The Organization of Chipped-Stone Economies at Piedras Negras ...

Acknowledgements
Foremost, I thank my dear mother for helping me financially and psychologically
through the process of writing this dissertation. I deeply appreciate my father’s
encouragement to continue this project through completion, despite my rather refractory
nature and all attempts to do otherwise. My grandparents also were an endless font of
love and support, and it grieves me deeply that none of them survived to see the
culmination of this work.
I extend my warmest regards to Karl Taube and Stephen Houston, who provided
me with the greatest academic, and at times financial, support throughout this dissertation
project. I am grateful to them for passing on to me their knowledge of Mesoamerican art,
writing, and archaeology, and for trusting me to work on such interesting and important
projects. Karl Taube has been a great mentor and an inspiration to me through the years. I
especially thank Stephen Houston and Héctor Escobedo for giving me the opportunity to
work at Piedras Negras, which remains one of the most amazing places on earth.
Various other senior scholars have lent me a hand through the years. Héctor
Escobedo, whom I consider a great friend, has always supported me, and I thank him for
working with me on the caches of Piedras Negras. I thank John Clark for introducing me
to lithic analysis and replication, and also critical thinking. Philip Wilke was extremely
helpful in replication studies, systematic lithic analysis, and formal writing. Takeshi
Inomata taught me how to believe in myself and has been an endless source of
encouragement. Rosemary Joyce has supported my research, and was the first to help me
get my foot in the door of Maya archaeology. I also thank John Robertson and David
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