Transformations within an Ancestor Shrine: New Discoveries from Group D - Xunantunich, Belize

Summary

The concept of transformation is expressed by innumerable cultures and has been explored by archaeologists across the globe. The ritual act is often represented in Maya iconography as rulers and religious practitioners exhibiting their power through the ability to change into their animal uays. However, like individuals, spaces can undergo a process of ritual transformation. This paper examines the subject of transformation and how it is demonstrated through imagery and space within a Classic period Maya ancestor shrine at the elite residential unit of Group D, Xunantunich. I will discuss preliminary analyses of crypts discovered during the 2016 field season coupled with findings from the 2012-2015 investigations and how they represent various manifestations of the transformation theme. First, the re-signification of the shrine from its original function within the Late Preclassic can be seen as an act of transformation. Second, various secondary burials and at least one primary individual were discovered within a crypt containing grave goods which I suggest were meant to transform the burial space into the watery underworld. Lastly, a more traditional representation of this ritual ability is expressed iconographically on two carved shell gorgets found in association with a buried individual.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17391