Discriminant functions were developed using long-bone robusticity
measurements of 82 individuals from the protohistoric Maya site
of Tipu, Belize. All individuals were sexed using nonmetric
morphological indicators, particularly those of the pelvis.
These functions are designed to provide a means of determining
the sex of fragmentary prehistoric Maya skeletons. The equations
ranged in accuracy from 77.5% to 100%. The reliability of these
equations was tested using a jackknife method on the Tipu sample
and by applying the equations to small samples of prehistoric
skeletons from the sites of Seibal, KOB Swamp, Laguna de On,
and Chau Hiix. The vast majority of the equations applied to
the test cases succeeded in correctly estimating the sex based
on pelvic and cranial features. A more reliable technique for
sex determination of poorly preserved skeletal remains will
allow a whole new range of archaeological and bioanthropological
hypotheses concerning sex and gender among the ancient Maya
to be investigated and considered.
The 2011 investigations of the Caves Branch Archaeological Survey at the large and recently documented Maya site of Tipan Chen Uitz resulted in the discovery of the site's first monument with a glyphic inscription. Prior to this discovery, the site's glyphic corpus was limited to a small collection of texts rendered on fragmentary ceramics. In this paper, we describe these sherds as well as the monument (Monument 1), report on their archaeological contexts, provide an epigraphic analysis of the texts, and consider these written sources relative to our growing understanding of Tipan and its place in the ancient political landscape. The discovery of Monument 1 is important, for it stands to contribute to sociopolitical reconstructions in this part of the central Maya Lowlands and has significant implications for the possible presence of other, as yet undiscovered, Late Classic period (A.D. 550-830) monuments at Tipan.
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