No abstract

Ceramic figurines are ubiquitous throughout the archaeological record of Mesoamerica. These small, handheld objects continue to fascinate archaeologists, and their role in the daily lives of the people who created and used them remains a point of debate in some academic circles. The figurines have been interpreted variously as children's toys, fertility fetish tools, and ritual objects. At the site of Cahal Pech, located in the Belize Valley of west-central Belize, a large assemblage of figurines has been recovered from construction fill dating to the Cunil (1200–900 b.c.) and Kanluk ceramic phases (900–350 b.c.) of the Preclassic period. In this article, we analyzed the temporal and spatial distribution of these objects in the settlement and conclude that these objects were used in a variety of ritual events. Although they mainly served as venues for invoking ancestors in domestic rituals, their discovery in public spaces suggests diverse social uses. Most importantly, their limited presence in residential and public spaces outside the Plaza B section of the site core during the late facet of the Kanluk phase may indicate that certain rituals were not performed by the entire community.

El trabajo presenta una propuesta de tipología de malacates procedentes de distintos sitios de las tierras bajas mayas del norte tales como Chichen Itza, Ciudad Caucel, Dzidzilche, Ek Balam, Poxila, Siho, Isla Cerritos, Ichpaatun y Xaman Susula. Tales malacates corresponden a temporalidades que van desde el período preclásico hasta el posclásico. El análisis de esta muestra se basa en la correlación de sus atributos formales. Otros atributos tales como el tipo cerámico, el contexto del hallazgo y sus elementos decorativos y simbólicos también son considerados. El principal objetivo es demostrar que en la península de Yucatan hay evidencia de una continuidad de la presencia de la industria textil, así como cambios en la forma y el uso de los malacates, que muy probablemente sirvieron para el hilado de fibras de algodón. Consideramos que estos objetos en el área maya, muestran una estrecha relación con las labores femeninas, esto a partir de su contrastación con datos provenientes de las fuentes etnohistóricas, de las representaciones iconográficas sobre la actividad textil y los mismos malacates provenientes de otras regiones de Mesoamérica, principalmente el centro de México. De manera particular, pretendemos determinar si es posible obtener información complementaria sobre el tipo de fibras que se hilaban con ellos o cuestiones más complejas, como la atribución de género y estatus, que son aspectos recurrentes en la interpretación de estos materiales arqueológicos.

It is currently accepted that state-sponsored archaeological practice in Mexico falls under the rubric of nationalist archaeology. The Mexican state supports archaeological research and displays its results, which include archaeological remains, in order to strengthen a sense of national pride and unity. Traditional narratives have held that this practice began after the Revolution (1910). Nevertheless, the institutionalization and professionalization of archaeology dates back to the period known as the Porfiriato (1879-1911). This chapter describes the process through which archaeology was institutionalized during the Porfiriato and how this nationalist archaeology contributed to constructing a Mexican national identity. [Nation-building process, nationalist archaeology, Mexico, Porfiriato]

This chapter is a comprehensive overview of research at Chichen Itza written from an archaeological perspective. The authors present a historical review of excavations, settlement pattern studies, the interpretation of ethnohistoric sources, and the decipherment of hieroglyphic texts. They also discuss some of the main points of contention in Chichen Itza archaeology: its ceramic and architectural sequences, the timing of the end of construction, and the question of whether to consider it a Terminal Classic or Postclassic site. Based upon a careful consideration of multiple lines of evidence—including new data about ceramics, stratigraphy, and paleoclimatology—they conclude by offering a succinct picture of the urban growth of Chichen Itza, the development of its artistic and architectural programs, and its interactions with surrounding sites.