The Maya World

Cover
Endorsements
Half Title
Series Information
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of contents
Figures
Tables
Contributors
Chapter One Introduction
	References
Part I Beginnings
	Chapter Two Archaic Maya matters
		Preceramic chronology and terminology
		The earliest Archaic
		The last Archaic Maya
		Conclusions
		References
	Chapter Three Public architecture and the rise of complexity in the Middle Preclassic
		Introduction
		History of Middle Preclassic investigations
		Challenges
		The development of Middle Preclassic public/ritual architecture
			E Groups
			Ballcourts
		Discussion
		Summary and conclusion
		References
	Chapter Four The southern Maya Lowlands in the Late Preclassic
		Introduction
		Historical perspectives
		Architecture and material culture
		Core issues and topics: society and politics
		New Debates: the end of the Late Preclassic
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter Five The Late Preclassic Pacific slope
		Historical perspectives and core issues
			Language and identity
			Art
			Archaeology
				Izapa
				Tak’alik Ab’aj
				El Ujuxte
				Other Late Preclassic Pacific slope centers
		New and continuing debates
			Chronology
			State formation and urbanism
			Art and urbanity
			Collapse
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter Six The Maya Highlands and the Late Preclassic: Kaminaljuyu as a case study
		Introduction
		Historical perspectives
		Early settlements of the Maya Highlands
		Core issues and topics: resources, strategic location, and hydraulics
		Storage
		Hydraulic management
		Montículo de la Culebra
		The end of the Preclassic: drought and termination rituals
		Conclusions
		References
Part II Bodies
	Chapter Seven Maya bioarchaeology
		Introduction: the coming of age of Maya bioarchaeology
		Ancient Maya mobility and population structure
		Physical embodiment and social identities
		Age-at-death, physiological stress, and social distinction
		Embodying violence
		Life histories of ancient Maya nobility
		Note
		References
	Chapter Eight Graves, dead bodies, souls, and ancestors
		Contexts
		Contents
		Contextualized
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter Nine Gender and sexuality
		Introduction
		Definitions
		Recent advances
			Gendered activities
			Masculinities
			Normalization
		Where do we go next?
		References
	Chapter Ten Human-animal relations in the Maya world
		Introduction
		Archaic and Early Preclassic: transition towards village life
		Middle and Late Preclassic: the rise of complexity and rulership
		The Classic period: animals and socio-political complexity
		Terminal Classic and the Maya collapse
		Postclassic: animal trade in the Maya world and beyond
		The Maya under Spanish colonialism
		Modern continuities: ethno-zooarchaeology and the question of garbage
		Discussion and conclusion
		References
	Chapter Eleven Favored plants of the Maya
		Introduction
		The Milpa
		Maize: tamales, tortillas, atoles, and cushushas
		Squash and gourds
		Beans
		Chile peppers
		Vanilla
		Trees (and shrubs)
			Cacao
			Pine wood
			The calabash or gourd tree
			Palm trees
		Greens
		Roots
		Important goods made of botanically derived materials
		Flowers in food and ritual
		Stimulants, inebriants, and hallucinogens
			Stimulants
			Inebriants
			Hallucinogens
		Conclusions
		References
	Chapter Twelve Migration and mobility in the eastern Maya Lowlands
		Introduction
		Historical perspectives on migration
		Archaeological chemistry and identifying population movement
		Migration and mobility in Belize
		Summary
		Ancient DNA
		Conclusions: migration in the Classic Maya world
		Acknowledgements
		References
Part III Landscapes
	Chapter Thirteen Paleoecology, soil, and water in Maya history
		Introduction
		Methods
		Sediment cores
		Speleothems
		Ecosystem change
		Evidence of agriculture
		Maya influences on the environment
		Recovery
		Soils in paleoenvironmental change
		Water resources
		Conclusions
		References
	Chapter Fourteen Settlement patterns
		Introduction
		The historical trajectory of Lowland Maya settlement pattern studies
			The Descriptive Period (1885–1954)
			The Processual period (1954–1985)
			The Contextual period (1985–2000)
			The Emergent Geospatial period (2000–2009)
		LiDAR and the geospatial revolution in Lowland Maya settlement archaeology
		LiDAR-based settlement research in the Buenavista Valley, Guatemala
		References
	Chapter Fifteen Ancient Maya ports, port facilities, and navigation
		Types and functions of coastal sites
		Maya trading ports
		Maya port facilities
		Maya water transport and navigation
		Conclusions
		Notes
		References
	Chapter Sixteen Ritual cave use among the ancient Maya
		Caves in ancient Maya thought
			Caves and cosmology
			Caves in the foundation of communities
			The archaeology of caves
			Cave architecture
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter Seventeen Ancient Maya rurality: Old assumptions, current research, and new directions
		Introduction
		Concepts
			History of rural research in the Maya area
			Defining rurality
			The Preclassic and Classic rural Maya
				Spatiality
				Demography
				Ecology and landscape use
				Specialization
				Social homogeneity/heterogeneity
					Internal social inequality
					Local integration and rural politics
					Services and infrastructure
				Rural identities
			New directions in conceptualizing ancient Maya rurality
		References
	Chapter Eighteen Lakamha: the place of “Big Waters”: The archaeology of the ancient city of Palenque, Mexico
		Lakamha (“Big waters”) and its urban form
		The history of Lakamhá as seen from its texts
		Palenque’s influence in its hinterland: the B’aakal region
		Last comments
		References
	Chapter Nineteen The Maya city of Caracol, Belize: The integration of an anthropogenic landscape
		Caracol the city: environment
		Overview of research at Caracol, Belize
		Caracol the city: physical composition
		Caracol the city: social composition
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter Twenty Ek’ Balam
A Maya city in the urban landscape of Yucatan
		Archaeology in the ancient city of Ek’ Balam
		Urban development and political affiliation at Ek’ Balam during the Classic Period
		Ek’ Balam and nearby polities: Cobá, Chichén itzá, and Kulubá
		The cultural tradition at Ek’ Balam
			Architecture and architectural decorative art
		Texts, pottery and sculpture as sources of cultural traits at Ek’ Balam
			Texts
		Ceramics
		Sculpture
		Change and abandonment during the Postclassic Period
		References
Part IV Relations
	Chapter Twenty-One Household archaeology of the Classic Period Lowland Maya
		Historical perspectives
			Material correlates of the Classic Maya household
			Traditional functions of the household
		Core issues and topics
			Household production, distribution, and consumption
			Reproduction and transmission of cultural practices
			A house is born, lives, and dies
			Ancestors in the household
			Status in the Classic Maya household
		Future household inquiries
		Acknowledgements
		References
	Chapter Twenty-Two Inequality and social groups
		Introduction
		Inequality 25 years ago
		Social inequality 25 years later
		Eliminating elite and commoner
		Systematic measures of social inequality
		New distinctions in social hierarchies
		Newer axes of inequality: knowledge and sensuality
		Intermediate scale social groups
		House societies and lineages
		Communities
		Conclusion
		Acknowledgments
		References
	Chapter Twenty-Three Maya relations with the material world
		The material turn in historical perspective
		Materials of animate vitality and relational personhood
		The movement and (re)generative process of materials as persons
		Object-oriented ontologies and the senses
		Future directions in Maya material relations: current debates and ways forward
		Note
		References
	Chapter Twenty-Four Maya commerce
		The history of our views
		The current state of research
		Remaining challenges
		Summary and conclusions
		References
	Chapter Twenty-Five Classic Maya geopolitics
		History of interpretation
		System and process
		A historical sketch
		Analysis
		Final thoughts
		Notes
		References
	Chapter Twenty-Six The politics of conflict: War before and beyond the state in Maya society
		Introduction
		Anthropological theory of warfare and its relation to Maya archaeology
		Warfare and conflict in the Maya Lowlands
			Late Preclassic period
			Classic period
			Postclassic period
		Conclusion
		References
Part V Production
	Chapter Twenty-Seven Ancient Maya agriculture
		Introduction
		Historical perspectives
		Core issues and topics
			Adaptation and intensification
				Uplands
				Wetlands
			Cultigens and crop selection
		New debates
			Lidar’s promise, potential, and pitfalls
			The zero sum game
		References
	Chapter Twenty-Eight The Maya forest: A domesticated landscape
		Introduction
		The Maya forest debate
		Significant Maya forest products
		Horizontal distribution of forest habitats
		Vertical diversity of the Maya forest
		Discussion
		References
	Chapter Twenty-Nine The complexity of ancient Maya craft production
		Historical perspectives
		New debates
		Core issues and topics
			Maya craft production
			Case study: pottery production
		Conclusions
		References
	Chapter Thirty Animating materials: The sculpted forms of the ancient Maya world
		Introduction
		Maya sculptural Forms
		Historical perspectives in the study of ancient Maya sculptures
		New approaches
		Future studies
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter Thirty-One Maya mural painting
		The components of mural painting
		A survey of Maya murals
			Painted history: Chichen Itza and Bonampak
			Painted temples: San Bartolo and Xelhá
			Tomb painting: Rio Azul and Palenque
			Public spaces versus private spaces: Calakmul, Tikal, and Xultun
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	Chapter Thirty-Two Recent developments in Maya epigraphic research
		Historical perspectives
		Core issues and topics
			Origin of Maya writing
			Structure of the Maya hieroglyphic script
			Maya writing and languages
		Recent discoveries and decipherments
		New debates and future directions
			Northern Lowland Maya writing
			Digitizing Maya epigraphy
			Epigraphic publication and dissemination
		Concluding thoughts
		Notes
		References
	Chapter Thirty-Three Maya time
		Introduction and overview
		History of research
		The 260-day count (tzolk’in)
		The 365-day year (Haab)
		The Calendar Round
		The Long Count
		The “Creation” date 13.0.0.0.0 4 Ahau 8 Cumku
		The Grand Long Count and deep time
		The lunar calendar
		Calendars and kingship
		References
	Chapter Thirty-Four Maya rites, rituals, and ceremonies
		Genealogy of rite, ritual, and ceremony
		Religion, mythology, and rituals
		Contextual ritual practice
		Categorizing rite, ritual, and ceremony
		Translating Maya rituals
		Maya ritual production of persons
		A ritualistic field of relationships
		Ritually setting and ceremonially maintaining the Maya world
		Final thoughts
		References
Part VI Interactions
	Chapter Thirty-Five Olmecs and other western neighbors
		Olmec question
		San Lorenzo and the Early Horizon: 1400–1150 BC
		Intermediate period: 1150–800 BC
		La Venta and the Late Horizon: 800–400 BC
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter Thirty-Six Interactions between Ancient Teotihuacan and the Maya world
		Introduction
		A chronology of Teotihuacan interaction with Maya societies
			1st to 2nd century CE
			Around the 3rd century CE
			Around 4th century CE
			5th to 6th century CE
				Nature of interactions between the Teotihuacanos and Maya elites
		Acknowledgements
		Notes
		References
	Chapter Thirty-Seven Southeast Mesoamerica
		Introduction
		Beyond a boundary, within a periphery
		Social networks
		Early webs of complexity
		Power and networks in the Late and Terminal Classic
		Social networks at prehistory’s end
		Colonial networks
		Conclusions
		Acknowledgements
		References
	Chapter Thirty-Eight Classic and Postclassic peoples of the Pacific coast
		Historical perspective
		The Early Classic
		Cotzumalhuapa
		Late Classic Tak’alik Ab’aj and Izapa
		The Postclassic
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	Chapter Thirty-Nine The northern Maya Tollans
		Yucatecan Tollans
		The archaeology of the northern Yucatan Tollans
		Chronology
		Early Toltec influence in Yucatan
		The Toltec arrangement
		Regional data
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
Part VII Resilience, legacies, and transformations
	Chapter Forty Collapse, transformation, reorganization: The Terminal Classic transition in the Maya world
		Defining the collapse
		A brief history of studies of the Classic Maya collapse
		The collapse and the archaeological record
		Explanations and models
		Looking forward
		Acknowledgements
		References
	Chapter Forty-One The structures of everyday life in the Postclassic urban setting of Mayapan
		The city of Mayapan
		Urban commoners and their complex, variable socioeconomic identities
		Mayapan’s urban built environment and its gardens
		Everyday life patterns of the long run
		Discussion
		Conclusion
		References
	Chapter Forty-Two Colonial Entanglements at Tahcabo, Yucatán
		Tangled web of Yucatec colonialism
			Political domination
			Enforcement of religious monopoly
			Economic predation
		Contextualizing colonialism at Tahcabo
		Final thoughts on de-colonizing archaeology in the Maya area
		References
	Chapter Forty-Three The archaeology of Henequen Haciendas: San Pedro Cholul as a case study
		Yucatán’s Gilded Age
		Hacienda archaeology in Yucatán
		San Pedro Cholul archaeological project
		Daily life at San Pedro Cholul
		Domestic activities at San Pedro Cholul
			Production
			Use and consumption
			Storage and discard
		Peopling hacienda San Pedro Cholul
		Chemical residue analysis from henequen plantation house lots
			The house lots
			The dwellings and auxiliary structure
			The chapel altar
			The backyard of the main house
			The machinery house
			The apiary
		Concluding remarks
		Notes
		References
	Chapter Forty-Four Lacandon Maya culture: Continuity and change
		Lacandon history and cultural background
		Lacandon everyday life over time
			Food production
			Domestic economy
			Trade
			Social organization
				Religion
		Current issues for Lacandon people
		References
Index