A thesis which contributes a new perspective to the ongoing discussion on the human contacts made between North and Meso-America before Columbus. This is done specifically by looking at maize as an...Show moreA thesis which contributes a new perspective to the ongoing discussion on the human contacts made between North and Meso-America before Columbus. This is done specifically by looking at maize as an exotic good used for ritual and as a medium for narrative. It highlights the religious aspects of exchange and the travel of ideas and narratives with material in a time before writing was widespread. Because of the latter fact, the research is done through a multi-disciplinary approach, utilizing botany, archaeology and ethnology.Show less
Previous studies suggested that Spanish colonisers imposed their northern-based beliefs and ideas, including the Christian religion and cisnormativity, on their occupied territories under colonial...Show morePrevious studies suggested that Spanish colonisers imposed their northern-based beliefs and ideas, including the Christian religion and cisnormativity, on their occupied territories under colonial rule. This thesis aims to determine whether colonial legacies still influence the perceptions among present-day Mexican Twitter users. Specifically, it addresses the ways in which the muxe, a third gender among the Zapotec community, are perceived. To test the hypothesis, 112 tweets, including 37 visual objects, were examined using a mixed-methods approach. All tweets were written in Spanish and published between January 1, 2021, and April 30, 2022. The sample (n=112) has been coded and analysed with the software program ATLAS.ti. The results showed that the majority (59.82%) of the authors demonstrated cisnormativity by misgendering the muxe, and little more than one-fifth (20.54%) exercised epistemological colonisation through the misusage of northern-based terminology. Correspondingly, 40.18% of the authors correctly adopted non-biased muxe descriptions, such as third gender. Interestingly, three of the six videos explicitly touched upon how colonialism altered Mexican attitudes towards the muxe. Considering previous literature, the results of this thesis suggest that colonial legacies affect to some extent the ways in which contemporary Mexican Twitter users perceive muxes as gender identity. However, since the results demonstrated no definitive agreement, no firm conclusion can be drawn about the hypothesis. By applying statistics, further research might be conducted to confirm the significance of these results.Show less
The research conducted in this thesis aims to analyse the possible relationship between the Cocijo effigy vessels recovered from tomb contexts at Monte Alban and the four primary directions. The...Show moreThe research conducted in this thesis aims to analyse the possible relationship between the Cocijo effigy vessels recovered from tomb contexts at Monte Alban and the four primary directions. The Cocijo effigy vessels were crafted by the Zapotec people that inhabited the central valley of Oaxaca, Mexico and who founded Monte Alban around 500 BC. Cocijo was their deity of rain, storms, lightning and fertility and his imagery is extensively present at Monte Alban. The Zapotec people most likely had a worldview akin to a tiered cosmology. In this particular cosmological model, the four cardinal directions are of great importance. Yet, surprisingly little data concerning the four primary directions appears to be available when it comes to the Zapotec populations. Although the Cocijo effigy vessels have been extensively analysed and interpreted when it comes to their iconography, their actual function or the reason why they are located specifically in tomb contexts is still largely unknown. The research conducted in this thesis was aimed at finding new hypotheses through which the presence and function of these vessel may be explained. Through the combination of the iconographical data and physical data of the effigy vessels, the meaning which the Zapotec people probably ascribed to what they recognised as the primary directions and other proposed data on their cosmological models, a new hypothesis has been formed. It is proposed in this thesis, that the Cocijo effigy and its presence and function can be explained through its position relative to the cardinal directions. In the analyses, data concerning the tomb contexts at Monte Alban that yielded effigy vessels has been taken into account as well. The orientation of these tombs, as well as the position that the vessels had therein formed the backbone of the research conducted. Results show, that there is most likely a connection between the positioning of the Cocijo effigy vessels and the primary directions, yet it will warrant further research to arrive at more conclusive answers.Show less
