UC San Diego

This thesis examines an unprovenienced Early Classic tripod cylinder vessel from the Maya region, exploring concepts of embodiment, personhood, and materiality. Through an examination of the metaphysical aspects of ceramics, I attempt to reconstruct their role within the ancient Maya civilization. Employing an interdisciplinary framework combining approaches from material culture studies, ethnography, and anthropology with art historical methodologies of visual analysis I consider the following questions: 1) How does this vessel function as an extension of its owner? 2) In what ways may materiality and references to corporeality inform notions of animacy? And finally, 3) by creating a multisensory experience, how does this vessel engage the viewer, enacting its agency on its human subjects? Through such a close interdisciplinary analysis of the tripod cylinder vessel, I aim to formulate a method in which we can better understand unprovenienced ceramics lacking in scientific data that have been largely excluded from mainstream discourse. My objective, in both this paper and my research more broadly, is to contribute to the Mesoamerican field a fresh approach expanding the ways in which we perceive and understand ancient pottery.