AN ARCHAEOLOGY OF COMMUNICATION:

APPROACHING MAYA HIEROGLYPHIC TEXTS

 

(Una arqueología de la comunicación:

los alcances del estudio de los textos jeroglíficos mayas)

 

Felix A. Kupprat (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México)

 

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Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions have been studied from a variety of perspectives. Following the advances in the decipherment of the writing system and structural analyses of Classic period texts (AD 250¬900) in the second half of the 20th century, the writing of a historical narrative of the dominant dynasties and the political entities they ruled has been one of the most important tasks of Maya epigraphy. As a result, we now use a refined chronology of the political processes reconstructed for several ancient centers of first and, to some degree, second and third order.

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However, Maya epigraphy has treated other topics, especially in the fields of historical linguistics, philology, and grammatology (the study of writing systems). With a large corpus of texts available, it is now possible to compare patterns in different sites, regions, and time periods to problematize diverse cultural phenomena and approach social process beyond royal biographies.

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In this talk I discuss the contributions and potential of epigraphy for the discussion of archaeological and anthropological issues. The hieroglyphic text is a product of a series of communicative practices, which include speech, education, ritual, and visual art. Observed differences regarding these practices usually correspond to meaningful markers of distinct social groups. Texts as material and symbolic evidence of much broader human practices allow us to reconstruct synchronic cultural spheres and boundaries, as well as diachronic change and continuity, which, in turn, can be compared to models derived from ceramic, architectural, or bioarchaeological analyses.

Here, I emphasize ritual practices and their reflexes in Maya inscriptions. Texts and their spatial contexts show considerable variability which, along with additional archaeological data, reflects changes in ritual communication, political structure, and the construction of identity throughout the Classic period.

 

(Talk in Spanish)