The Limitless Computing Blog

In the remainder of my graduate paper, I explore how the ancient Maya transformed a physical dwelling into a home through rituals of dedication. These rituals transformed the space and were remembered through generations. The written word and archaeological evidence  left behind us give us insights – but these interpretations are evolving and some of the data is out of date but the essence remains the same.  It reminds us that people in the past were similar to us where house and home was – and is – a central feature.

Epigraphic Evidence

The epigraphic record serves to provide a direct link to the ancient Maya via the ideas expressed in their writing. Many scholars believe that the hieroglyphic inscriptions can be used only to gain a better understanding of elite affairs.  This is not entirely the case. Through examining instances of dedication rituals recorded in the inscriptions, such instances can be extrapolated to a non-elite context because of the participation in the same ideological schema. This requires extensive collaboration between epigraphy and archaeology, a collaboration which encounters extreme difficulty because the two are rarely conjoined in publication and, furthermore, the sites most revered for epigraphy rarely have associated archaeological information published.  This is extremely unfortunate, as this realm holds great promise for gaining greater insight into both the ritual activities of the elite and non-elite and possible connections between them.

Continue Reading »

Ancient Maya House (ca. 700-900 AD) with 2m excavation unit grid; plan view (staircase, porch, northern wall scaveneged for stone in ancient times)

I specialized in ancient Maya household archaeology and have written extensively on household architecture. I am sharing some papers so that they may be useful to someone. The first is a part of a paper written on how the ancient Maya gave meaning to their houses through ritual.

The construction of a structure cross-culturally involves enclosing a physical space and imbuing it with meaning.  In American society ceremonies often accompany the beginning of construction for a civic building, such as the breaking of the soil and an associated speech. Completion of the structure is frequently celebrated with dedicatory acts, ribbon cuttings for instance. Residential structures also have their own associated rituals, most notably a social gathering seen in the house warming. It is therefore not surprising that cultures, in both modern and ancient times, have performed ceremonies in conjunction with construction episodes.  In ancient societies, the study of impressive civic and religious structures has often eclipsed investigations of the residential sector and this holds true for the subject of this examination: rituals of dedication and termination among the ancient Maya.

Continue Reading »