790). The smaller, more restricted nature of the courtyards implies that activities of a more intimate nature took place within their confines; however, this can also be said of more restricted plaza spaces. “In many [Maya] sites there is a clear distinction between plazas surrounded by public buildings, easy to access from several directions, and private residential buildings set around plazas [or courtyards] with restricted entry” (Hammond 1982: 242).
Many plazas and courtyards display a range of sculptural media that may relate to the various activities that once took place within their confines. As seen at sites such as Copan and Tikal, the most prevalent sculptural forms associated with public plaza spaces are monolithic stelae and altars (see Chapter 2, Investigative Considerations and Methodology, this volume), in addition to the decorative elements assigned to buildings that mark plaza boundaries and perimeters (see Chapter 2, Section 2.5.1, Architectural Sculpture). Embellished plazas would include decorative features, such as roofcombs, friezes, and piers, which were designed to face plaza interiors. Examples of this type of architectural embellishment include much of the sculpture that is assigned to the exterior of the Cross Group temples at Palenque, most of which is visible only after entering its plaza.
As with plaza spaces, it is the presence of peripheral structures that articulates the boundaries or limits of a courtyard; courtyards are generally smaller and more restricted than are plazas and are generally rectangular or square in their configuration. Examples of restricted courtyards include those confined to the interior of the Palace at Palenque, more specifically the East Court, West Court, Southeast Court, and the Tower Court. Excluding stelae and altars, many of the sculptural features associated with plazas are also found associated with courtyards; more specifically, decorated friezes, tablets, panels, benches, and thrones also appear within the confines of courtyards.
World History
