What does their storage say about Them? An interpretation of domestic storage practices at the Classic Period Maya village of Ceren

Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation

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Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/2v23vt72x

Abstract

Around A.D. 650 the Loma Caldera eruption entombed the Classic Period Maya village of Cerén in 4-6 meters of volcanic ash. This resulted in the exceptional preservation of structures, artifacts and botanical remains, providing archaeologists with a unique opportunity to study the household complexes and their related activities. However, much of the previous research concerning the households at Cerén has primarily focused on its economic activities. As a result, archaeologists have yet to address the socio-cultural aspects such as status, wealth, authority and moral order of the household and its members. Part of the reason for this emphasis on the economic is a narrow conceptualization of the domestic space and materiality. Therefore, this study proposes the use of domestic storage practices to better understand the socio-cultural aspects such as status, wealth, authority and moral order of household complexes at Cerén. Storage provides an ideal medium to evaluate these dimensions because it represents a confluence of the spatial, symbolic, social and material worlds. Interpretations of the domestic storage practices of households at Cerén suggest its inhabitants lived within a complex and dynamic social heterarchy.

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