Maya Figurines

Intersections between State and Household

Nonfiction, History, Americas, Latin America, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Archaeology, Anthropology
Cover of the book Maya Figurines by Christina T. Halperin, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Christina T. Halperin ISBN: 9780292709874
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: April 21, 2014
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Christina T. Halperin
ISBN: 9780292709874
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: April 21, 2014
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English
Rather than view the contours of Late Classic Maya social life solely from towering temple pyramids or elite sculptural forms, this book considers a suite of small anthropomorphic, zoomorphic, and supernatural figurative remains excavated from household refuse deposits. Maya Figurines examines these often neglected objects and uses them to draw out relationships between the Maya state and its subjects.These figurines provide a unique perspective for understanding Maya social and political relations; Christina T. Halperin argues that state politics work on the microscale of everyday routines, localized rituals, and small-scale representations. Her comprehensive study brings together archeology, anthropology, and art history with theories of material culture, performance, political economy, ritual humor, and mimesis to make a fascinating case for the role politics plays in daily life. What she finds is that, by comparing small-scale figurines with state-sponsored, often large-scale iconography and elite material culture, one can understand how different social realms relate to and represent one another. In Maya Figurines, Halperin compares objects from diverse households, archeological sites, and regions, focusing especially on figurines from Petén, Guatemala, and comparing them to material culture from Belize, the northern highlands of Guatemala, the Usumacinta River, the Campeche coastal area, and Mesoamerican sites outside the Maya zone. Ultimately, she argues, ordinary objects are not simply passive backdrops for important social and political phenomena. Instead, they function as significant mechanisms through which power and social life are intertwined.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Rather than view the contours of Late Classic Maya social life solely from towering temple pyramids or elite sculptural forms, this book considers a suite of small anthropomorphic, zoomorphic, and supernatural figurative remains excavated from household refuse deposits. Maya Figurines examines these often neglected objects and uses them to draw out relationships between the Maya state and its subjects.These figurines provide a unique perspective for understanding Maya social and political relations; Christina T. Halperin argues that state politics work on the microscale of everyday routines, localized rituals, and small-scale representations. Her comprehensive study brings together archeology, anthropology, and art history with theories of material culture, performance, political economy, ritual humor, and mimesis to make a fascinating case for the role politics plays in daily life. What she finds is that, by comparing small-scale figurines with state-sponsored, often large-scale iconography and elite material culture, one can understand how different social realms relate to and represent one another. In Maya Figurines, Halperin compares objects from diverse households, archeological sites, and regions, focusing especially on figurines from Petén, Guatemala, and comparing them to material culture from Belize, the northern highlands of Guatemala, the Usumacinta River, the Campeche coastal area, and Mesoamerican sites outside the Maya zone. Ultimately, she argues, ordinary objects are not simply passive backdrops for important social and political phenomena. Instead, they function as significant mechanisms through which power and social life are intertwined.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book In the Palace of Nezahualcoyotl by Christina T. Halperin
Cover of the book Recollections of Early Texas by Christina T. Halperin
Cover of the book Art and Archaeology of Challuabamba, Ecuador by Christina T. Halperin
Cover of the book The Absurd Hero in American Fiction by Christina T. Halperin
Cover of the book Anarchism & The Mexican Working Class, 1860-1931 by Christina T. Halperin
Cover of the book Contesting Trade in Central America by Christina T. Halperin
Cover of the book Our Lady of Controversy by Christina T. Halperin
Cover of the book Coming Attractions by Christina T. Halperin
Cover of the book The São Paulo Law School and the Anti-Vargas Resistance (1938-1945) by Christina T. Halperin
Cover of the book The Invisible Tent by Christina T. Halperin
Cover of the book Account of the Fables and Rites of the Incas by Christina T. Halperin
Cover of the book Chiefs, Scribes, and Ethnographers by Christina T. Halperin
Cover of the book Viewpoints by Christina T. Halperin
Cover of the book Satire in Colonial Spanish America by Christina T. Halperin
Cover of the book The Wrecking of La Salle's Ship Aimable and the Trial of Claude Aigron by Christina T. Halperin
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy