MAYAN SPATIAL COGNITION: VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL MODELS OF SPACE IN A YUCATECAN COMMUNITY

This research addresses two primary methodological goals: (1) to develop ways of describing and analyzing untutored sketch maps independent of western mapping conventions and usable in a variety of cultural contexts, and (2) to validate that analysis by comparison with verbal and non-verbal expressions of the same ideas. Both of these goals were pursued and preliminarily tested in a Yucatecan village.;Key factors in the formal variation are: (1) exposure to western mapping conventions, (2) the area being mapped, (3) the way the area is experienced by its inhabitants. The first of these is a product of western style education. The latter are paralleled by the verbal and gestural data.;Further comparison with earlier descriptions of Yucatecan space and more general spatial studies shows two sets of complementary, paired themes: rectilinear versus circular models for organizing spatial information, and comprehensive or holistic conceptualization of space with a narrower, linear, sequential model.;The method and model used here should be relatively culture-free and usable in other settings as a tool developed specifically for examining sketch maps without strong bias toward western, cartographic mapping conventions. The cross-cultural applicability remains to be tested at a later date.;Four different data sets are used: (1) physical treatment of space, (2) verbal descriptions of that space, (3) gestures accompanying these statements, and (4) 31 sketch maps. The sketch maps are approached in two ways. First, the manner in which each map was drawn is described in detail, covering the content, distortions, and the forms of the map used. Second, the analysis focuses on these structural aspects of the map sample, including: (1) the formal properties encoded in the maps, (2) classification of maps into six formally identifiable styles, (3) procedures used to produce each type of map, and (4) generalized attributes cross-cutting the six categories. The six mapping styles are then compared to the age, sex, and literacy of the people who drew them. In addition, the factor of which area (village or region) was the subject matter for each map is also considered in this comparison.