The House of the Phalli and the Constitution of Sacred Space through Gender Performances at Chichén Itzá

Boundary Things in the Eastern Maya Lowlands: Negotiating Allied Relations From Terminal Classic to Postclassic Times

“…Scholars working in both the northern and southern Maya lowlands observe that during the Terminal Classic and Postclassic periods, maleness, masculinity, and father-son relationships appear more emphasized in the visual and epigraphic record, with a notable absence of elite women in portraiture in comparison to the Late Classic (Amrhein and Looper 2015;Ardren 2012;Carter 2014). The lack of overt female representation has prompted some to suggest that the female role was subverted at this time and there was "a decline in the diplomatic importance of royal marriages, itself connected to the downfall of…hegemonic powers" among the Classic Maya dynasties of the southern Maya lowlands (Carter 2014:208).…”

“…The lack of overt female representation has prompted some to suggest that the female role was subverted at this time and there was "a decline in the diplomatic importance of royal marriages, itself connected to the downfall of…hegemonic powers" among the Classic Maya dynasties of the southern Maya lowlands (Carter 2014:208). Yet, in the northern Maya lowlands epigraphic studies show a marked emphasis on the royal matriline during the ninth century at sites such as Sayil, Edzna, Ek'Balam, Uxmal, and Chichen Itza, among others (Amrhein and Looper 2015;Krochock 2002;Reese-Taylor et al 2009:64;Wren et al 2001). Some suggest that stressing the maternal line signals a shift in the political rhetoric that begins in northern Yucatan during the Terminal Classic period, but there are earlier examples of this in the southern lowlands during the Late Classic period (Houston 2012:159).…”