Joanne Baron

My dissertation research concerns Classic Maya patron deities. Like modern patron saints, these deities were specific to different kingdoms, and were venerated as protectors and symbols of their home communities. It has long been assumed that these gods were simply deified ancestors of ruling lineages. However, hieroglyphic inscriptions indicate that the Maya viewed patron gods as a separate category of supernatural being. Furthermore, these patron gods were introduced during important periods in each community’s history, sometimes involving political changes such as war, conquest, and dynastic change. My dissertation examines the site of La Corona, Guatemala, where I have excavated a series of patron deity temples. These temples were built on top of earlier ancestor shrines, which were replaced when a new king, probably from a rival lineage, gained power and forged new alliances with other sites. My dissertation explores the political motivation for the veneration of these patron deities, and the social consequences this veneration had for the royal family and for the community as a whole.