Considering the changes the Lake Atitlan, Guatemala region has undergone in the last several years, ODIM (Organization for the Development of the Indigenous Maya) seeks to understand the needs of the San Juan La Laguna and San Pablo La Laguna communities, and to provide competent, culturally-aligned care that is affordable to the Indigenous Maya of this region. Using mixed-methods approaches that incorporate interviews, surveys, graphic anthropology, and evaluation methods, this study investigated (1) the formal and informal health care services (including those offered by ODIM) and how and why they are utilized by local Guatemalans, (2) Guatemalan perceptions and experiences of health, wellbeing, and illness to understand how they might influence health related behavior, and (3) community health care needs and how ODIM can fill those needs. These objectives served to inform key stakeholders of current gaps in healthcare services, provide feedback regarding the ODIM health services and programs, and provide insight into the current health needs in order to ameliorate the burden of disease and illness around Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. This study produced a comprehensive community health profile, and it discusses the current state of health care, explains the local perspectives of health care, and gives direct feedback and recommendations to ODIM's community health programs.

In August 2019 the indigenous social movement Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN), decided to deepen their autonomy project and thereby to intensify their conflict with the Mexican state. The group that emerged in 1994 has for almost three decades been in conflict with the Mexican government. In the last decade, the conflict has been on hold until the group announced their expansion with 11 new autonomous zones in the south of the county. This thesis puts that decision in a political opportunity structure framework; what aspects of the framework can explain the unexpected decision by the movement? A qualitative text analysis of EZLN communique's finds that the movement took advantages of several political opportunities. Most significantly, the construction of the Mayan Train constituted reasons for adopting a confrontational strategy towards the government. Changes in the level of repression towards the movement have facilitated the confrontative decision made by the movement. When controlling for two alternative explanation theories, this study establishes the political opportunity structure as having a stronger explanation factor. This thesis aims to contribute to the literature on political opportunity framework and to revitalize the interest in the EZLN.

My thesis is based on a broader context of theories and categories of tourism and touristic experiences elaborated by authors belonging to a comparatively new subdiscipline of social and cultural anthropology - the anthropology of tourism. I focus on Mexico, the area of my interest and a part of el Mundo Maya (Maya World) through the eyes of tourism categorization of Valene Smith (1989). I specify two distinct (but yet similar) anthropological fields - one being Riviera Maya with fieldwork in Cancún, Tulum and Chichén Itzá and the other one Ruta Maya with fieldwork in San Cristobal de las Casas and the village of Chamula. I focus on the area of a popular beachspot and adjacent Maya ruins as a destination of historical tourism and also on the area of Chiapas highlands with an authentic Maya village which is a popular destination of ethnic or more accurately cultural tourism. My work is about the process of construction of the (English speaking versus Spanish speaking) tourist image of ancient Maya and the Maya of today. The conclusion of my fieldwork helps me illustrate the term monumentalization of the Maya (Canclini, 2005) or inventing the great Maya through touristic artefacts, experience and travellers' guides. Key words Anthropology of tourism, Maya tourism, Tulum, Chichén Itzá, Cancún, San...

Background: Automated lip sync is used in animation to make facial animations with a minimal interception from an animator. A lip-syncing script for Maya has been written in Python using the Vosk API to transcribe voice lines from audio files into instructions in Maya to automate the pipeline for speech animations. Previous studies have mentioned that some voice transcription and voice recognition API's have had a gender bias that does not read female voices as efficiently as male voices. Does gender affect this lip-syncing script's performance in creating animations? Objectives: Benchmark the performance of a lip-syncing script that uses voice transcription by looking for a gender bias in a voice transcription API by comparing male and female voices as input. If there is a gender bias, how much does it affect the produced animations? Methods: Evaluating the script's perceived performance by conducting a user study through a questionnaire. The Participants evaluate different animation attributes to build an image of a potentially perceived gender bias in the script. Analyzing the transcribed voice lines for an objective view of a possible gender bias. Results: The transcribed voice lines were almost perfect on both male and female vocal lines, with just one transcription error for one word in one of the male voiced lines. The male and female voiced lines received very similar grading on their voice lines when analyzing the data from the questionnaire. On average, the male voice lines seemed to get a higher rating on most voice lines in the different criteria, but the score difference was minimal. Conclusions: There is no gender bias in the lip syncing script. The accuracy experiment had a very similar accuracy rate between the male and female vocal lines. The female-voiced lines received a slightly higher accuracy than the male voice lines with the difference in one word. The male voice lines received a slightly higher score on the perceived scores through the questionnaire. The males had a higher score because of other factors than a possible gender bias.

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Presented in the session “Smoke, Flames, and the Human Body in Mesoamerican Ritual Practice”

Presented in the Gray Fossil Site Lecture Series

The focus of this thesis is to explore “the inner spiritual architecture” (prāṇa, nāḍī, cakra) through the lens of the pañcamayakośa model concerning raising kuṇḍalinī. We will discuss how the components of the “spiritual architecture” are directly influenced by four select techniques (mula bandhā uḍḍīyāna bandhā, jālandhara bandhā, and mahabandā). These are known as bandhās/mudras, which are specific to The Medieval Transformation for raising kuṇḍalinī. Our focus will explore the mechanics of the bandhās and the recorded, effects. The thesis’s secondary focus is cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Under the traditional lens of the pañcamayakośa model, a comparison will be made between the movement of CSF and the recorded movement kuṇḍalinī when engaging mula bandhā uḍḍīyāna bandhā, jālandhara bandhā, and mahabandā. We will also consider the benefits associated with well-regulated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow and compare them to the traditional benefits gained with the practice of raising kuṇḍalinī. Finally, our discussion will shift to parallels between a negative kuṇḍalinī experience and irregular CSF flow and an anecdotal account of irregular CSF flow. The conclusion will show how understanding the philosophy and techniques of raising kundalini under the lens of the pañcamayakośa model can provide unique insights regarding function, flow and manipulation of CSF health.

Here we present a bioarchaeological analysis of a Postclassic (ca. A.D. 950-1524) Maya mass grave from the site of Zacpetén in northern Guatemala. Osteological and spatial analyses (including a Ripley's K function) found evidence of cutting, drilling, and grinding of long bones and teeth as well as the intentional removal and manipulation of skeletal elements based on the left or right sides of the body. The remains were enveloped in layers of cut blocks and fist-sized chunks of white limestone and were placed in a depression on the western side of the ceremonial core of the site. The western orientation of the depression was explicitly associated with the underworld in contrast with the temple on the eastern side of the ceremonial core. The grave was the product of exhumation and violation of enemies' bodies, sacrifice, or the burial of war dead (or some combination thereof) and was created when the Kowoj group emerged as a political force in the Petén lakes region. It served to symbolically rupture the past inhabitants' links to the site and to create an enduring symbol of their defeat.