ABSTRACT
Most Mesoamerican archaeology has taken adults as its representative subjects. Childhood is a significant focus in some demographic studies (Storey 1992). Mortuary analyses include discussion of burial treatment of infants and juveniles, rarely considering the experience of childhood or transitions in the life course. Some discussion of life-cycle rituals is embedded in historical accounts of specific Classic Maya rulers (Schele and Miller 1986: 114, 136-7, 148-50; Schele and Freidel 1990: 235-40, 470-1). Studies of figurines have led analysts to suggest connections with stages in the life course and life-cycle rituals (Cyphers Guillén 1993; Lesure 1997; Serra Puche and Durand 1998).
