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Title: RECONSTRUCTING ANCIENT BURIALS AT LOMA DON GENARO.
Creator: Kulenguski, Alexandra M, Barber, Sarah B., University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This thesis reconstructs and analyzes a Classic period (AD 250-800) burial collection from the archaeological site of Loma Don Genaro in Oaxaca, Mexico. This research aims to address two main questions: 1.) What information about the burial collection is available through the archaeological archives? 2.) What does this information tell us about social organization during the Classic period at Loma Don Genaro? In order to address these questions, the following objectives were explored: to...
Show moreThis thesis reconstructs and analyzes a Classic period (AD 250-800) burial collection from the archaeological site of Loma Don Genaro in Oaxaca, Mexico. This research aims to address two main questions: 1.) What information about the burial collection is available through the archaeological archives? 2.) What does this information tell us about social organization during the Classic period at Loma Don Genaro? In order to address these questions, the following objectives were explored: to reconstruct ancient burials using archival material; to describe the burial demography across the site; to describe variation in grave goods; to relatively date and order the burials chronologically; to draw conclusions about social organization through patterns visible in the burial record. This project included bringing together existing archival records such as field drawings, burial record forms, lot forms, field maps, photographs, and field notes in order to reconstruct detailed burial records for 25 individuals. This recontextualization of the burial collection has made the data concerning each burial easily accessible, enabling further data to be gleaned from the remains. After creating a usable data management system for the burial collection and its associated records, the burials were analyzed. Analysis included: providing relative dates for the burials and chronologically ordering the burials using stratigraphic information; demographic analysis in order to identify the number adults, juveniles, males, and females in the collection, as well as the ages of each individual; analysis of burial position and orientation; analysis of the diversity of both the amount and type of grave goods (such as ceramic vessels, jade beads, figurines, and lithics) present in each burial. Several patterns relating to sex, age, and social status across the site were identified: there is an emphasis on adult burials with minimal children in the burial collection; the more elaborate burials reflecting a higher social status for the buried individuals were those with greater than ten ceramic vessels, had slab-lined burials, or were slab-lined and contained greater than ten vessels, and contained both male and female individuals. The data from this thesis provide an important snapshot of life during a key period of social change in ancient Mexico.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFH2000335, ucf:45795
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000335

Title: MOBILITY AND COLLAPSE: STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS OF OXYGEN-18 ISOTOPES FROM ANCIENT MEXICO.
Creator: St. Pierre, Melanie L, Barber, Sarah B., University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: When a society experiences a collapse, political authority becomes decentralized, large settlements often become abandoned, economic specialization decreases; and monumental building projects, artistic, and literary achievements slow drastically. The Rio Verde Valley, a coastal floodplain located in the region of Oaxaca in Southwest Mexico, experienced such a collapse at the end of the Terminal Formative period (150 BC to 250 AD). A period of decentralization followed, with regional centers...
Show moreWhen a society experiences a collapse, political authority becomes decentralized, large settlements often become abandoned, economic specialization decreases; and monumental building projects, artistic, and literary achievements slow drastically. The Rio Verde Valley, a coastal floodplain located in the region of Oaxaca in Southwest Mexico, experienced such a collapse at the end of the Terminal Formative period (150 BC to 250 AD). A period of decentralization followed, with regional centers becoming the main seats of authority throughout the region. My aim is to understand how this collapse affected residential population mobility in the lower Rio Verde Valley between the pre-collapse Terminal Formative and post-collapse Early Classic periods. I seek to answer the question: could this political collapse have caused intra-regional migration amongst the people of Ancient Oaxaca? To answer this, I analyzed the stable 18O and 13O isotopes in a set of 21 samples of human long bone excavated from the Terminal Formative archaeological site of Yugue and the Early Classic site of Charco Redondo. Oxygen isotope analysis is based on the principle that bone apatite and tooth enamel hold traces of oxygen isotopes found in the water that people drink, and that varying values of those isotopes reflect that the water was obtained from different sources. Based on literature surrounding the process of political collapse in ancient Mesoamerica and beyond, I expected to find evidence that intra-regional population mobility increased after the Terminal Formative period collapse. Instead, I found evidence of little to no mobility in both the Terminal Formative period site and the Early Classic period site, showing that the political collapse likely did not affect intra-regional mobility. These findings provide valuable insight into how human migration patterns correspond with political changes, both in the archaeological record of past civilizations and in modern societies.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFH2000379, ucf:45864
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000379

Title: THE ROLE OF RAIN IN POSTCLASSIC MAYA RELIGIOUS BELIEF.
Creator: Dao, Lillie, Barber, Sarah, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The concept of religion and its practice within ancient societies across the world is a subject that has fascinated scientists for centuries. The pre-Columbian Maya codices, first-hand Postclassic hieroglyphic documents, have been examined by hundreds of anthropologists. Analysis of these books has led scientist to hypothesize that these manuscripts were vitally connected to the Maya Postclassic belief system. Understanding the central focus of a civilization's religion and how, why and under...
Show moreThe concept of religion and its practice within ancient societies across the world is a subject that has fascinated scientists for centuries. The pre-Columbian Maya codices, first-hand Postclassic hieroglyphic documents, have been examined by hundreds of anthropologists. Analysis of these books has led scientist to hypothesize that these manuscripts were vitally connected to the Maya Postclassic belief system. Understanding the central focus of a civilization's religion and how, why and under what circumstances the religion is practiced truly distinguishes them as a culture. The intent of this thesis is to examine the role of rain in Maya Postclassic religious belief. Through an examination of Postclassic Maya ethnographies, archaeological evidence and the Maya Dresden, Paris and Madrid codices, this thesis evaluates the major theme of rain that is threaded throughout the culture and religion of the Maya people. By cross referencing ethnohistoric, ethnographic and archaeological evidence, it is revealed that rain was a fundamental-part of Maya religious practice as: 1) a symbol of fertility, 2) a phenomenon that people actively sought to control through religious practice and 3) as a fundamental building block of the Maya universe, construed broadly to encompass both the natural and divine elements of the universe.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFH0004126, ucf:44886
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004126

Title: WORLDVIEW, IDEOLOGY, AND CERAMIC ICONOGRAPHY: A STUDY OF LATE TERMINAL FORMATIVE GRAYWARES FROM THE LOWER RIO VERDE VALLEY OF OAXACA, MEXICO.
Creator: Brzezinski, Jeffrey, Barber, Sarah, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This study investigates worldview and ideology during the late Terminal Formative period (A.D. 100 250) in the lower Rio Verde Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, through an analysis of iconography found on grayware ceramic serving vessels. The sample includes 457 vessels and sherds from 17 lower Verde sites obtained through excavations and surface collections between 1988 and 2009. Drawing upon theories of semiotics and style, this thesis identifies a suite of icons suggesting that ceramics were a...
Show moreThis study investigates worldview and ideology during the late Terminal Formative period (A.D. 100 250) in the lower Rio Verde Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, through an analysis of iconography found on grayware ceramic serving vessels. The sample includes 457 vessels and sherds from 17 lower Verde sites obtained through excavations and surface collections between 1988 and 2009. Drawing upon theories of semiotics and style, this thesis identifies a suite of icons suggesting that ceramics were a medium for expressing regionally shared beliefs. Chatino potters carved common Formative period Mesoamerican themes into the walls of graywares, such as depictions of maize and climatic phenomena, which may have been part of a religious worldview rooted in the belief that humans and non-human deities shared a reciprocal relationship. People at Rio Viejo, including elites, may have attempted to exploit this relationship, thought of as a "sacred covenant" or agreement between humans and deities, to create a more centralized political entity during the late Terminal Formative Chacahua phase. By using iconographic graywares in socially and politically significant ritual activities such as feasting and caching events, elites imbued graywares with a powerful essence that would have facilitated the spread of the coded messages they carried. Based on statistical analyses of the diversity of iconographic assemblages from various sites, I argue that the assemblage of icons at Rio Viejo, a late Terminal Formative political center in the lower Verde, indicates ideas likely originated at or flowed through this site.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0003728, ucf:48786
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003728

Title: Making An Impression: A Formal Analysis of the Contextual and Iconographic Characteristics of Ancient Mexican Ceramic Stamps.
Creator: Peabody, Elizabeth, Barber, Sarah, Callaghan, Michael, Williams, Lana, Starbuck, John, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Ceramic stamps are a rare, yet widely distributed, artifact class within ancient Mexico. However, there has only been limited scholarly research on these objects and much current research is minimally supported. Depicting a wide range of iconography, including metaphysical, floral, and faunal designs, the function and meaning of these stamps, also known as estampias, pintaderas, and sellos, in ancient Mexican life remain an archaeological mystery. This paper examines the contextual,...
Show moreCeramic stamps are a rare, yet widely distributed, artifact class within ancient Mexico. However, there has only been limited scholarly research on these objects and much current research is minimally supported. Depicting a wide range of iconography, including metaphysical, floral, and faunal designs, the function and meaning of these stamps, also known as estampias, pintaderas, and sellos, in ancient Mexican life remain an archaeological mystery. This paper examines the contextual, chronological, and iconographic characteristics of ancient Mexican ceramic stamps as well as the distributional trends of those characteristics. This study is comprised of 83 stamps of varying design that date to between 1600 B.C.E. and 1520 C.E.: 19 found by the Rio Verde Project in Southern Oaxaca, Mexico, 5 found by Michael Coe in San Lorenzo, and 59 central Mexican stamps with credible, detailed provenience residing in the collection of the American Museum of Natural History and Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology. Examined through the lens of culture history, processual, and postprocessual theory, comparative statistical analysis was conducted to assist the identification of significant trends. These analyses have revealed that stamp use shifted from mainly public to household spaces over time and that stamps predominantly depict nature and metaphysical themed motifs. I have also found that stamps were likely multipurpose artifacts whose use transcended social status. This research greatly expands on the limited literature about Mesoamerican ceramic stamps and provides valuable insight into ancient Mexican household, identity, and possibly religious, practices.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007411, ucf:52699
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007411

Title: Weathering the Storm: Effects of Storm Periods on Ancient Populations of Coastal Florida.
Creator: Parbus, Brett, Barber, Sarah, Donoghue, Joseph, Walker, John, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Understanding human response to natural disasters is a core problem for environmental archaeologists. Hurricanes are often devastating to coastal populations, and recognizing behavioral change in response to these major storm events provides context for the resilience and adaptability of ancient coastal people. This research project focuses on retrodicting periods of increased storm frequency and intensity for regions of the Florida coast and comparing those storm periods to the existing...
Show moreUnderstanding human response to natural disasters is a core problem for environmental archaeologists. Hurricanes are often devastating to coastal populations, and recognizing behavioral change in response to these major storm events provides context for the resilience and adaptability of ancient coastal people. This research project focuses on retrodicting periods of increased storm frequency and intensity for regions of the Florida coast and comparing those storm periods to the existing archaeological record in order to determine if there are correlations between increased storminess and periods of site abandonment and/or changes in subsistence strategy. These potential correlations may aid in our understanding of human cultural response to dramatic environmental change. Particle size analysis was performed on sediment cores collected from 5 coastal Florida lakes in order to determine periods of increased storm occurrence dating back as far as 9000 B.P. After comparing these storm chronologies to dated materials from the existing archaeological record of the regions surrounding each of the coastal lakes, preliminary analysis shows the potential for correlation between periods of increased storminess and site abandonment. At the regional level and in several intra-site comparisons, there are some noticeable staggering effects between the periods of storminess and the radiocarbon dates of archaeological materials. Further investigation is needed to more fully understand the relationship between these two datasets, which may further our understanding of cultural resilience to environmental stressors and the catalyzing forces of site abandonment and subsistence change in coastal Florida.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007765, ucf:52382
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007765

Title: Fashioning Society: The Use of Facial Adornments for Social Identification in Late Postclassic Tlaxcallan, Mexico.
Creator: Costa, Angelica, Barber, Sarah, Kovacevich, Brigitte, Callaghan, Michael, Fargher, Lane, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In pre-Hispanic Central Mexico, communities frequently practiced various forms of embodying social identity through the use of facial adornments. Ornaments were placed in the ears, nose, and lips to materialize aspects of both self and collective identity. Important characteristics, such as age, gender, status, kinship, and ethnicity can be better understood through analysis of facial ornaments recovered from archaeological sites. Recent research at the Late Postclassic (AD 1420-1521) city of...
Show moreIn pre-Hispanic Central Mexico, communities frequently practiced various forms of embodying social identity through the use of facial adornments. Ornaments were placed in the ears, nose, and lips to materialize aspects of both self and collective identity. Important characteristics, such as age, gender, status, kinship, and ethnicity can be better understood through analysis of facial ornaments recovered from archaeological sites. Recent research at the Late Postclassic (AD 1420-1521) city of Tlaxcallan has provided insight into how facial ornamentation varied within the central highlands of Mexico. Typological analysis of ornaments and figurines recovered at Tlaxcallan and comparative examinations between Tlaxcalteca and Aztec historical documents has provided evidence to support varying embodiment practices between these groups. Despite their shared Nahua identity and close proximity, the Tlaxcalteca and the Aztecs chose to emphasize significantly different aspects of identity within their own social hierarchies. The persistent conflict and varying political organization between these communities is reflected in their embodiment practices. Thus, these objects have the potential to reveal how larger sociopolitical interactions can affect local collective identities. Through this comparative analysis, I demonstrate how the Tlaxcalteca and the Aztecs identified aspects of social identity through analysis of facial ornamentation.
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Date Issued: 2018
Identifier: CFE0007749, ucf:52401
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007749

Title: The Quadripartite Badge: Narratives of Power and Resurrection in Maya Iconography.
Creator: Ingalls, Victoria, Chase, Arlen, Chase, Diane, Barber, Sarah, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Ancient Maya iconography primarily depicted elite individuals in idealized states of being and rationalized their power and authority through ideological concepts and otherworld beings. This study aims to reexamine previous assumptions made concerning the Quadripartite Badge. This motif is examined based on iconographic associations and contexts, as well as temporal and spatial distributions. The dataset was created from currently identified examples of the Quadripartite Badge, although only...
Show moreAncient Maya iconography primarily depicted elite individuals in idealized states of being and rationalized their power and authority through ideological concepts and otherworld beings. This study aims to reexamine previous assumptions made concerning the Quadripartite Badge. This motif is examined based on iconographic associations and contexts, as well as temporal and spatial distributions. The dataset was created from currently identified examples of the Quadripartite Badge, although only a select group is extensively examined. The spread of this motif is demonstrated through time and its spatial dispersals are noted for their political consequences. Indicating the liminal status of its user, the Badge is frequently placed in scenes of transformation, accompanying rites of passage. It is also established that as elite women became more prominent, women from Tikal and Calakmul circulated this iconography through marriage alliances, as seen in the number of newly 'arrived' women carrying the Badge. Other iconographic associations of the Badge revealed strong ties with the Maize God and the cyclical nature of agriculture. For the continuation of the maize cycle and renewal of universal forces, sacrifice was required; the completion of ritual sacrifice was demonstrated through the depiction of the Quadripartite Badge. This one expression of power simultaneously validated earthly and otherworldy authority, ensuring the continuation of the cosmos and the perpetuation of the sun and maize cycles.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004552, ucf:49227
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004552

Title: New Perspectives on the Quatrefoil in Classic Maya Iconography; The Center and the Portal.
Creator: Egan, Rachel, Chase, Arlen, Barber, Sarah, Chase, Diane, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The quatrefoil is a pan-Mesoamerican symbol with considerable time-depth. For the Maya, use of the symbol peaked during the Classic Period, reaching its highest frequency and largest geographical spread. Consequently, understanding its meaning has the potential to illuminate information about Precolumbian Maya worldview. While there have been several studies that focus on Preclassic Period quatrefoils, a similar study is lacking for Classic Period. Furthermore, the evaluations of the...
Show moreThe quatrefoil is a pan-Mesoamerican symbol with considerable time-depth. For the Maya, use of the symbol peaked during the Classic Period, reaching its highest frequency and largest geographical spread. Consequently, understanding its meaning has the potential to illuminate information about Precolumbian Maya worldview. While there have been several studies that focus on Preclassic Period quatrefoils, a similar study is lacking for Classic Period. Furthermore, the evaluations of the quatrefoil that do exist for the Classic Period are limited, often focusing on a select few examples. This thesis attempts to rectify the gap in extant research through an examination of the quatrefoil motif utilized by the Classic Period Maya. Specifically, the goal of the thesis was to determine whether the current interpretation of the quatrefoil as a cave is and also to investigate how the symbol communicated broader ideas about worldview and ideology. The approach that was utilized focuses on both archaeological and iconographic contexts. As an iconographic symbol, I attempt to understand the quatrefoil through the use of semiotics with particular emphasis on contextualization and analogy. The results of this study suggest that, while there were some patterns related to spatial distribution, the meaning of the quatrefoil motif was dependent on context and had considerable variations. I conclude that the analysis of the symbol, when based on specific usages and contexts, reveals that there is not enough evidence to support the current interpretation of quatrefoil as cave. Rather, the quatrefoil can be more accurately interpreted as a cosmogram that delineated information about how the Maya conceptualized, ordered, and accessed space that was appropriated by elites to reinforce and even legitimize political authority.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: CFE0004105, ucf:49116
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004105

Title: Maya Use and Prevalence of the Atlatl: Projectile Point Classification Function Analysis from Chich(&)#233;n Itz(&)#225;, Tikal, and Caracol.
Creator: Ciofalo, Andrew, Chase, Arlen, Chase, Diane, Barber, Sarah, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Multiple scholars have briefly discussed the Maya use of the atlatl. Yet, there has never been a decisive encompassing discussion of prevalence and use of the atlatl in the Maya region with multiple lines of support from iconographic and artifactual analyses. This thesis explores the atlatl at Chich(&)#233;n Itz(&)#225;, Tikal, and Caracol Maya sites to prove that atlatl prevalence can be interpreted primarily based on projectile point (")classification function(") analysis with support from...
Show moreMultiple scholars have briefly discussed the Maya use of the atlatl. Yet, there has never been a decisive encompassing discussion of prevalence and use of the atlatl in the Maya region with multiple lines of support from iconographic and artifactual analyses. This thesis explores the atlatl at Chich(&)#233;n Itz(&)#225;, Tikal, and Caracol Maya sites to prove that atlatl prevalence can be interpreted primarily based on projectile point (")classification function(") analysis with support from iconographic and artifactual remains. The classification functions are derived from creating mutually exclusive groups of dart points and arrow points by using discrete functional analysis. Discerning between dart and arrow points can be completed with a high degree of accuracy based on maximum shoulder width of lithic points in an assemblage. Because the atlatl and bow complexes have been primarily constructed of perishable materials, the best method to determine the prevalence of atlatl use is by identifying the launcher based on projectile point identification. Using a cross-site comparison of projectile point size, the Maya use and prevalence of the atlatl will be elucidated.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004193, ucf:49034
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004193

Title: With the Protection of the Gods: An Interpretation of the Protector Figure in Classic Maya Iconography.
Creator: Lindley, Tiffany, Chase, Arlen, Chase, Diane, Barber, Sarah, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Iconography encapsulates the cultural knowledge of a civilization. The ancient Maya of Mesoamerica utilized iconography to express ideological beliefs, as well as political events and histories. An ideology heavily based on the presence of an Otherworld is visible in elaborate Maya iconography. Motifs and themes can be manipulated to convey different meanings based on context. An example of this mutability can be witnessed in the depiction of Otherworld gods. Maya gods were not like Old World...
Show moreIconography encapsulates the cultural knowledge of a civilization. The ancient Maya of Mesoamerica utilized iconography to express ideological beliefs, as well as political events and histories. An ideology heavily based on the presence of an Otherworld is visible in elaborate Maya iconography. Motifs and themes can be manipulated to convey different meanings based on context. An example of this mutability can be witnessed in the depiction of Otherworld gods. Maya gods were not like Old World pantheons; gods were fluid and could function in multiple roles. Protector gods are an example of the fluidity of Maya deities. Scenes of protector gods are closely related, indicative of a specific theme and meaning. This thesis aims to define a specific iconographic theme, centered around a (")protector,(") based on the similarities of the composition of each scene in the sample set of images found on monuments. In conjunction with archaeological evidence and epigraphy, I suggest the protector theme depicts deities in the role of a protector.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004220, ucf:49010
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004220

Title: "You Have Guns and So Have We...": An Ethnohistoric Analysis of Creek and Seminole Combat Behaviors.
Creator: Lawres, Nathan, Howard, Rosalyn, Barber, Sarah, Walker, John, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Resistance to oppression is a globally recognized cultural phenomenon that displays a remarkable amount of variation in its manifestations over both time and space. This cultural phenomenon is particularly evident among the Native American cultural groups of the Southeastern United States. Throughout the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries the European and American states employed tactics and implemented laws aimed at expanding the geographic boundaries of their respective states into the...
Show moreResistance to oppression is a globally recognized cultural phenomenon that displays a remarkable amount of variation in its manifestations over both time and space. This cultural phenomenon is particularly evident among the Native American cultural groups of the Southeastern United States. Throughout the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries the European and American states employed tactics and implemented laws aimed at expanding the geographic boundaries of their respective states into the Tribal Zone of the Southeast. None of these groups, however, sat passively during this process; they employed resistive tactics and strategies aimed at maintaining their freedoms, their lives, and their traditional sociocultural structures. However, the resistive tactics and strategies, primarily manifested in the medium of warfare, have gone relatively unnoticed by scholars of the disciplines of history and anthropology, typically regarded simply as guerrilla in nature. This research presents a new analytical model that is useful in qualitatively and quantitatively analyzing the behaviors employed in combat scenarios. Using the combat behaviors of Muskhogean speaking cultural groups as a case study, such as the Creeks and Seminoles and their Protohistoric predecessors, this model has shown that indigenous warfare in this region was complex, dynamic, and adaptive. This research has further implications in that it has documented the evolution of Seminole combat behaviors into the complex and dynamic behaviors that were displayed during the infamous Second Seminole War. Furthermore, the model used in this research provides a fluid and adaptive base for the analysis of the combat behaviors of other cultural groups world-wide.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004280, ucf:49532
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004280

Title: Ritual Use of the Human Form: A Contextual Analysis of the "Charlie Chaplin" Figure in the Maya Lowlands.
Creator: Lomitola, Lisa, Chase, Arlen, Barber, Sarah, Chase, Diane, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Small anthropomorphic figures, most often referred to as (")Charlie Chaplins,(") appear in ritual deposits throughout the ancient Maya sites of Belize during the late Preclassic and Early Classic Periods and later, throughout the Pet(&)#233;n region of Guatemala. Often these figures appear within similar cache assemblages and are carved from (")exotic(") materials such as shell or jade. This thesis examines the contexts in which these figures appear and considers the wider implications for...
Show moreSmall anthropomorphic figures, most often referred to as (")Charlie Chaplins,(") appear in ritual deposits throughout the ancient Maya sites of Belize during the late Preclassic and Early Classic Periods and later, throughout the Pet(&)#233;n region of Guatemala. Often these figures appear within similar cache assemblages and are carved from (")exotic(") materials such as shell or jade. This thesis examines the contexts in which these figures appear and considers the wider implications for commonly held ritual practices throughout the Maya lowlands during the Classic Period and the similarities between (")Charlie Chaplin(") figures and anthropomorphic figures found in ritual contexts outside of the Maya area.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: CFE0004402, ucf:49394
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004402

Title: Reevaluating the Late Classic Lu-bat Glyphic Phrase: The Artist and the Underworld.
Creator: Carroll, Patrick, Chase, Arlen, Chase, Diane, Barber, Sarah, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The study of hieroglyphic texts is vital to the interpretation of the ancient Maya and how their worldview contributed to their daily lives. Hieroglyphic decipherment has been an arduous undertaking and a wide variety of the Late Classic Maya writing styles has also been documented. When specific hieroglyphic phrases are not fully understood it has been necessary to utilize other sources of information to help increase the understanding of these texts. The (")lu-bat(") glyphic phrase has been...
Show moreThe study of hieroglyphic texts is vital to the interpretation of the ancient Maya and how their worldview contributed to their daily lives. Hieroglyphic decipherment has been an arduous undertaking and a wide variety of the Late Classic Maya writing styles has also been documented. When specific hieroglyphic phrases are not fully understood it has been necessary to utilize other sources of information to help increase the understanding of these texts. The (")lu-bat(") glyphic phrase has been utilized in multiple mediums throughout the Late Classic period and is described as an artist's signature. This artist signature is directly related to specific iconographic elements and themes that represent a cosmological view of the ancient Maya. This thesis demonstrates the connection between the lu-bat glyphic phrase and iconographic themes indicative of liminal powers exercised by the social elites in terms of the underworld. This connection is strengthened through the evaluation of the associated texts and iconographic analysis. While interpretations of the lu-bat glyphic phrase have suggested that it represented an artist's signature, a concise articulation of the hieroglyphic values for the lu-bat glyphic phrase has not yet be achieved. The iconographic imagery involved with this glyph demonstrates an interactive level between the conduit being and liminal actions. This interaction depicts the individual involved as a direct medium for the ritual activities of the elites in terms of the underworld.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004981, ucf:49572
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004981

Title: Settlement History and Interaction in the Manialtepec Basin of Oaxaca's Central Coast.
Creator: Menchaca, Victoria, Barber, Sarah, Walker, John, Chase, Arlen, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: As the focus of over 70 years' of archaeological research, Oaxaca, Mexico, is one of Mesoamerica's best understood regions. Yet, despite the volume of work in Oaxaca, information about one of its key resource areas, the central Pacific coast, remains limited. Specifically, the ambiguous role of Oaxaca's Central Coast in interregional relationships during pre-Hispanic times to the sites of Monte Alb(&)#225;n and Tututepec has been a chronic problem and major source of debate for decades. The...
Show moreAs the focus of over 70 years' of archaeological research, Oaxaca, Mexico, is one of Mesoamerica's best understood regions. Yet, despite the volume of work in Oaxaca, information about one of its key resource areas, the central Pacific coast, remains limited. Specifically, the ambiguous role of Oaxaca's Central Coast in interregional relationships during pre-Hispanic times to the sites of Monte Alb(&)#225;n and Tututepec has been a chronic problem and major source of debate for decades. The purpose of this thesis is to begin clarifying the role of Oaxaca's Central Coast in interregional networks and its pre-Hispanic history. Analysis utilized surface observations, surface collections, and information from limited excavations performed by the Proyecto Arqueol(&)#243;gico Laguna de Manialtepec (PALM) in the Manialtepec Basin, located on the Central Coast of Oaxaca. The data was then mapped using ArcGIS software to render settlement and artifact patterns. Based on the results of this project I suggest a history of settlement for this area. I also argue that the Basin contained three centers, maintained interregional interactions, and was invaded by the Mixtecs of highland Oaxaca during the Late Postclassic Period (A.D. 1200-1500).
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005843, ucf:50920
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005843

Title: Practical Use of Ground Penetrating Radar: A Survey of Coastal Historic Cemeteries in Florida.
Creator: Boynton, William, Barber, Sarah, Schultz, John, Cassanello, Robert, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) research conducted in coastal environments is one area that is lacking in archaeology. Surveys conducted in this type of environment afford the opportunity to evaluate the practical use GPR under field conditions. Coastal environments are effective for this evaluation because they offer a host of conditions that GPR surveys do not normally encounter at one time. The relationship of the land to the coast, sub-surface conditions and reliable survey areas create a ...
Show moreGround Penetrating Radar (GPR) research conducted in coastal environments is one area that is lacking in archaeology. Surveys conducted in this type of environment afford the opportunity to evaluate the practical use GPR under field conditions. Coastal environments are effective for this evaluation because they offer a host of conditions that GPR surveys do not normally encounter at one time. The relationship of the land to the coast, sub-surface conditions and reliable survey areas create a (")perfect storm(") to test how practical the use of GPR is in coastal environments. This research is a study of homestead cemeteries situated within the boundaries of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), using GPR. The research has three main goals. The first is to utilize GPR to identify if there are any unknown burials at CCAFS. The second is to test the practical effectiveness of GPR in coastal environments where high water table, geology and saline conditions can limit the capability of the technique to resolve subsurface features. The third is to correlate data from the GPR survey with ethnographic information to enhance the protection and maintenance with what is already available for the cemeteries.Research methods include field-based geophysical data collection in addition to archival and ethnographic historic research. The field component, to which this research pertains, entailed an on-site GPR survey at the nine sites on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This was followed by analysis of the information from the survey using standard processing software. Subsequently, a thorough archival search was completed to link historic and ethnographic information with the archaeological data obtained on the cemeteries. The final result of this research was a report that provides a detailed description of the results of the GPR survey of the cemeteries at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005931, ucf:50826
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005931

Title: Chetumal's Dragonglass: Postclassic Obsidian Production and Exchange at Santa Rita Corozal, Belize.
Creator: Seidita, Max, Chase, Arlen, Chase, Diane, Barber, Sarah, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Obsidian is one of the most common materials preserved in the archaeological record of Mesoamerica. Because of this and obsidian's unique chemical properties, it has become one of the most common means by which to explain ancient exchange and production. Northern Belize has largely been absent from discussions of Postclassic Mesoamerican economies. The limited amount of obsidian research that has been done is unable to draw comparisons to the region's primary site during this period, Santa...
Show moreObsidian is one of the most common materials preserved in the archaeological record of Mesoamerica. Because of this and obsidian's unique chemical properties, it has become one of the most common means by which to explain ancient exchange and production. Northern Belize has largely been absent from discussions of Postclassic Mesoamerican economies. The limited amount of obsidian research that has been done is unable to draw comparisons to the region's primary site during this period, Santa Rita Corozal. This thesis remedies this by exploring the importation, production, and distribution of obsidian at the Postclassic Maya primary center of Santa Rita Corozal, Belize. Through the application of the lithic technology approach and the use of pXRF (portable X-ray fluorescence) spectrometry, it is possible to establish the sources of obsidian being exploited, the stage of reduction of obsidian imports, the major obsidian industry, and obsidian distribution for Santa Rita Corozal's Postclassic Period.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005997, ucf:50778
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005997

Title: Evaluation of an Early Classic Round Structure at Santa Rita Corozal, Belize.
Creator: Kangas, Rachael, Chase, Arlen, Chase, Diane, Barber, Sarah, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Round structures in the Maya area are an architectural form that is not well understood, in part due to the relatively few examples recovered through archaeological excavations. The site of Santa Rita Corozal, Belize offers one of the few examples of an Early Classic Period round structure (Structure 135) in the Maya region, one that is distinctive in its timing and architectural form. This thesis seeks to compare Structure 135 with the patterns of round structures identified in the...
Show moreRound structures in the Maya area are an architectural form that is not well understood, in part due to the relatively few examples recovered through archaeological excavations. The site of Santa Rita Corozal, Belize offers one of the few examples of an Early Classic Period round structure (Structure 135) in the Maya region, one that is distinctive in its timing and architectural form. This thesis seeks to compare Structure 135 with the patterns of round structures identified in the Preclassic and Terminal/early Postclassic Periods, when there are comparatively more examples and to pinpoint the multiple construction periods evidenced in the excavations to define the changes to the structure over time. Based on this research, Structure 135 at Santa Rita Corozal does not clearly conform to earlier or later patterns of round structures in the Maya region and its use before abandonment and eventual transformation to a rectilinear shape was shorter than previously thought. This research also offers insights into the need for the contextual analysis of ceramics, and the difficulties of assuming context through the use of construction fill, even with a clear cultural formation process.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005962, ucf:50798
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005962

Title: Identifying Archetypal Attributes of Maya Ceremonial Architecture: Clues to the Late Classic Sociopolitical Status of Pacbitun, Belize.
Creator: Micheletti, George, Chase, Arlen, Barber, Sarah, Powis, Terry, Chase, Diane, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The E Group complex is one of the most widely known archetypes in Maya archaeology. The complex's easily recognized configuration has helped archaeologists to identify this archetype at hundreds of sites throughout the Southern Maya Lowlands. However, things are not always what they appear to be. Conducted by Jaime Awe and colleagues (2016), a reinvestigation of excavation data of assemblages long designated as E Group complexes in a region known as the Belize River Valley revealed several...
Show moreThe E Group complex is one of the most widely known archetypes in Maya archaeology. The complex's easily recognized configuration has helped archaeologists to identify this archetype at hundreds of sites throughout the Southern Maya Lowlands. However, things are not always what they appear to be. Conducted by Jaime Awe and colleagues (2016), a reinvestigation of excavation data of assemblages long designated as E Group complexes in a region known as the Belize River Valley revealed several unique attributes not typical of the E Group complex. Awe et al. (2016) suggest that these assemblages appear to function more as (")eastern shrines(") than E Groups and propose they be relabeled as (")eastern triadic assemblages.(") Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to provide a more comprehensive and methodological study of a single Belize Valley assemblage located at the site of Pacbitun, Belize. The temporal examination of Pacbitun's assemblage provided in this thesis was able to identify physical, spatial, and functional attributes associated with each phase of construction. These attributes were then compared with attributes associated with E Groups, eastern shrines, and eastern triadic assemblages. The results revealed that, while Pacbitun's assemblage does follow the architectural progression exhibited by other Belize Valley assemblages, the assemblage does not truly become an eastern triadic assemblage until the beginning of the Late Classic period (AD 550). Furthermore, the transition of Pacbitun's assemblage coincides with several other architectural modifications in and around the site suggesting that Pacbitun was experiencing sociopolitical change or unrest at this time. The breakdown of the political organization of the Belize Valley will provide scenarios concerning Pacbitun's political situation as well as an explanation for the unique architectural progression of Pacbitun's assemblage through time. This study hopes to not only contribute to current and future research of the Belize Valley eastern triadic assemblages but also to the understanding of the Classic period political situation of Pacbitun in the Belize River Valley.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006356, ucf:51539
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006356

Title: Diet and Migration in Coastal Oaxaca: Identifying Effects of Political and Social Collapse through the Utilization of Stable Isotope Analysis.
Creator: Rumberger, Jacklyn, Barber, Sarah, Dupras, Tosha, Williams, Lana, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This study involves the investigation of diet and mobility among people living in the lower R(&)#237;o Verde Valley, Oaxaca, Mexico, during the Late Classic (AD 500-800) and Early Postclassic (AD 800-1200) periods. Specifically, this research focuses on how political and social collapse affected subsistence practices and diet, particularly maize agriculture and consumption, as well as human migration. Archaeological evidence suggests that R(&)#237;o Viejo, the region's largest urban center...
Show moreThis study involves the investigation of diet and mobility among people living in the lower R(&)#237;o Verde Valley, Oaxaca, Mexico, during the Late Classic (AD 500-800) and Early Postclassic (AD 800-1200) periods. Specifically, this research focuses on how political and social collapse affected subsistence practices and diet, particularly maize agriculture and consumption, as well as human migration. Archaeological evidence suggests that R(&)#237;o Viejo, the region's largest urban center before AD 800, experienced multiple periods of political fragmentation and instability during its long history, specifically during the Early Classic (AD 250 - 500) and Early Postclassic periods, making it an ideal place to test these relationships. Stable carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotopic analyses of human bone and tooth samples were used to reconstruct diet and create a life history for sampled individuals. Samples were extracted from the skeletal remains of individuals dating to the Late Classic (n=11) and Early Postclassic (n=11) periods. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values provide insight into maize consumption; in addition stable nitrogen isotope values also indicate the extent that aquatic resources were being exploited. Stable oxygen isotope values are used to determine if any of the individuals were foreigners and had migrated to the valley during their lifetime. Results demonstrate collapse following the Classic period led to a slight dietary shift that included a wider variety of resources, possibly aquatic. Human mobility also increased during this time as oxygen values display a wider range and indicate movement within the valley and along the coast.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006491, ucf:51399
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006491

Maya (7)	+ -
Oaxaca (5)	+ -
Mexico (4)	+ -
Archaeology (3)	+ -
Iconography (3)	+ -

Mesoamerica (3)	+ -
archaeology (3)	+ -
iconography (3)	+ -
Ancient Maya (2)	+ -
Anthropology (2)	+ -
Rio Viejo (2)	+ -
1920s (1)	+ -
Agricultural Terracing (1)	+ -
Amazon (1)	+ -
Archaeological survey (1)	+ -
Aztec (1)	+ -
Bajos de Chila (1)	+ -
Belize Valley (1)	+ -
Bioarchaeology (1)	+ -
Bolivia (1)	+ -
Burials (1)	+ -
Buttons (1)	+ -
Central Coast (1)	+ -
Chatino (1)	+ -
Classic Period (1)	+ -
Creeks (1)	+ -
Crossed Bands (1)	+ -
Disaster Archaeology (1)	+ -
E Group (1)	+ -
Earflares (1)	+ -

ETD Collection (25)	+ -
Honors Collection (3)	+ -

University of Central Florida (28)	+ -
Barber, Sarah (26)	+ -
Chase, Arlen (14)	+ -
Walker, John (10)	+ -
Chase, Diane (9)	+ -

Callaghan, Michael (3)	+ -
Williams, Lana (3)	+ -
Barber, Sarah B. (2)	+ -
Howard, Rosalyn (2)	+ -
Starbuck, John (2)	+ -
Baudelet, Matthieu (1)	+ -
Boynton, William (1)	+ -
Brzezinski, Jeffrey (1)	+ -
Carroll, Patrick (1)	+ -
Cassanello, Robert (1)	+ -
Chance Campbell, Elizabeth (1)	+ -
Ciofalo, Andrew (1)	+ -
Costa, Angelica (1)	+ -
Dao, Lillie (1)	+ -
Donoghue, Joseph (1)	+ -
Dupras, Tosha (1)	+ -
Egan, Rachel (1)	+ -
Fargher, Lane (1)	+ -
Garcia-Cosme, Elimarie (1)	+ -
Ingalls, Victoria (1)	+ -
Kangas, Rachael (1)	+ -
Kovacevich, Brigitte (1)	+ -
Kulenguski, Alexandra M (1)	+ -
Landry, Rachael (1)	+ -
Lawres, Nathan (1)	+ -

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