Thesis Chapters by Caitlin Reddington Davis
Master's Thesis, University of Leiden
Supervisor: Dr. Maarten E.R.G.N. Jansen
Despite the fact t... more Master's Thesis, University of Leiden
Supervisor: Dr. Maarten E.R.G.N. Jansen
Despite the fact that the PostClassic Mesoamerican codices display a striking amount of similarity, academic studies of the discipline typically separate the Central Mexican and Mixtec manuscripts from those of the Maya, with the Maya receiving an epigraphic approach and the Mexican and Mixtec receiving an art historical approach. Many of these studies implicitly privilege phonetic writing systems, taking an evolutionary view of writing which devalues the pictographic. This privileging of the phonetic speaks to the more extensive devaluation of indigenous beliefs and practices on a wider scale. This thesis seeks to bridge the gap between the art historical and epigraphic by understanding the codices as products of the communities in which they were created, and thus fulfilling culturally-specific needs. Ritualized Discourse in the Mesoamerican Codices: An Inquiry into Epigraphic Practice accomplishes this through two case studies, one of which is based on the representation of the same subject matter, bloodletting, and one of which is based on the representation of the same linguistic practice, difrasismo. The results of the analysis indicate that while on a visual level the codices appear very different, on a phonological level there are many similarities in how they represent linguistic and phonetic elements. The Central Mexican and Maya codices in particular display a high degree of overlap, speaking to their shared scribal traditions. Approaching the codices as inventions designed to fulfill a purpose, interpretations of iconographic and phonetic elements are reached which speak to a pan-Mesoamerican experience of writing and highlight the benefits of alternative traditions of knowledge.
Papers by Caitlin Reddington Davis
Manuscript and Text Cultures, 2022
At Tulum, as well as other Maya sites in the Yucatan Peninsula, mural painting traditions are rel... more At Tulum, as well as other Maya sites in the Yucatan Peninsula, mural painting traditions are related to the style and symbol-set associated with Central Mexican manuscript cultures. The murals reflect the widespread Postclassic Mesoamerican manuscript cultures flourishing from the twelfth to sixteenth centuries AD, during which iconic and logosyllabic scripts were used in the construction of regionally distinct manuscript forms. The murals at Tulum relate to manuscript culture not only in their style and symbol set, but also in their use of metaphorical dualisms, in which significant iconic elements are contrasted as an indicator of a more abstract concept. Recognizing metaphorical juxtaposition as an underlying principle of Mesoamerican ritual language, this paper discusses the process by which manuscripts become monuments and considers the sacred metaphors painted on the temples of Tulum as mechanisms for reinforcing political power.
International Association for Obsidian Studies Bulletin, 2021
Museum collections of archaeological objects are a valuable source of data about past societies. ... more Museum collections of archaeological objects are a valuable source of data about past societies. This paper presents a new technical and geochemical analysis of obsidian excavated by Michael Coe and Kent Flannery in the 1960s from the archaeological site of Salinas La Blanca, Guatemala, housed at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. The analyses demonstrate the changing patterns of obsidian use and procurement practices of the people of Salinas La Blanca over a one thousand year period.
International Association of Obsidian Studies Bulletin, 2022
Museum collections of archaeological objects are a valuable source of data about past societies. ... more Museum collections of archaeological objects are a valuable source of data about past societies. This paper presents a new technical and geochemical analysis of obsidian excavated by Michael Coe and Kent Flannery in the 1960s from the archaeological site of Salinas La Blanca, Guatemala, housed at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. The analyses demonstrate the changing patterns of obsidian use and procurement practices of the people of Salinas La Blanca over a one thousand year period.
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Thesis Chapters by Caitlin Reddington Davis
Supervisor: Dr. Maarten E.R.G.N. Jansen
Despite the fact that the PostClassic Mesoamerican codices display a striking amount of similarity, academic studies of the discipline typically separate the Central Mexican and Mixtec manuscripts from those of the Maya, with the Maya receiving an epigraphic approach and the Mexican and Mixtec receiving an art historical approach. Many of these studies implicitly privilege phonetic writing systems, taking an evolutionary view of writing which devalues the pictographic. This privileging of the phonetic speaks to the more extensive devaluation of indigenous beliefs and practices on a wider scale. This thesis seeks to bridge the gap between the art historical and epigraphic by understanding the codices as products of the communities in which they were created, and thus fulfilling culturally-specific needs. Ritualized Discourse in the Mesoamerican Codices: An Inquiry into Epigraphic Practice accomplishes this through two case studies, one of which is based on the representation of the same subject matter, bloodletting, and one of which is based on the representation of the same linguistic practice, difrasismo. The results of the analysis indicate that while on a visual level the codices appear very different, on a phonological level there are many similarities in how they represent linguistic and phonetic elements. The Central Mexican and Maya codices in particular display a high degree of overlap, speaking to their shared scribal traditions. Approaching the codices as inventions designed to fulfill a purpose, interpretations of iconographic and phonetic elements are reached which speak to a pan-Mesoamerican experience of writing and highlight the benefits of alternative traditions of knowledge.
Papers by Caitlin Reddington Davis
Supervisor: Dr. Maarten E.R.G.N. Jansen
Despite the fact that the PostClassic Mesoamerican codices display a striking amount of similarity, academic studies of the discipline typically separate the Central Mexican and Mixtec manuscripts from those of the Maya, with the Maya receiving an epigraphic approach and the Mexican and Mixtec receiving an art historical approach. Many of these studies implicitly privilege phonetic writing systems, taking an evolutionary view of writing which devalues the pictographic. This privileging of the phonetic speaks to the more extensive devaluation of indigenous beliefs and practices on a wider scale. This thesis seeks to bridge the gap between the art historical and epigraphic by understanding the codices as products of the communities in which they were created, and thus fulfilling culturally-specific needs. Ritualized Discourse in the Mesoamerican Codices: An Inquiry into Epigraphic Practice accomplishes this through two case studies, one of which is based on the representation of the same subject matter, bloodletting, and one of which is based on the representation of the same linguistic practice, difrasismo. The results of the analysis indicate that while on a visual level the codices appear very different, on a phonological level there are many similarities in how they represent linguistic and phonetic elements. The Central Mexican and Maya codices in particular display a high degree of overlap, speaking to their shared scribal traditions. Approaching the codices as inventions designed to fulfill a purpose, interpretations of iconographic and phonetic elements are reached which speak to a pan-Mesoamerican experience of writing and highlight the benefits of alternative traditions of knowledge.