Based on archaeological excavations at Kaminaljuyu mound E-III-5 and educational workshops at the public school “Delia Luz Gutierrez de Castellanos”, this paper explores how children position themselves in relation to their surroundings and how knowledge of the ancient past and their relationship to it varies when they are exposed to archaeological excavations. I focus on the perception of the archaeological site of Kaminaljuyu and its relationship to the social and political-educational discourses that are associated with Guatemalan national archaeological projects. The hypothesis is that archaeological sites in Guatemala are used to promote a national identity that encourages tourism consumption of “exotic” ancient Mayas, which is totally disconnected from contemporary Mayan indigenous peoples’ movements and local communities’ interests. This represents the first systematic study and initial investigation of these issues in the Guatemalan highlands, and I hope that it will serve as a platform for an activist archaeology in Guatemala that looks to socialize the production of archaeological knowledge to those who do not have access to private education, and to continue discussions on challenges of academia for social justice and its impacts on the population. / text

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Thesis (M.A.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Anthropology, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-159).

This thesis examines the causes and processes of culture change in complex society in ancient Mesoamerica. Facets of political and social change are attributed to the effects of competition for status, power and prestige. The position is taken that, although competition is not directly observable, it is visible in its patterned effects on the material record. Thus, the study examines the uses of material culture in sociopolitical terms, and then attempts to explain socio-political interaction and change using the archaeological remnants of material culture. The archaeological record for Kaminaljuyu and vicinity within the Valley of Guatemala is used as a test case. Essentially, status competition, underwritten by material and consensual support, leads to efforts to promote economic production and population size. Responses to increases in polity scale and complexity lead to political adjustment and change. A processual model is proposed which focuses on change within and between two dominant economic and status support systems, the local subsistence system and the regional wealth trade system. Relevant social variables are linked to archaeological materials to enable operationalization of the theory. Thus political support is represented by aspects of settlement (population size and distribution) and by economic production (land use, craft production). Status demonstration is represented by construction activity and-political maintenance is represented by the provision of administrative space. The main findings for Kaminaljuyu are that: 1) Long-distance wealth trade in commodities and status goods was associated with maximization of all types of economic production, centralization of political power, rural population increase and population dispersal. 2) The local subsistence system was associated with decentralization of political power, localized economic productivity, centralization of population (crowding) and possible social conflict. The method also led to the investigation of and insights into the record for Kaminaljuyu. The analysis demonstrated a two-period cycle of socio-political change, each cycle conforming to the sequence of change proposed in the model. This pattern conforms to well-known cycles of political centralization and decentralization. This approach was useful for investigating the archaeological record for this type of complex polity. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

Since the move of Guatemala´s capital from the Panchoy Valley to the Ermita Valley, the archaeological remains were doomed to be destroyed and 200 years later this could not be more true. Urban development is erasing the traces of a rich cultural past now hidden under modern houses, malls and football fields. Although the Cultural Heritage Law establishes that archaeological remains must be protected, the same law allows sites to be destroyed if they are excavated first. This has lead to an increase of the “Archaeological Rescue Projects”, where time and pressure restrict the scientific nature of the excavation. In this work I explore the theory behind rescue projects and how ethical issues can play a big role in th way rescue archaeology is been done in Guatemala. Also, i explore the history of the rescue projects in Guatemala to demonstrate how important is to have a strong cultural law but also a strong sense of responsibility towards our profession. I use the example of rescue projects, Santa Isabel, to highlight the importance of scientific oriented investigations but also the common mistakes that can be done in these projects. Finally, a proposed a series of steps that can improve the quality of the rescue projects with hopes that they can be implemented in other parts of Guatemala. / text

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

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