Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

In this thesis, I interpret the meaning of “monkey pots,” a pottery vessel found throughout the Maya world. This study looks at three kinds of monkey pots recovered from the Mirador Basin. Carmelita Incised and Zacatal Polychrome monkey pots date to the Late Classic period (AD 680-800) and were manufactured in the Basin; Telchac Composite monkey pots date to the Terminal Classic period (AD 780-830) and were made in the Usumacinta River region. These monkey pots are described, followed by an analysis and comparison of the function, the monkey genus on the vessels, and the contexts from which the vessels came. I found that each kind of monkey pot functioned as a domestic tool for serving food and later as part of death and burial rituals. The monkeys on the vessels appear to be spider monkeys, which were associated anciently with death and the underworld. Finally, most of the monkey pots were found in burials, implying that they were part of burial rituals. From this information, I suggest that monkey pots assumed meanings associated with death and the underworld when placed in burials. Comparing the function, decoration, and context of these monkey pots implies that their meaning did not change through time and space. I believe the monkey pots demonstrate that some meanings and ideas about death and the underworld endured from the Late to Terminal Classic period in the Mirador Basin and that these meanings may have been shared with people in the Usumacinta River area.

Maya Folktales offer insight into how twentieth century Maya worldview is a hybrid of indigenous Maya and European beliefs. Analysis was conducted on twenty-eight Maya folktales from the highlands of Guatemala found in folklore anthologies. Stories like The Spirits of the Dead in folklore anthologies can reveal new perspectives on how the Maya feel about rituals spaces, the fabric that separates the land of the dead from the land of the living, and the importance of showing respect to the dead in one’s community. Other stories, show the connection the Maya feel with their heritage and the connection they feel with the area where their ancestors lived. Twentieth century Maya folktales can provide insight into how the Maya view their landscape, including the realm of the dead as a part of the physical landscape and the belief that the landscape itself is a living spiritual entity.

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This paper explores a particular ceramic type, Vista Alegre Striated, an assumed locally produced utilitarian cooking vessel, recovered at the coastal Maya site of Vista Alegre during the Terminal Classic period (AD 800-1100). This study investigates the variations present within this type and how these differences inform production practices at the site and in the region. I use a three-point comparison of recovery locations: a pit feature at the site representing a single depositional episode, intrasite recovery locations, and a regional sample. Through these analyses I highlight various diversities in rim formations that suggest a diversity of producers over time.

The purpose of this study was to create a new method for visualizing music. Although many music visualizations already exist, this research was focused on creating high-quality, high-complexity animations that cannot be matched by real-time systems. There should be an obvious similarity between the input music and the final animation, based on the music information which the user decides to extract and visualize. This project includes a pipeline for music data extraction and creation of an editable visualization file. Within the pipeline, a music file is read into a custom analysis tool and time-based data is extracted. This data is output and then read into Autodesk Maya. The user may then manipulate the visualization as they see fit using the tools within Maya and render out a final animation. The default result of this process is a Maya scene file which makes use of the dynamics systems available to warp and contort a jelly-like cube. A variety of other visualizations may be obtained by mapping the data to different object attributes within the Maya interface. When rendered out and overlaid onto the music, there was a recognizable correlation between elements in the music and the animations in the video. This study shows that an accurate musical visualization may be achieved using this pipeline. Also, any number of different music visualizations may be obtained with relative ease when compared to the manual analysis of a music file or the manual animation of Maya objects to match elements in the music.

Texte remanié de: Ph.D.--University of Essex, 2001. / Bibliogr. p. 280-301. Index.

This dissertation examines portraiture at Palenque during the Classic period. I propose that portraits communicated information about the identity of the sitter through the representation of the face and head. I argue that when picturing the same person, sculptors rendered particular facial features with remarkable consistency. Artists also represented modifications to the face. Some superficial treatments that play roles in the ascription of identity include cosmetic devices appended to the face, tattoos or scarification, and facial hair. These changeable features operated alongside the face's form to communicate individual identity. The representation of facial features allowed the designers of visual programs at Palenque to make specific claims about the identity of sitters. For example, in some cases portraits quote physical characteristics observable in earlier portraits to mark biological connections of the individuals represented. Additionally, posthumous portraits furnished opportunities to situate some ancestors into divine lineages. Artists represented the faces, heads, and costumes of certain sitters in a manner that overtly referenced images of Maize Gods. In contrast, contemporary portraiture typically exhibits variations in the face's details, differences in the age of the sitter, and a diverse array of costumes. Despite this instability, portraits created during the sitter's lifetime still exhibit enough consistency to facilitate the identification of particular individuals. I suggest that emphasis placed on either divine lineage or temporal concerns shifted depending on political circumstances. This complex negotiation took place as the roles and responsibilities of kings changed during the Late Classic period. I advocate that portraits reflect the fragile and tenuous political environment during this time period, but more importantly, I propose that portraits actively participated in shaping environments and attitudes of Palenque's inhabitants. / text