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Ritual Change at the End of the Maya Classic Period: A Study of Incense Burners from the Southern Lowlands
María Dolores Tobías
This research aims to better understand Maya ritual practices associated with the burning of aromatic substances and the use of incense burners in the southern Maya lowlands during the Classic (A.D. 250 – 900) to Postclassic (A.D. 900 – A.D. 1200) transition. Incense burners are considered as important components of Maya ritual and religious paraphernalia through which communication with supernatural beings was enacted. Their forms and decoration were the products of specific principles of design and iconography that were commonly imbued with symbolic and religious meaning. The study involves an analysis of the form and decoration of these vessels as well as their contexts of recovery and use through time. The changes and continuities in the forms and decoration of incense burners, their contexts and their use sheds light into the continuation and/or innovation of ritual and religious ideas which are linked to broader social, economic and political factors in Maya society during the end of the Classic period. The study is based on a sample of incense burner materials excavated in Guatemala and from various museum collections.
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Front Cover
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Title Page
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Copyright
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Dedication
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Acknowledgements
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Abstract
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Table of Contents
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List of Figures
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List of Tables
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1. INTRODUCTION
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2. THE END OF THE CLASSIC PERIOD AND THE TRANSITION TO THE POSTCLASSIC
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3. RITUAL PRACTICES AND MATERIAL CULTURE
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4. PREVIOUS STUDIES OF CENSERS IN THE MAYA LOWLANDS
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5. THE CENSER SAMPLE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
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6. THE CENSERS IN PRIMARY CONTEXTS
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7. A TYPOLOGICAL AND DISTRIBUTIONAL ANALYSIS OF CENSERS AND CONTAINERS ASSOCIATED WITH BURNED INNER SURFACES
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8. THE TRANSITION FROM THE CLASSIC TO POSTCLASSIC PERIOD BASED ON A CONTEXTUAL AND DIACHRONICAL ANALYSIS OF INCENSE BURNERS
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9. INCENSE BURNING PATTERNS AND CENSERS
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10. THE KINDS OF INCENSE USED IN THE MAYA AREA AND CENTRAL MEXICO
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11. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
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12. APPENDIX
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13. REFERENCES
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Citable Link
Published: 2011
Publisher: BAR Publishing
- 9781407338149 (ebook)
- 9781407308296 (paperback)
BAR Number: S2258