UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Experiencing Maya Palaces: Royal Power, Space, and Architecture at Holmul, Guatemala A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology by Ryan William Mongelluzzo June 2011 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Wendy Ashmore, Chairperson Dr. Karl Taube Dr. Thomas C. Patterson Dr. Francisco Estrada-Belli Copyright by Ryan William Mongelluzzo 2011 The Dissertation of Ryan William Mongelluzzo is approved: Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to my dissertation committee. This gratitude begins with my advisor, Wendy Ashmore. Wendy made me feel most welcome when I first arrived and her strong interest in my research as it evolved really helped me to believe in it as a fruitful avenue of study. I learned, and continue to learn, much from her about Maya archaeology and concepts like Space and Place, but also in how to carry myself as a respected professional. Her patience and emotional support were integral in the completion of this dissertation. I would like to express gratitude to Karl Taube, who in taught me an immense amount about how ancient Maya art and iconography could be brought to bear on my arguments. I would also like to thank Tom Patterson for the conversations we had about the themes of the dissertation and the writing process. I found those discussions really helpful in finding my own productive creative practice. The final member of my committee, Francisco Estrada-Belli deserves special thanks not only for sitting on the committee, but also providing me with the fieldwork opportunity on the Holmul Archaeological Project so that I could conduct my research. Francisco provided room and board and put excavators and equipment at my disposal. This dissertation was also supported by a UCR CHASS Humanities grant. I would also like to thank the people who have engaged me as mentors both in my early career and here at UCR. From my time at Boston University, especially the field iv school at La Milpa, Belize, I owe a great debt to Norman Hammond. He taught me an incredible amount about how a project is to be run, and the trust he has shown in me over the years has meant a lot, as has his continued concern and support. I also learned a lot from Gair Tourtellot and Sara Donaghey in terms of survey and excavation techniques, respectively. Candida Lonsdale and Jan Morrison went a long way in teaching me exactly what I would, and would not, be able to accomplish in terms of drawing and inking. I want to especially thank Amanda Clarke for not only showing me that leadership can be graceful, but also for being a tremendously supportive friend. Finally, I would like to thank Laura Kosakowsky, a mentor never afraid to speak her mind or too tired to hear me vent. She helped me navigate the waters to UCR, through the field, and to a completed dissertation and doctoral degree. I would also like to thank the many friends that I have made in the field without whose support I would have undoubtedly failed. I especially want to thank Jeremy Bauer, with whom I hope to co-direct a project one day. I also want to show appreciation to Marc Wolf, Ben Thomas, Judith Valle, Jason Gonzalez, Kerry Sagebiel, Jenn Foley, Astrid Runggaldier, Kristen Gardella, Katie South, Anna Browne-Ribeiro, Anna Novotny, Erick Rochette, Mónica Fabiola de León Antillón, Angel Castillo, Alexandre Tokovinine, Antolin Velasquez-Lopez, Edy Barrios, John Tomasic and Michael Callaghan. At UCR, I would like to thank Juliet McMullin, for sitting in on my defense committee at the last minute. I would also like show gratitude for the discussions that we had impacting the theory chapter of this dissertation. I would also like to show v appreciation to those who showed a genuine interest in me professionally and personally. They would be Anthropology professors Scott Fedick, Al Fix, Carlos Vélez-Ibáñez, David Kronenfeld, Sang-Hee Lee, Sally Ness, Christine Gailey, Yolanda Moses, Derrick Fay, and Paul Ryer. I would also like to thank the director of the CHASS Connect program, Geoff Cohen, for the support and interest he gave. All of the CHASS Connect professors I TA’d for were supportive: Michelle Raheja, Raymond Williams, Juliette Levy, Dylan Rodríguez, Jonathan Walton, Anna Scott, George Haggerty, and Pat Morton. I want to thank all of my friends and colleagues from the UCR Department of Anthropology for their support. In particular I would like to thank Christina Halperin, Theresa Barket, Reiko Ishihara, Jeffrey Glover, Carrie Furman, Kata Faust, Taryn Rampley, Jon Spenard, Laurette McGuire, Kathy Sorenson, Lauren Schwartz, Shankari Patel, Chelsea Blackmore, John Gust, Dan Leonard, Mike Mathiowetz, Lucia Gudiel, Mark Wright, Jonathan DuBois, Jelena Radovic, Isabelle Placentia, Shuji Araki, and Tai Inoue. I am very excited and very grateful for a newly found community of archaeologists interested in the senses, whose ideas and passions have greatly impacted this dissertation. This community arose due to the 27th Annual Visiting Scholar Conference at Southern Illinois University, entitled Making Senses of the Past: Toward a Sensory Archaeology, which was led by Jo Day who has been very supportive and interested in my work. I would like to especially single out Joe Williams from this vi community, as our interests dovetail to an amazing degree even though they developed on different continents. I would like extend special love for those that now only showed me close friendship but also played a role in my graduate career. From days long too long ago, I would like to thank Gail Hughes-Morey, who kept me sane on either side of an eternal graveyard shift with the most amazing sense of humor. Nico Maestri played a pivotal role in helping me navigate the first presentation of my work in Guatemala and has been a very good friend. I would like to thank Michelle Butler for reading early drafts, recommending sources, and for being an undauntable friend. I would like to thank two I think of as brothers: Dani Diaz as the slightly older one who has often shown me the way through word and deed, while being a really good friend, and Scott Smith as the slightly younger one who constantly exemplifies that passion and zeal are important parts of this business, while caring for me like few others do. I would like to show my gratitiude to Ann Lovell, and her parents, who have shared a warmth, a support, and a genuine concern that could only be called family. Ann, in particular, deserves special mention as this whole dissertation would have fallen apart without her: she even went so far as to allow me to convert part of her house into an office. Finally, I need to mention my friends and family: Friends who have been like brothers most of my life, which is good, because I have none from blood: Adam Giocondo, Saumil Shah, Snehal Shah, and Scott Massari. And, of course, my actual sister: Kristen Albaneze. My aunt, Pearl Walsh, who has been an unbelievable source of love and support through the years. My cousins, who have always shown a keen interest vii in my happenings and been so very very generous: Jeff and Mary Walsh, Carol and Fred Haines, Kathleen and David Coxe, and Skip and Marna Buonadonna. And, of course, my little cousins, who find me on Facebook, blow up my phone, and have huge hugs for me when I see them: Eileen and Kara Coxe, and Alison and Kathryn Walsh. viii DEDICATION This PhD dissertation is dedicated to Phyllis “Pidge” Merle Kholer Fresne. I knew her as “Mom.” It is also dedicated to William “Bill” Mongelluzzo. I knew him as “Dad.” They showed me a love so unconditional and a faith so unwavering that I still feel both of those in my heart to this day, and know I always will. ix ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Experiencing Maya Palaces: Royal Power, Space, and Architecture at Holmul, Guatemala by Ryan William Mongelluzzo Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Program in Anthropology University of California, Riverside, June 2011 Dr. Wendy Ashmore, Chairperson This dissertation investigates Classic period (AD 250-900) Maya palaces as experiences. As unique built environments, these palaces were created to engender and facilitate specific experiences for those who interacted in and around their bounds. These experiences were inextricably tied to the rhetoric of rulership which made constant claims of power based on legitimacy, status, and authority. The research focuses on Group III at Holmul, Guatemala, which is compared to other palaces in the Maya region. My approach builds upon multiple theoretical perspectives, informed by the work of de Certeau, Foucault, Hall, and Soja. In the process, I examine palace architecture to explore how the Maya state expressed power through architectural design features. These features were parts of strategies to affect the experience of those in and around the x palace. I examine how the movement and sensory perception of both royal and non- royals persons were affected by palace architecture by concentrating on the spatial layout of morphological features. To understand these experiences, I set out a rationale on the relationship between the built environment and people. It is termed the archaeology of experience and it explicates how architecture acts as more than a backdrop to social engagements and directly affects behaviors. Experiencers are first treated as bodies, simply the array of their human senses. Once the built environment is perceived and understood, the experiencer reacts. These responses are considered to fall within one of three categories: conceptual, behavioral, and emotional.