Head shaping of the ancient Maya at Wild Cane Cay and Moho Cay, Belize

Identifier

etd-01272010-150437

Author

Kellye Alyse French, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical CollegeFollow

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Geography and Anthropology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

As a sign of beauty or status, the ancient Maya shaped the skulls of their infants, resulting in what modern researchers see as several forms of cranial modification. My project consists of the study of cranial modification of the coastal Maya from two trading ports, including an Early Classic (A.D. 300-600) sample Moho Cay, Belize, and a Postclassic (A.D. 900-1300) sample from Wild Cane Cay, Belize. Using the classification set forth by Dembo and Imbelloni, I calculate the type of cranial modification found at each site. I then create gender, temporal, and spatial distributions and compare the results to other established cranial modification distributions for the Maya area.

Date

2010

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Recommended Citation

French, Kellye Alyse, "Head shaping of the ancient Maya at Wild Cane Cay and Moho Cay, Belize" (2010). LSU Master's Theses. 3299.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/3299

Committee Chair

McKillop, Heather

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.3299