This paper explores possibilities for recognizing and analytically using culturally-specific understandings of artefacts and spaces at an ancient Maya archaeological site. In the case study that we present, we use Classic Maya material categories – derived from hieroglyphic texts – to re-envision our representations of artefactual distributions and accompanying interpretations. We take inspiration from countermapping as an approach that recognizes the positionality of spatial representations and makes space for multiple/alternative spatial perspectives. We present spatial analyses based on our work at the Classic Maya archaeological site of Say Kah, Belize, juxtaposing modern modes of visualizing the results of multiple seasons of excavations with visualizations that instead draw upon reconstructed elements of ancient inhabitants’ perspectives on the site, its spaces, and usages (based on information drawn from Classic Maya textual ‘property qualifiers’). We argue that even incomplete information, such as that available for archaeological contexts, allows us to reimagine past spatial perspectives and experiences. Furthermore, doing so represents a move towards inclusion that changes our understanding of sites in terms of ancient experience and usage. The outcome is a shifted perspective on the spaces of the site that decentres the modern, archaeological vision, accompanied by a more reflexive awareness of the processes we use to construct our interpretations. We end with larger reflections useful for archaeologists curious about translating these ideas to other cultural settings.

中文翻译：

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反制过去：重新构想伯利兹赛卡的古代玛雅空间

本文探讨了在古代玛雅考古遗址中识别和分析使用对文物和空间的特定文化理解的可能性。在我们呈现的案例研究中，我们使用经典 Maya 材料类别（源自象形文字文本）来重新设想我们对人工制品分布和伴随解释的表示。我们从反映射中汲取灵感，将其作为一种识别空间表示的位置并为多个/替代空间透视图腾出空间的方法。我们根据我们在伯利兹 Say Kah 经典玛雅考古遗址的工作进行空间分析，将多个季节挖掘结果的现代可视化模式与可视化相结合，这些可视化取而代之的是利用古代居民对遗址、其空间和用途的观点的重建元素（基于从经典玛雅文本“属性限定符”中提取的信息）。我们认为，即使是不完整的信息，例如可用于考古背景的信息，也能让我们重新想象过去的空间观点和经验。此外，这样做代表了一种包容性的转变，它改变了我们对古代经验和使用方面的遗址的理解。结果是对场地空间的转变视角，使现代考古视野分散，伴随着对我们用来构建解释的过程的更多反思。