Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I. Introduction: Background, Contexts, and Theories
Early Figurines Cross-Culturally
Interpreting Figurines
2. Ritual, Cooperation, Costly Signaling, and Storytelling
Selectionist Perspectives on Ritual: Cooperation and Costly Signaling
Storytelling
Past Is Prologue: A "Just-So" Story
Part II. Formative Mesoamerican and Maya Human Figures and Figurines
Figurines
The Olmecs
Mutilation
4. The Preclassic Maya Lowlands and Central Petén
Ixlú and Nixtun-Ch'ich'
Figurines and Ritual; Calendars and Cooperation
Visual Characterization of Clay Pastes
Manufacturing Procedures
Sex and Gender
The Human Head
Cranial Modification
The Human Face
7. Central Petén Preclassic Anthropomorphic Figurines: Heads and Faces
Head Shapes: Dimensions and Proportions
Facial Features
Concluding Thoughts
8. Formative Mesoamerican Heads: Headgear, Headdresses, and Hairstyles
Olmec Colossal Heads and Other Sculpture
Headbands, Year Signs, and Emblem Glyphs
Central Petén Figurine Hairstyles and Headgear
Part III. Time, Formative Heads, and Maya Writing
Temporality: The Many Flows of Time
Sacred Divinatory Almanac
Counting and Writing
The Maya Long Count
Conclusions
Head-Variant Glyphs: Varied Perspectives
Classic Head-Variant Numbers 0 through 13
A Final Comment
11. Summary and Overview: Preclassic Figurine Heads and Classic Maya Portrait Glyphs
Head Shapes and Glyph Cartouches
Early Mythology: Perspectives from the Popol Vuh
Summary
Part IV. Additional Perspectives for Interpreting Early Maya Figurines
Musical Instruments
Discussion
13. Geochemistry: Compositional Analysis of Nixtun-Ch'ich' and Ixlú Figurines
Methods
Results
Interpretation: Fragmentation, Circulation, and Enchainment?
Kinds of Meanings
Some Newer Approaches to Objects' Meanings
Contexts, Again
Early Ritual Areas and E-Groups
Part V. Conclusions
15 Anthropomorphizing the Cosmos
Legitimation: "Cosmological Others"
So, Why Figurines? And "Who" Were They?
Embodiment, Fragmentation, Partibility, Enchainment, Miniaturization
Contexts, Meanings, and Uses
Time, Calendrical Ritual, Political Power, and Figurines
Concluding Thoughts
Appendix: Concordance of Figurine Numbers, Illustrations, and Provenience Information
References
Index