Engendering space and activity in the pre-Hispanic Mayan civilisation

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the Maya civilisation of the Lowlands from the Classic to Postclassic Period (250 AD-1521 AD). The aim is to understand (1) the perception of the living space and (2) gender for the pre-Hispanic society; (3) the fulfilment of activities in space and who makes it; and (4) the relationship between men and women in society. Who takes care of what kind of activity, where, how, and with whom? The methodology used will be to look at the in-situ sites (location, city plans, buildings, accessibility, control, social hierarchy in architecture) and at artefacts (found in bioarchaeology, excavations, museums) to understand which activity could have taken place in which space or location in a city, and at the iconography, epigraphy, and ethnography to have a glimpse at which activities could have been practiced at that time and by which gender. The structure of this investigation will start with a theoretical framework where the concepts of power, dependency, space, and gender will be analysed. Then the focus will be on the architecture of some structures comprising residences, temples, palaces, sweat baths, ballcourts, council houses, and platforms to see how a city was organised and how structures could be more public or private. Subsequently, the investigation will be on the artefactual remains. Where were they located within a structure, and how can they give back gendered activities when they are associated with a grave good? The next section will deal with the analysis of the activities. The aim will be to understand how and by whom activities were practiced. Finally, this investigation will discuss and compare the data to identify how a space can be gendered following the type of activities.