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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Supervisors: David S. Stuart and Julia Guernsey. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

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

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

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Supervisors: Lynn C Miller and David Stuart. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Monumental art of the Maya incorporates figural imagery and hieroglyphic texts to document dynastic and mythical history. One particular monument tells us that near the end of April in 752 A.D., Bird Jaguar IV was inaugurated as ruler of the Mayan city now known as Yaxchilan. Investigation of his sculptural programmes reveals a multiplicity of innovative solutions for Bird Jaguar's unparalleled problems in validating a tenuous claim to rulership of Yaxchilan. It appears that in order to compensate for his insufficient genealogical claim, Bird Jaguar fabricated a series of ritual events which proclaimed his political legitimacy. This study examines the intended integration of two parallel systems of communication: the visual and hieroglyphic languages of the Maya. Analysis shows how Bird Jaguar's artists presented symbolic references which manipulated the past history, justified the current history, and established the future political history of Yaxchilan. / Arts, Faculty of / Art History, Visual Art and Theory, Department of / Graduate

The quatrefoil is a pan-Mesoamerican symbol with considerable time-depth. For the Maya, use of the symbol peaked during the Classic Period, reaching its highest frequency and largest geographical spread. Consequently, understanding its meaning has the potential to illuminate information about Precolumbian Maya worldview. While there have been several studies that focus on Preclassic Period quatrefoils, a similar study is lacking for Classic Period. Furthermore, the evaluations of the quatrefoil that do exist for the Classic Period are limited, often focusing on a select few examples. This thesis attempts to rectify the gap in extant research through an examination of the quatrefoil motif utilized by the Classic Period Maya. Specifically, the goal of the thesis was to determine whether the current interpretation of the quatrefoil as a cave is and also to investigate how the symbol communicated broader ideas about worldview and ideology. The approach that was utilized focuses on both archaeological and iconographic contexts. As an iconographic symbol, I attempt to understand the quatrefoil through the use of semiotics with particular emphasis on contextualization and analogy. The results of this study suggest that, while there were some patterns related to spatial distribution, the meaning of the quatrefoil motif was dependent on context and had considerable variations. I conclude that the analysis of the symbol, when based on specific usages and contexts, reveals that there is not enough evidence to support the current interpretation of quatrefoil as cave. Rather, the quatrefoil can be more accurately interpreted as a cosmogram that delineated information about how the Maya conceptualized, ordered, and iii accessed space that was appropriated by elites to reinforce and even legitimize political authority

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.