The term otoot or dwelling' appears in many Mayan inscriptions placed on various buildings and built structures. Taking this as a starting point, Shannon Plank embarks on a quest to discern in what ways the Mayans used and conceive of lived space. Looking at four main sites in the Mayan Lowlands - Yaxchilan, Copan, Cichen Itza and Oxkintok - she studies the nature and context of the inscriptions, questions the function and role of the structures and tries to link the two together to reach an understanding both of the use of the term otoot and how it relates to the notion of space conceived by a Mayan elite.

Classic study by truly great figure in hieroglyph research. Still the best introduction for the student. 117 illustrations.

Dwelling, Identity, and the Maya offers a new perspective on the ancient Maya that emphasizes the importance of dwelling as a social practice. Contrary to contemporary notions of the self as individual and independent, the identities of the ancient Maya grew from their everyday relations and interactions with other people, the houses and temples they built, and the objects they created, exchanged, cherished, and left behind. Using excavations of ancient Chunchucmil as a case study, it investigates how Maya personhood was structured and transformed in and beyond the domestic sphere and examines the role of the past in the production of contemporary Maya identity.

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