This thesis aims to investigate and analyse the ways in which Ancient Maya sculpture at Yaxchilan may have been perceived in the past. Contemporary Maya worldview has been used comparatively to...Show moreThis thesis aims to investigate and analyse the ways in which Ancient Maya sculpture at Yaxchilan may have been perceived in the past. Contemporary Maya worldview has been used comparatively to understand how different peoples can interpret and understand material culture, such as the stelas of Yaxchilan. The author has used knowledge and information gained through his own time spent in Mesoamerica in 2011, and especially ethnographic data collected on the contemporary Maya by a variety of scholars in the 20th Century to analyse this sculpture in a way that not been attempted before. Additionally, the role and value of ethnographical data is also discussed at some length.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
The field of analyzing the ritual traditions found in societies around the globe has long been an area of fruitful study in both archaeology and anthropology. Besides reflecting on some significant...Show moreThe field of analyzing the ritual traditions found in societies around the globe has long been an area of fruitful study in both archaeology and anthropology. Besides reflecting on some significant reconceptualizations relevant to the investigation of ritual, the aim of this thesis is to approach visual imagery as a way of investigating ritual conventionality. In this effort, the compatibility of Roy Rappaport’s model of investigation will be tested on several examples from the archaeological site of Yaxchilan. Working from a theoretical framework focusing on the mental ordering of surroundings manifested in ritual forms, this thesis will explore the value of further interdisciplinary research of the system involving constructed world visions and ritual performance.Show less
