An analysis of a protoclassic female costume from the site of Caracol, Belize

Keywords

Indians of Central America -- Clothing; Indians of Central America -- Funeral customs and rites; Mayas -- Costume; Mayas -- Funeral customs and rites -- Belize -- Caracol Site

Abstract

This research attempts to determine and understand the meaning of a costume recovered from a high status female burial of Protoclassic (A.D. 50-250) date excavated at the Southern Lowland Maya site of Caracol, Belize. The importance of this work lies not only in the addition of a major burial from the transitional Protoclassic time period to the current Maya corpus, but also in furthering our understanding about ancient Maya women of whom we know little about from this early period. Maya female costume has been thought of as relatively simple in form from the Preclassic and earlier due to the shortage of data relating to mode of dress in this era. The existing ideas on Preclassic Maya female dress are derived from barely clad broken figurines and, occasionally, from eroded stelae. The Caracol burial, labeled as "S.D. Cl l 7B-5," provides the opportunity o reconstruct an ancient Maya female's costume dating to the Protoclassic. In addition o discerning the form of the female's costume, this research also explores the possible social functions of her costume to the ancient Maya. It is proposed that the occupant of S.D. Cl 17B-5 was clothed in the likeness of the goddess Ixchel or possibly an actor in a ritual, either in life or posthumously.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2003

Advisor

Chase, Diane

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Liberal Studies

Format

PDF

Pages

61 p.

Language

English

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Identifier

DP0029095

Subjects

Arts and Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic; Dissertations, Academic -- Arts and Sciences

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