For the ancient Maya, cracked mirrors were a path to the world beyond

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James L. Fitzsimmons, Middlebury

(THE CONVERSATION) Some people fear that breaking a mirror can lead to seven years of misfortune. The history of this superstition may go back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who ascribed mysterious powers to reflected images.

As a scholar of the Indigenous religions of the Americas, I know that the ancient Maya had a different take on cracked mirrors. During the first millennium C.E., the Maya used such mirrors – in cities from southern Mexico to western Honduras – as channels for supernatural communication rather than as cosmetic accessories.

Mirrors and magic

Rather than being made of glass, most ancient Maya mirrors were dark pieces of polished iron ore, glued together as mosaics on a piece of slate or wood. Maya nobles wore mirrors on their backs, displayed them on thrones and set them inside tombs.

Using hallucinogens, these nobles stared at their reflections, seeking mystical experiences. The cracks between the pieces resulted in fractured, distorted reflections –...