Metapragmatics in Archaeological Analysis: Interpreting Classic Maya Patron Deity Veneration

Abstract

Abstract Anthropological archaeology has long had an interest in understanding the semiotic properties of material objects, since it is through such objects that most archaeological analysis takes place. In recent decades, a new emphasis on materiality has focused attention on the links between material objects and social relationships in the past. In this article I argue that, just as in modern societies, the indexical meaning of material objects, and their role in social relations, were shaped by metapragmatic discourses in the past. Thus, in order to understand the role of material objects within ancient societies, it is necessary to analyze these discourses by means of historical records, their archaeological context, and analogical examples. I give an example of this method by analyzing Classic Maya inscriptions and the ways that the discourses recorded in them characterize material objects such as temples, cult objects, and tribute payments.

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