Linguistic and Material Aspects of Classic Maya Patron Deity Veneration (Written Version) Joanne Baron For AAA 2013 Panel “Signifying the Social: Language, Objects, and Materiality” Introduction The archaeological evaluation of meaning in past societies has suffered from a reluctance on the part of archaeologists to consider language and material culture as part of a single system of signification. Instead, researchers have consistently favored either written media or other artifact categories, narrowing our understanding of ancient social life. Most recently, a new emphasis on materiality has contrasted the physicality and durability of the material world with the intangibility and ephemerality of language, to the detriment of the latter. In this paper, however, I will demonstrate the productivity of examining language alongside material culture in the analysis of social relationships by examining a specific case study. During the Classic period (AD 250-900), the ancient Maya world was divided into a series of semi-autonomous polities. Each of these communities possessed local patron deities which were venerated as a means of enacting internal and external political relationships (Baron 2013). Materiality was an important aspect of patron deity veneration: these gods were believed to inhabit physical effigies which were regularly handled, dressed, fed, and bathed. Temples were also constructed for them to “sleep” in and ritual food sharing was a way to celebrate them. However, if patron deity veneration were reduced to its materiality alone, without examining the numerous discourses which swirled around these practices, we would miss major aspects of its significance and efficacy.