The Origins of Maya States

by Loa P. Traxler (Editor), Robert J. Sharer (Editor)

Overview

The Pre-Columbian Maya were organized into a series of independent kingdoms or polities rather than unified into a single state. The vast majority of studies of Maya states focus on the apogee of their development in the classic period, ca. 250-850 C.E. As a result, Maya states are defined according to the specific political structures that characterized classic period lowland Maya society. The Origins of Maya States is the first study in over 30 years to examine the origins and development of these states specifically during the preceding preclassic period, ca. 1000 B.C.E. to 250 C.E. Attempts to understand the origins of Maya states cannot escape the limitations of archaeological data, and this is complicated by both the variability of Maya states in time and space and the interplay between internal development and external impacts. To mitigate these factors, editors Loa P. Traxler and Robert J. Sharer assemble a collection of essays that combines an examination of topical issues with regional perspectives from both the Maya area and neighboring Mesoamerican regions to highlight the role of interregional interaction in the evolution of Maya states. Topics covered include material signatures for the development of Maya states, evaluations of extant models for the emergence of Maya states, and advancement of new models based on recent archaeological data. Contributors address the development of complexity during the preclassic era within the Maya regions of the Pacific coast, highlands, and lowlands and explore preclassic economic, social, political, and ideological systems that provide a developmental context for the origins of Maya states. Contributors: Marcello A. Canuto, John E. Clark, Ann Cyphers, Francisco Estrada-Belli, David C. Grove, Norman Hammond, Richard D. Hansen, Eleanor King, Michael Love, Simon Martin, Astrid Runggaldier, Robert Sharer, Loa Traxler.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781934536865
Publisher:	University of Pennsylvania Museum
Publication date:	01/10/2017
Series:	University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology a
Pages:	704
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.90(d)

About the Author

Robert J. Sharer (1940-2012) was Shoemaker Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, and Curator Emeritus of the American Section at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia. Loa P. Traxler is Director of Museum Studies and Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico.

Table of Contents

Figures ix

Tables xiii

Contributors xiv

Foreword xvii

Preface and Acknowledgments xix

Introduction

1 The Origins of Maya States: Problems and Prospects Robert J. Sharer Loa P. Traxler 1

2 Maya States: The Theoretical Background in Historical Overview Astrid Runggaldier Norman Hammond 33

Part 1 The Mesoamerican Context

3 Preclassic Central Mexico: The Uncertain Pathway from Tlatilco to Teotihuacan David C. Grove 59

4 The Early Preclassic Olmec: An Overview Ann Cyphers 83

5 Western Kingdoms of the Middle Preclassic John E. Clark 123

Part 2 The Maya Area

6 Regional and Interregional Interactions and the Preclassic Maya Francisco Estrada-Belli 225

7 Early States in the Southern Maya Region Michael Love 271

8 Cultural and Environmental Components of the First Maya States: A Perspective from the Central and Southern Maya Lowlands Richard D. Hansen 329

Part 3 Theoretical Contexts

9 Rethinking the Role of Early Economies in the Rise of Maya States: A View from the Lowlands Eleanor M. King 417

10 Middle Preclassic Maya Society: Tilting at Windmills or Giants of Civilization? Marcello A. Canuto 461

11 Ideology and the Early Maya Polity Simon Martin 507

References 545