'Tab' figurines and social identity at La Blanca

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dc.contributor.advisor Guernsey , Julia , 1964 -
dc.contributor.committeeMember Stuart , David
dc.creator Long , Michael James , 1985 -
dc.date.accessioned 2011 -06 -17T19 :00 :38Z
dc.date.accessioned 2011 -06 -17T19 :01 :19Z
dc.date.accessioned 2011 -08 -17T14 :36 :45Z
dc.date.available 2011 -06 -17T19 :00 :38Z
dc.date.available 2011 -06 -17T19 :01 :19Z
dc.date.available 2011 -08 -17T14 :36 :45Z
dc.date.created 2011 -05
dc.date.issued 2011 -06 -17
dc.date.submitted May 2011
dc.identifier.uri http : / /hdl .handle .net /2152 /ETD -UT -2011 -05 -3119
dc.description.abstract 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 .
dc.format.mimetype application /pdf
dc.language.iso eng
dc.subject Tab figurines
dc.subject Middle Preclassic period
dc.subject La Blanca
dc.subject Social identity
dc.subject Guatemala
dc.subject Blanca Site (Guatemala )
dc.subject Antiquities
dc.subject Indians of Central America
dc.subject Humor
dc.title 'Tab' figurines and social identity at La Blanca
dc.description.department Art History
dc.type.genre thesis *
dc.type.material text *
thesis.degree.name Master of Arts
thesis.degree.level Masters
thesis.degree.discipline Art History
thesis.degree.grantor University of Texas at Austin
thesis.degree.department Art History
dc.date.updated 2011 -06 -17T19 :01 :19Z

Citation

'Tab' figurines and social identity at La Blanca. Master's thesis, University of Texas at Austin. Available electronically from http : / /hdl .handle .net /2152 /ETD -UT -2011 -05 -3119 .

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