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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Anthropology

Brigham Young University

Guatemala

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Life-Giving Stone: Ethnoarchaeology Of Maya Metates, Michael T. Searcy Jan 2011

The Life-Giving Stone: Ethnoarchaeology Of Maya Metates, Michael T. Searcy

Faculty Publications

Descendants of the ancient civilizations of southern Mexico and Central America are one of the greatest sources of information of Maya life. today the modern Maya live and work in the rural villages and towns spread out over this vast region. Many Maya communities continue to thrive culturally, while others, due to colonialism and civil war, have lost many of their traditions and customs. But even those groups ravaged by the strains of globalization ad the industrial revolution have retained some thread of cultural patrimony that ties them to their prehistoric ancestors. This is manifest in many different forms of …


Mano And Metate Manufacturing Techniques Of The Maya: An Ethnoarchaeological Approach To Understanding Standardization And Measurements, Michael T. Searcy Jan 2007

Mano And Metate Manufacturing Techniques Of The Maya: An Ethnoarchaeological Approach To Understanding Standardization And Measurements, Michael T. Searcy

Faculty Publications

Prehistorically, maize was the bulk of the Mayan diet, which made grinding stones an indispensable tool. Basalt quarries located in Highland Guatemala are still exploited by metateros who produce manos and metates today. This paper reports the recent research among metateros of two quarries in Guatemala and how they can be use to build new analogies that aid in the interpretation of prehistoric production economies of metates. It specifically investigates how systems of measurement are linked to standardization.


The Acropolis At Kaminaljuyu: A Study Of Late Classic Occupation, Kelleigh Waimarie Cole Mar 2006

The Acropolis At Kaminaljuyu: A Study Of Late Classic Occupation, Kelleigh Waimarie Cole

Theses and Dissertations

The Late Classic Period at Kaminaljuyú is one of the most poorly understood periods of occupation, possibly because the artifacts and architecture lack the ornate decoration found in earlier periods. One of the largest and best preserved areas of the site is located in the Parque Arqueológico de Kaminaljuyú in Zone 7 of Guatemala City. A major focal point of architecture atKaminaljuyú is the Acropolis, which has been the focus of various excavations, particularly the work of Gustavo Espinoza from 1958 to 1962. Despite this research, much of the important documentation and artifacts recovered from these excavations have been lost. …


Mayan Metate Ethnoarchaeology, Michael T. Searcy Mar 2005

Mayan Metate Ethnoarchaeology, Michael T. Searcy

Theses and Dissertations

Manos and metates are ubiquitous at archaeological sites in Mesoamerica. Unfortunately, grinding stones are understudied, and thus, not much is understood about them. Understanding that archaeology is based on the use of analogy to infer past life-ways, little work has been done to create analogies specifically for manos and metates. The purpose of this thesis is to study modern grinding stones used by Mayans living in Guatemala to better understand manos and metates used by ancient peoples. I worked for two field seasons in Guatemala recording the life histories of manos and metates used by the Q'eqchi' and K'iche', two …


Book Review Of Silence On The Mountain (Daniel Wilkinson), Michael T. Searcy Jan 2003

Book Review Of Silence On The Mountain (Daniel Wilkinson), Michael T. Searcy

Faculty Publications

Recién terminada una guerra civil de 36 años, Guatemala abriga los secretos de la coerción y del genocidio que el mundo tiene que saber. Con la firma del acuerdo de paz entre las fuerzas revolucionarias y los militares en diciembre de 1996, el gobierno acordó formar una comisión de la verdad, conocida como la Comisión para la Clarificación Histórica. Con la esperanza de traer la justicia y acabar con el terror que la gente había experimentado, la comisión recogió los testimonios de millares de personas que habían sido aterrorizados por los militares y la guerrilla. Las historias acababan con un …