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Abstract:
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This thesis examines a special group of Middle Preclassic (900 -600 BC ) figurines excavated at La Blanca , an early Mesoamerican site on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala . Figurines at La Blanca are ubiquitous and derive from both elite and non -elite household contexts . Because of their widespread distribution , archaeologists associate figurines with daily practice and household ritual in ancient Mesoamerica . They represent a rare opportunity to examine materializations of the human body across social strata , and because their depositional contexts do not seem to suggest ritual care , their context of use remains enigmatic .
With the dawn of the Middle Preclassic period , the community at La Blanca was at the center of a dramatic transition : in addition to the reconfiguring of political , social , and economic structures , the nature of personhood was profoundly transformed during this period . I argue that figurines were actively involved in the ongoing negotiation of social identity and personhood at La Blanca during this important transitional period . I specifically discuss a group of figurines from La Blanca called 'tab' figurines , which are remarkable for their exaggerated sexual characteristics and distinct approach to depicting the human form . I examine the 'tab' figurine assemblage in depth and examine how aspects of their context , form , and function helped their makers negotiate social identity at La Blanca . |