The architectural remains of prehispanic Maya monumental buildings represent a series of actions, decisions, and repeated practices, which contribute to the long sequences of construction observed in the archaeological record. This dissertation examines the history of temple construction and architectural changes at Caobal, a small center located near Ceibal in the Pasión region of Guatemala, to address questions about related social and political transformations during the Preclassic and Classic periods. The current study outlines a multilayered diachronic approach to investigate the ways prehispanic Maya communities constructed and modified their social landscape over long periods of time by participating in the tradition of monumental building.This study views minor temples such as Caobal as local nodes of community and religious interaction for groups outside the core of major Maya centers. By focusing on the materiality and temporality of minor temple architecture beyond primary centers of power, we can examine how these buildings were comprised of daily practices, identity politics, and religious values in prehispanic Maya society. The durability and permanence of these features, as well as deviations and modifications to earlier forms, demonstrate how such religious principles and practices intersected with the production of local politics and institutions of centralized authority. This study also views the acts of monument construction itself as part of an ongoing ritual process in prehispanic Maya society. The materialization and proliferation of temple architecture during the Preclassic and Classic periods can be regarded as pervasive expressions of political power and religious ideology, yet these architectural practices were not comprised of fixed or timeless traditions. To understand how specific memory practices and historical narratives shaped prehispanic Maya architectural traditions, this study examines not only the material and social foundations of these declarations but also the processes by which people's actions shaped and transformed their relationship with those who came before them. Ultimately, these processes involve the negotiation of internal conflicts and social difference as well as external power struggles. Using the local history of monument construction at Caobal, this study demonstrates how prehispanic Maya communities actively constructed and transformed their social worlds by building on the past.

The Yucatán, sixteenth-century Spaniards declared, was tierra enferma (infirmed land) as the destruction of diseases regularly consumed the region. Spaniards, Mayas, Africans, and people of mixed ancestry all fell victim to the cycles of disaster. The shared experiences of disease provided a context for deep lived connections for all. This dissertation examines the beliefs, practices, and relationships related to sickness and healing in the Yucatán from the late-sixteenth century to the late-eighteenth century. At the core of this project are questions about the production and circulation of medical knowledge. How, for instance, did ideas of the natural and supernatural world migrate between supposedly distinct social groups? Why did magical remedies related to the social body whither while unorthodox practices related to the physical body thrive? And how did healing breakdown colonial barriers of ethnicity and status? By exploring matters related to the body, sickness, and healing, this project unveils the complex everyday interactions of a society constantly threatened by disaster. The practices of healing represented the everyday modes of cooperation that operated in direct contrast to the idealized structures of colonial life. Dealing with the intimate relations of healing positions, this work bridges the distinct sub disciplines of cultural and intellectual history. Revealed here are the fundamental limitations of socially-constructed notions of distinction and authority, such as colonial visions of calidad (color), clase (class), and costumbre (culture). The interwoven ideas of status, race, and culture reinforced colonial divisions that tied directly into institutions of exploitation, such as the systems of slavery, tribute, and religious instruction. Nevertheless, my analysis illustrates that on the day-to-day level inhabitants of the Yucatán frequently drew deep connections that cut across idealized divides. Instead of being separated by race, they were united in healing the ills of the colonial experience. And in this manner, the people of the Yucatán created a system of healing that empowered the subjugated, particularly the enslaved and colonized. As such, this project moves from a basic assumption of the commonality of disease to explore the social and intellectual ties of everyday experience in the early-modern Spanish Atlantic World.

Thesis advisor: Brinton Lykes / A growing number of families in the U.S. are of mixed-status with at least one undocumented relative who is threatened by deportation. Many also are simultaneously involved in cross-border or transnational families. Despite these challenging contexts,these families rarely are attended to in psychological research. This dissertation presents findings from research with nine intergenerational Maya Kiche transnational and mixed-status families who live across the United States and Guatemala. The study explored relationships within these families and how they are maintained in contexts of family separation as influenced by U.S. immigration and deportation systems. A grounded theory analysis of in-depth interviews with at least one U.S.-based undocumented migrant parent, and one Guatemala-based child and caregiver from each family was developed to better understand and characterize the ways in which diverse family members perceive and experience their family relationships and separations. The middle-range theory developed from this study is called "being present when forced to be absent." This theory describes the main strategies family members in Guatemala and the U.S. utilize to maintain relationships over time and across space, which include communication, remittances or financial support, and the provision of life advice or consejos. Findings suggest that while these strategies mitigate challenges experienced in transnational family relationships, families view contextual strains in Guatemala and the U.S. as continuing to influence their cross-border relationships and family processes. Finally, this study showed that families leverage an additional strategy identified as reconfiguring the transnational family, wherein they alter the transnational configuration of their family to confront challenges of family separation. This study shows that U.S.-based undocumented migrant parents and children and elected caregivers in Guatemala contribute to their transnational families in unique ways. It also supports previous research arguing that immigration and deportation policies violate the rights of families from the global south who migrate north to support their relatives in origin countries. Implications for comprehensive immigration reform and new directions for research in psychology with migrant and transnational families are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology.

Thesis (M.A.)--Eastern Illinois University, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 42-44).

This study focuses on the assessment of the depositional activity that occurred in six caves of the Petexbatun region of the Peten, Guatemala through a quantitative analysis of the human skeletal material recovered from them. Five of these caves are associated with the site of Dos Pilas; the sixth cave (Cueva de Los Quetzales) is located beneath the site of Las Pacayas. The cave is an important aspect of the Maya worldview, as evidenced in the artifactual and skeletal material found in caves by archaeological exploration. My study is specifically focused on the assessment of the primary and/or secondary burial of Maya dead within these caves via analyses of the relative skeletal element frequencies, the minimum and probable number of individuals, and the identification of human cut marks. Based on these lines of evidence and data from preliminary reports, between 100 and 150 individuals of both sexes and various age groups were primarily deposited/buried in these caves. Secondary activity may be inferred based on evidence of human-made cut marks on several elements. There is no osteological evidence to support the hypothesis of human sacrifice. I was unable to determine the status of the individuals deposited in the caves. The best interpretation is that several types of depositional activity occurred within these caves over time.

Sepiolite is a clay mineral, a complex magnesium silicate, a typical formula for which is (OH2)4(OH)4Mg8Si12O30•8H2O. It is formed by blocks and cavities (tunnels) growing in the direction of the fibres. The tunnels, 3.7 x 10.6 Å in cross-section, are responsible for the high specific surface area and sorptive properties of sepiolite. The co-intercalation of 3-methyl cyclohex-2-en-1-one (MCH), the Douglas-Fir beetle anti-aggregation pheromone, with methanol, ethanol, acetone, or benzene into sepiolite tunnels was studied. The resulting nanohybrid materials were characterized by means of various techniques, such as multinuclear solid-state NMR spectroscopy, porosity studies and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). This was done in the hope of obtaining slow and controlled release of MCH from the sepiolite tunnels. It was demonstrated by 13C MAS NMR (carbon-13 magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance) that at room temperature there are two different MCH molecules: one MCH inside the tunnels and the other one outside the tunnels of the sepiolite. Heating nanohybrid materials at 60˚C for 20 hours removes the external MCH molecules from the sepiolite. 13C MAS NMR showed that by further heating nanohybrid materials at 120˚C for 20 hours, methanol, ethanol, or acetone peaks were greatly reduced; however, the benzene peak was not reduced. To better understand how benzene acts inside sepiolite, intercalation of d6-benzene, and co-intercalations of d6-benzene with MCH and d6-benzene with pyridine into sepiolite tunnels were carried out, and these samples were studied by the same techniques. Another technique was used in order to see whether the slow and controlled release of MCH from the sepiolite tunnels could be obtained: sepiolite-MCH nanohybrids were treated with 20 ml of 0.5 M HCl solution. It was found that when 1 gram of MCH-sepiolite sample was acid treated at room temperature, about 35% of intercalated MCH was removed from the sepiolite. The role of sepiolite clay was also studied in Maya-Blue representative structure sepiolite-indigo adduct. It is known that upon heating the sepiolite and indigo mixture, the stability that is present in Maya-Blue is achieved. It is still a mystery, however, how exactly indigo and sepiolite interact with each other.

Sepiolite is a clay mineral, a complex magnesium silicate, a typical formula for which is (OH2)4(OH)4Mg8Si12O30•8H2O. It is formed by blocks and cavities (tunnels) growing in the direction of the fibres. The tunnels, 3.7 x 10.6 Å in cross-section, are responsible for the high specific surface area and sorptive properties of sepiolite. The co-intercalation of 3-methyl cyclohex-2-en-1-one (MCH), the Douglas-Fir beetle anti-aggregation pheromone, with methanol, ethanol, acetone, or benzene into sepiolite tunnels was studied. The resulting nanohybrid materials were characterized by means of various techniques, such as multinuclear solid-state NMR spectroscopy, porosity studies and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). This was done in the hope of obtaining slow and controlled release of MCH from the sepiolite tunnels. It was demonstrated by 13C MAS NMR (carbon-13 magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance) that at room temperature there are two different MCH molecules: one MCH inside the tunnels and the other one outside the tunnels of the sepiolite. Heating nanohybrid materials at 60˚C for 20 hours removes the external MCH molecules from the sepiolite. 13C MAS NMR showed that by further heating nanohybrid materials at 120˚C for 20 hours, methanol, ethanol, or acetone peaks were greatly reduced; however, the benzene peak was not reduced. To better understand how benzene acts inside sepiolite, intercalation of d6-benzene, and co-intercalations of d6-benzene with MCH and d6-benzene with pyridine into sepiolite tunnels were carried out, and these samples were studied by the same techniques. Another technique was used in order to see whether the slow and controlled release of MCH from the sepiolite tunnels could be obtained: sepiolite-MCH nanohybrids were treated with 20 ml of 0.5 M HCl solution. It was found that when 1 gram of MCH-sepiolite sample was acid treated at room temperature, about 35% of intercalated MCH was removed from the sepiolite. The role of sepiolite clay was also studied in Maya-Blue representative structure sepiolite-indigo adduct. It is known that upon heating the sepiolite and indigo mixture, the stability that is present in Maya-Blue is achieved. It is still a mystery, however, how exactly indigo and sepiolite interact with each other.

Therapeutic landscapes are places that contribute positively to a healing experience or to the maintenance of an individual's health and wellbeing. The literature on therapeutic landscapes has been growing steadily since the early 1990s, but researchers have yet to sufficiently explore both non-Western and gendered perspectives. The research presented in this thesis addresses these two gaps by examining how Kaqchikel men and women in the municipality of San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala, differ in their construction and use of the therapeutic landscapes that surround them in their daily lives. <br /><br /> This research is broadly informed by feminist thought and methodologies, and the specific strategy of reflexivity was employed throughout the research process. In terms of gathering data, the two specific methods used were photovoice and structured interviews. Photovoice, it is argued, is an ideal method for studying therapeutic landscapes (particularly in a cross-cultural setting) because it gives participants the opportunity to reflect on their therapeutic landscapes before explaining them. The photographs also act as a visual cue that enhances interviews and can also bridge different experiences of reality. In total, 28 key informants were recruited through snowball sampling, with an equal number of male and female participants. Issues of foreign language research and translation are also addressed and some strategies for dealing with working in a foreign language are suggested. <br /><br /> Four main themes emerged from the data, and these themes revealed that Kaqchikel therapeutic landscapes are heavily driven by the poverty and violence experienced by the majority of participants. These four themes were: daily survival, community development, 'escape', and negative landscapes. Through these themes it was shown that the therapeutic landscapes of the Kaqchikel differ greatly between men and women due to traditional gender roles and relationships as well as the disproportional effect of violence on women, which restricts their mobility and ability to access their therapeutic landscapes. Finally, these themes reveal that Kaqchikel therapeutic landscapes span multiple generations and are multilayered, highly dynamic, and contingent on the social, political, and economic climates of the day.

Therapeutic landscapes are places that contribute positively to a healing experience or to the maintenance of an individual's health and wellbeing. The literature on therapeutic landscapes has been growing steadily since the early 1990s, but researchers have yet to sufficiently explore both non-Western and gendered perspectives. The research presented in this thesis addresses these two gaps by examining how Kaqchikel men and women in the municipality of San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala, differ in their construction and use of the therapeutic landscapes that surround them in their daily lives. <br /><br /> This research is broadly informed by feminist thought and methodologies, and the specific strategy of reflexivity was employed throughout the research process. In terms of gathering data, the two specific methods used were photovoice and structured interviews. Photovoice, it is argued, is an ideal method for studying therapeutic landscapes (particularly in a cross-cultural setting) because it gives participants the opportunity to reflect on their therapeutic landscapes before explaining them. The photographs also act as a visual cue that enhances interviews and can also bridge different experiences of reality. In total, 28 key informants were recruited through snowball sampling, with an equal number of male and female participants. Issues of foreign language research and translation are also addressed and some strategies for dealing with working in a foreign language are suggested. <br /><br /> Four main themes emerged from the data, and these themes revealed that Kaqchikel therapeutic landscapes are heavily driven by the poverty and violence experienced by the majority of participants. These four themes were: daily survival, community development, 'escape', and negative landscapes. Through these themes it was shown that the therapeutic landscapes of the Kaqchikel differ greatly between men and women due to traditional gender roles and relationships as well as the disproportional effect of violence on women, which restricts their mobility and ability to access their therapeutic landscapes. Finally, these themes reveal that Kaqchikel therapeutic landscapes span multiple generations and are multilayered, highly dynamic, and contingent on the social, political, and economic climates of the day.

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