Research

Full-Figure Inscriptions

My dissertation examines the corpus of full-figure inscriptions created at Palenque, Yaxchilán, Copán and Quiriguá, particularly in the 8th century CE. I analyze these glyphs from both a linguistic and visual perspective and contextualize them within the Maya concept of ts'ihb, a term that involves mark-making from painting to writing. I am currently in the writing phase of this project and will defend my dissertation in the spring of 2024. 

Read a recently published excerpt from my dissertation here.

Pacific Coast Niche Monuments

For my Master's thesis research, I studied Preclassic niche monuments found along the Pacific Coast near the Mexican-Guatemalan border. I analyzed the iconography, geographic distribution, and temporal alignments of these monuments and determined that both their iconography and immediate physical context (where available) formed close associations with water and the underworld. The thesis can be read here.