A PRELIMINARY LEXICON OF ULÚA MEDALLION MOTIFS A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School Of Cornell University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Kathryn Marie Hudson January 2012 © 2012 Kathryn Marie Hudson ABSTRACT The research presented here combines archaeological and linguistic inquiry to develop a preliminary lexical analysis of the subset of iconography that occurs as part of medallion motifs. These elements were part of the iconographic system that was developed and implemented in the Ulúa Valley of Honduras during the Classic Period (c. 300-900 AD). Medallions are an Ulúa iconographic construction in which a central element or set of elements is demarcated by framing features that separate the internal components from other iconographic elements and mark them as a cohesive textual unit. This analysis approaches medallions as a distinct iconographic form and treats the motifs that constitute them as an iconographic subset whose use was governed by rules of textuality. It creates a preliminary lexicon of these motifs and divides them into lexemes that are headed by lemmas so that future studies can more easily attempt to ascertain the rules that governed their structure and their positioning in broader iconographic compositions. The ceramics that constitute the corpus used for this analysis are housed in the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University. Three hundred and seven pieces were incorporated into the sample set, and each of these has at least one medallion as part of its iconography. A variety of non-medallion motifs are also attested within the iconography of the sample corpus, though these elements are not relevant to the present analysis. All of the samples used in this analysis have documented provenience; they come from several locations, including the sites of Aguatal, Chasnigua Farm, Las Flores Bolsa, Lo de Vaca, Playa de los Muertos, Santa Rita, Siguatepeque, and Yarumela. This diversity of provenience allows the lexicon to more accurately represent the whole of Ulúa iconography and incorporate a more comprehensive list of medallion lexemes. iii BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Kathryn Marie Hudson was born in Houston, Texas, and grew up in Alpharetta, Georgia. She received an Associate of Arts degree in Foreign Languages from Georgia Perimeter College and then attended Georgia State University, where she graduated magna cum laude with research honors and received Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Anthropology and History. iv For my parents, Steve and Ann Hudson, who always encouraged me to follow my bliss. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work would not have been possible without the unwavering support and encouragement of my advisors, Frederich Gleach and Bernd Lambert. Fred, you have always pushed me to work harder and be better than I ever thought I could be. Thank you for encouraging me to step outside the box, for teaching me that mistakes are evidence of work and dedication, and for believing in me even when I could not believe in myself. You are an inspiration, a mentor, and a dear friend. Bernd, your unwavering support and encouragement has meant more to me than it is possible to express. Thank you for never letting me give up on myself, and for taking me on as a student, a colleague, and a collaborator. You are my both my teacher and my friend. To the other faculty at Cornell who helped in the creation of this work – John Henderson, Molly Diesing, Sarah Murray, and Wayne Harbert – your suggestions helped turn my gut feelings into a thesis, and your advice and support were invaluable. Thank you all very, very much. Sincere thanks are also due to the Linguistics Department at Cornell University, which took me in and helped this archaeologist to discover the linguist hidden within. Finally, thank you to my wonderful parents, Ann and Steve Hudson. You taught me that the world is a fascinating place, and this little exploration of it was inspired by you. I love you. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Biographical Sketch………………………………………………………………………………iii Dedication……………………………………………………………………...…………………iv Acknowledgements……………….……………………………………………………………….v Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………………vi List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………………vii List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………………viii Chapter 1 – Introduction….……………………………………………………………………….1 Chapter 2 – Ulúa Archaeology and Iconographic Studies……………………………..………….4 Chapter 3 – Text and Textuality……………………………….………………………………...20 Chapter 4 – Medallions Defined…………………………………………………………………28 Chapter 5 – A Preliminary Lexicon of Medallion Motifs ………………………….……………53 Chapter 6 – Conclusion.…………………………………………………………….……………83 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………..85 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 (Map of Eastern Mesoamerica showing the Ulúa Valley)…………...………………….5 Figure 2 (Detailed map of the Ulúa Valley and its surrounding regions……...…………….…….6 Figure 3 (Examples of medallion framing categories)…………………………………………..21 Figure 4 (Examples of frame complexity).……………………… ……………………………...23 Figure 5 (Examples of medallion internal component categories)…………………….………...24 Figure 6 (An illustration of PM-671)…………………………………….……………….……...34 Figure 7 (Illustration of the exterior and interior of PM-671)……………………....…………...43 Figure 8 (The flamed medallions on the external wall of PM-13)…………..…………………..45 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1 (Ulúa medallion lexemes and lemmas of the central type)…………...………….……...56 Table 2 (Ulúa medallion lexemes and lemmas of the framing type)…..……...…………….…...72 1 CHAPTER 1 AN INTRODUCTION Homo sapiens sapiens are innately symbolic animals that possess an inclination towards semiotic structuring that defines the species and shapes the cultures that it creates. Although the creation of syntactically structured semiotic relationships reached its peak with the development of human language in its spoken and written forms, these systems are not the only manifestation of this astonishing capability. Sign systems that lack a linguistic component are underutilized portals into the human experience, and Mesoamerica is particularly rich in iconographic systems that served as visual languages for those with access to the cultural grammars necessary for their utilization and interpretation. These systems functioned as cultural artifacts that intersected with other kinds of symbolic constructions, and they can be analyzed as concrete entities capable of providing information about the cultures that created them. The research presented here focuses on the iconographic system that was developed and implemented in the Ulúa Valley of Honduras during the Classic Period (c. 300-1000 AD). In particular, it focuses on the subset of Ulúa iconography that occurs as part of medallion motifs. Medallions are an Ulúa iconographic construction that will be defined in detail in chapter four; for now it is sufficient to note that medallions are iconographic motifs in which a central element or set of elements is demarcated by framing features that separate the internal components from other iconographic elements and mark them as a cohesive textual unit. This analysis recognizes medallions as a distinct iconographic form and treats the motifs that constitute them as a subset of Ulúa iconography. It creates a lexicon of these motifs and divides them into lexemes that are headed by lemmas; the lexemes represent the sets of forms taken by each motif and the lemmas serve as the “dictionary forms” of each lexeme that function as the flagship entry for that lexeme. 2 Future studies of Ulúa medallions will attempt to ascertain the rules that governed their structure and their positioning in broader iconographic compositions. Chapter two reviews the most significant aspects of Ulúa archaeology and iconographic studies since work first began in the Valley in the late 19th century. An understanding of these inquiries is necessary for contemporary scholarship focused on the region, particularly since many archaeological sites in the Ulúa valley have been destroyed or compromised by looting and encroaching development. Chapter three defines Ulúa medallions, discusses their distinguishing characteristics and features, and identifies the three types of medallions that occur within the Ulúa iconographic corpus. Chapter four explores how notions of text and textuality can be used to develop an analytical approach to the study of Ulúa iconography through a review of the most common definitions of text and an examination of the iconography found on two Ulúa vessels. Chapter five presents the lexicon of motifs that occur as part of medallions. The structure of the lexicon is described, and the relevant terminology is defined. The ceramics that constitute the corpus used for this analysis are housed in the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University. The sample set included 307 pieces, and each of these has at least one medallion as part of its iconography. A variety of non- medallion motifs is also attested within the iconography of the sample corpus, though these elements are not relevant to the present analysis. All of the samples used in this analysis have documented provenience; they come from several locations, including the sites of Aguatal, Chasnigua Farm, Las Flores Bolsa, Lo de Vaca, Playa de los Muertos, Santa Rita, Siguatepeque, and Yarumela. This diversity of provenience allows the lexicon to more accurately represent the whole of Ulúa iconography and thus incorporate a more comprehensive and accurate