"An overview of varied practices from prehistoric to present of human’s pursuit of the super mundane through physical alteration of the body. This lecture explores ritual use of amputating, dental and cranial modifying, bloodletting, tattooing, piercing, cicatrizing, suspending and flagellating from around the world and throughout time. "

"This overview of body modification in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican cultures will highlight the region of what is today Southern Mexico and Guatemala. This lecture examines the techniques and motivations for the religious and social customs of altering the body through piercing, tattooing, bloodletting, amputation, human sacrifice, cranial shaping, dental inlays, etc. We will compare in depth the practices from the ancient civilizations of Olmec, Oaxaca, Teotihuacan, Toltec, Haustec, Mixtec and with a particular focus on the Mayan."