Cameron L. McNeil, W. Jeffrey Hurst, and Robert J. Sharer
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813029535
- eISBN:
- 9780813039503
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813029535.003.0011
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
This chapter discusses the use and representation of cacao in Copan, Honduras, during the Classic period. Cacao in Copan, Honduras, played a significant role in rituals. In the mountains of the Copan ...
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This chapter discusses the use and representation of cacao in Copan, Honduras, during the Classic period. Cacao in Copan, Honduras, played a significant role in rituals. In the mountains of the Copan Acropolis, Early Classic queens and kings were entombed with several comestibles containing cacao. Although cacao iconography has not been found recorded in Early Classic material culture in Copan, by the turn of the Late Classic times sculptured cacao pods started to appear on ceramic vessels, stone censers, vessels, and temple displays. Cacao representation in Copan indicates that cacao was seen as a scared tree linked to rebirth, maize, and fertility. Cacao and cacao iconography in Copan was different when compared to that of Mayan culture. Although Copan Maya employed cacao symbolism, they did not use other Maya traditions linked to cacao. Instead, Copan's use of cacao demonstrates a hybrid culture, combining traits of the Mayan culture and those of non-Mayan neighbors. This chapter discusses the importance of cacao in the Early Classic tomb and cache offerings at Copan. The chapter also examines the cultivation of cacao at Copan and its religious significance. The chapter ends with a discussion on the continuity of these traditions between the Early and Late Classic periods at Copan, Maya regions, and non-Maya regions.Less
This chapter discusses the use and representation of cacao in Copan, Honduras, during the Classic period. Cacao in Copan, Honduras, played a significant role in rituals. In the mountains of the Copan Acropolis, Early Classic queens and kings were entombed with several comestibles containing cacao. Although cacao iconography has not been found recorded in Early Classic material culture in Copan, by the turn of the Late Classic times sculptured cacao pods started to appear on ceramic vessels, stone censers, vessels, and temple displays. Cacao representation in Copan indicates that cacao was seen as a scared tree linked to rebirth, maize, and fertility. Cacao and cacao iconography in Copan was different when compared to that of Mayan culture. Although Copan Maya employed cacao symbolism, they did not use other Maya traditions linked to cacao. Instead, Copan's use of cacao demonstrates a hybrid culture, combining traits of the Mayan culture and those of non-Mayan neighbors. This chapter discusses the importance of cacao in the Early Classic tomb and cache offerings at Copan. The chapter also examines the cultivation of cacao at Copan and its religious significance. The chapter ends with a discussion on the continuity of these traditions between the Early and Late Classic periods at Copan, Maya regions, and non-Maya regions.
Heather Mckillop
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813025117
- eISBN:
- 9780813039497
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813025117.003.0005
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
This chapter examines the impact of the rise of the sea-level on the civilization especially on the salt production and salt works of Punta Ycacos during the Late Classic Maya period. The discovery ...
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This chapter examines the impact of the rise of the sea-level on the civilization especially on the salt production and salt works of Punta Ycacos during the Late Classic Maya period. The discovery and excavation of ten inundated sites that date back to the Classic period in the Port Honduras region suggest and document the Holocene sea-level rise. The production of salt in Punta Ycacos occurred in relation to the surge of settlement in the Port Honduras region and in the inland region of southern Belize during the Late Classic Maya period. However, the collapse of the southern Maya civilization and the abandonment of inland cities in southern Belize and Pasion led to the decline of demand for Punta Ycacos salt. The rising seas which submerged the salt workshops led to the abandonment of Punta Ycacos salt production sites. The sea level played an important role in the Mayan civilization as the level of the sea determined the availability of resources and habitable land for the ancient coastal areas of the Mayan civilization. Although the rise of sea-level cannot be pinpointed as the sole rationale behind the abandonment of the Punta Ycacos salt shops as the extinction of the coastal towns of Port Honduras and the Punta Ycacos salt shops were the result of the complex interplay between cultural and environmental factors, the sea-level at some point did obviate the use of the Punta Ycacos shops during the Postclassic period.Less
This chapter examines the impact of the rise of the sea-level on the civilization especially on the salt production and salt works of Punta Ycacos during the Late Classic Maya period. The discovery and excavation of ten inundated sites that date back to the Classic period in the Port Honduras region suggest and document the Holocene sea-level rise. The production of salt in Punta Ycacos occurred in relation to the surge of settlement in the Port Honduras region and in the inland region of southern Belize during the Late Classic Maya period. However, the collapse of the southern Maya civilization and the abandonment of inland cities in southern Belize and Pasion led to the decline of demand for Punta Ycacos salt. The rising seas which submerged the salt workshops led to the abandonment of Punta Ycacos salt production sites. The sea level played an important role in the Mayan civilization as the level of the sea determined the availability of resources and habitable land for the ancient coastal areas of the Mayan civilization. Although the rise of sea-level cannot be pinpointed as the sole rationale behind the abandonment of the Punta Ycacos salt shops as the extinction of the coastal towns of Port Honduras and the Punta Ycacos salt shops were the result of the complex interplay between cultural and environmental factors, the sea-level at some point did obviate the use of the Punta Ycacos shops during the Postclassic period.
Eleanor Harrison-Buck
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780813062754
- eISBN:
- 9780813051178
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813062754.003.0003
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Historical Archaeology
David Stuart (1996) argues that monuments depicting Maya kings were not just elite portraits, but extensions of the royal self-engaged in ongoing ritual performance. These “kings of stone” were ...
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David Stuart (1996) argues that monuments depicting Maya kings were not just elite portraits, but extensions of the royal self-engaged in ongoing ritual performance. These “kings of stone” were powerful agents, nurtured and protected as divine rulers. Here, the agency of monuments is considered in the context of their defacement at the end of the Classic period. Through a study of their physical treatment and associated contexts, it is argued that mutilated monuments were the victims of “soul loss.” It is concluded that monuments were but one of many receptacles or thresholds where human and nonhuman agents interacted and where conflict was played out.Less
David Stuart (1996) argues that monuments depicting Maya kings were not just elite portraits, but extensions of the royal self-engaged in ongoing ritual performance. These “kings of stone” were powerful agents, nurtured and protected as divine rulers. Here, the agency of monuments is considered in the context of their defacement at the end of the Classic period. Through a study of their physical treatment and associated contexts, it is argued that mutilated monuments were the victims of “soul loss.” It is concluded that monuments were but one of many receptacles or thresholds where human and nonhuman agents interacted and where conflict was played out.
Rhonda Taube and Karl Taube
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813033303
- eISBN:
- 9780813039350
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813033303.003.0009
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
While the notion of aesthetics in European philosophy accounts for a branch of metaphysics that encompasses the laws of refined visual taste, these are comparable to Maya notions of visually pleasing ...
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While the notion of aesthetics in European philosophy accounts for a branch of metaphysics that encompasses the laws of refined visual taste, these are comparable to Maya notions of visually pleasing things as seen in the Classic period. The Maya concept of aesthetics gives fundamental attention to how their figurines are interpreted. Utilizing a visual paradigm in small-scale art works is appropriate for examining Maya notions of representation since this would entail diverse associated ideas and meanings. While sight is recognized as a tangible phenomenon among the Pre-Classic Maya, the Maya “gaze” is still perceived to be a concrete experience. The ruler's being in Classic Maya is an expression of a physical ideal, flawless beauty, youthfulness, elegant gestures, control, and nobility.Less
While the notion of aesthetics in European philosophy accounts for a branch of metaphysics that encompasses the laws of refined visual taste, these are comparable to Maya notions of visually pleasing things as seen in the Classic period. The Maya concept of aesthetics gives fundamental attention to how their figurines are interpreted. Utilizing a visual paradigm in small-scale art works is appropriate for examining Maya notions of representation since this would entail diverse associated ideas and meanings. While sight is recognized as a tangible phenomenon among the Pre-Classic Maya, the Maya “gaze” is still perceived to be a concrete experience. The ruler's being in Classic Maya is an expression of a physical ideal, flawless beauty, youthfulness, elegant gestures, control, and nobility.
David M. Carballo
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780190251062
- eISBN:
- 9780190251086
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190251062.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Non-Classical
The chapter provides a broad synthesis of over one millennia of central Mexican prehistory spanning the Formative and Classic periods, with particular focus on the later Formative (ca. 600 BC—AD 100) ...
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The chapter provides a broad synthesis of over one millennia of central Mexican prehistory spanning the Formative and Classic periods, with particular focus on the later Formative (ca. 600 BC—AD 100) and the transition to the Classic period (AD 100–600). The chapter deals with issues of comparative chronology, aggregating multiple settlement studies, and provides descriptions for better known sites that could be classified as cities, towns, and villages—all part of an urban landscape. It provides a framework for explaining variability in urbanism and in the political uses of religion. Better known cases discussed include Teotihuacan, Cholula, and Cuicuilco. The site of La Laguna, which provides many of the case examples for the rest of the study, is also introduced.Less
The chapter provides a broad synthesis of over one millennia of central Mexican prehistory spanning the Formative and Classic periods, with particular focus on the later Formative (ca. 600 BC—AD 100) and the transition to the Classic period (AD 100–600). The chapter deals with issues of comparative chronology, aggregating multiple settlement studies, and provides descriptions for better known sites that could be classified as cities, towns, and villages—all part of an urban landscape. It provides a framework for explaining variability in urbanism and in the political uses of religion. Better known cases discussed include Teotihuacan, Cholula, and Cuicuilco. The site of La Laguna, which provides many of the case examples for the rest of the study, is also introduced.
Charles Golden, Andrew K. Scherer, Melanie Kingsley, Stephen D. Houston, and Héctor Escobedo
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780813062754
- eISBN:
- 9780813051178
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813062754.003.0005
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Historical Archaeology
This chapter seeks the causes and forms of political collapse at the royal Maya center of Piedras Negras, Guatemala by reconnecting the community of the Terminal Classic period (c. AD 800–900) with ...
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This chapter seeks the causes and forms of political collapse at the royal Maya center of Piedras Negras, Guatemala by reconnecting the community of the Terminal Classic period (c. AD 800–900) with over a millennium of social and political history. The cessation of royal-political life at Piedras Negras in the aftermath of regional warfare was followed by a century of gradual population decline and dramatic episodes of architectural modification and destruction. The result was a mosaic of evidence for continuity and change in ritual and daily practice. Yet we do not see in the remains of the post-dynastic occupation, even the rich evidence for burning and destruction of royal monuments, a complete break with the past. Instead, conceptions of architectural space and transformations of ritual practice made reference to the dynastic past, even if the mode of making such references was inversion and erasure.Less
This chapter seeks the causes and forms of political collapse at the royal Maya center of Piedras Negras, Guatemala by reconnecting the community of the Terminal Classic period (c. AD 800–900) with over a millennium of social and political history. The cessation of royal-political life at Piedras Negras in the aftermath of regional warfare was followed by a century of gradual population decline and dramatic episodes of architectural modification and destruction. The result was a mosaic of evidence for continuity and change in ritual and daily practice. Yet we do not see in the remains of the post-dynastic occupation, even the rich evidence for burning and destruction of royal monuments, a complete break with the past. Instead, conceptions of architectural space and transformations of ritual practice made reference to the dynastic past, even if the mode of making such references was inversion and erasure.
Douglas J. Kennett and David A. Hodell
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780199329199
- eISBN:
- 9780190607920
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199329199.003.0007
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Non-Classical
Multiple palaeoclimatic reconstructions point to a succession of major droughts in the Maya Lowlands between AD 750 and 1100 superimposed on a regional drying trend that itself was marked by ...
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Multiple palaeoclimatic reconstructions point to a succession of major droughts in the Maya Lowlands between AD 750 and 1100 superimposed on a regional drying trend that itself was marked by considerable spatial and temporal variability. The longest and most severe regional droughts occurred between AD 800 and 900 and again between AD 1000 and 1100. Well-dated historical records carved on stone monuments from forty Classic Period civic-ceremonial centers reflect a dynamic sociopolitical landscape between AD 250 and 800 marked by a complex of antagonistic, diplomatic, lineage-based, and subordinate networks. Warfare between Maya polities increased between AD 600 and 800 within the context of population expansion and long-term environmental degradation exacerbated by increasing drought. Nevertheless, in spite of the clear effects of drought on network collapse during the Classic Period, one lingering question is why polities in the northern lowlands persisted and even flourished between AD 800 and 1000 (Puuc Maya and Chichén Itzá) before they too fragmented during an extended and severe regional drought between AD 1000 and 1100. Here we review available regional climate records during this critical transition and consider the different sociopolitical trajectories in the South/Central versus Northern Maya lowlands.Less
Multiple palaeoclimatic reconstructions point to a succession of major droughts in the Maya Lowlands between AD 750 and 1100 superimposed on a regional drying trend that itself was marked by considerable spatial and temporal variability. The longest and most severe regional droughts occurred between AD 800 and 900 and again between AD 1000 and 1100. Well-dated historical records carved on stone monuments from forty Classic Period civic-ceremonial centers reflect a dynamic sociopolitical landscape between AD 250 and 800 marked by a complex of antagonistic, diplomatic, lineage-based, and subordinate networks. Warfare between Maya polities increased between AD 600 and 800 within the context of population expansion and long-term environmental degradation exacerbated by increasing drought. Nevertheless, in spite of the clear effects of drought on network collapse during the Classic Period, one lingering question is why polities in the northern lowlands persisted and even flourished between AD 800 and 1000 (Puuc Maya and Chichén Itzá) before they too fragmented during an extended and severe regional drought between AD 1000 and 1100. Here we review available regional climate records during this critical transition and consider the different sociopolitical trajectories in the South/Central versus Northern Maya lowlands.
Brett A. Houk
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780813060637
- eISBN:
- 9780813050973
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813060637.001.0001
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
Within a challenging tropical environment, a remarkable urban tradition developed and flourished as an element of ancient Maya culture. This book is about the cities of the eastern lowlands, a small ...
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Within a challenging tropical environment, a remarkable urban tradition developed and flourished as an element of ancient Maya culture. This book is about the cities of the eastern lowlands, a small but geographically diverse part of the homeland of the Maya. Using data collected by many different archaeological projects and researchers, the author presents detailed descriptions of 14 Classic period (ca. 250 to 900 CE) cities from five geographical areas of the modern nation of Belize, discussing the setting, the history of investigations, the site plan and urban features, culture history, and political history of each. For many of the cities discussed, this is the first time all of this information has been presented together. The data are viewed through the analytical lenses of site planning and the built environment. The final chapters consider the 14 cities as a group to examine urban planning and look for meaning, construed broadly here to encompass all the things that contributed to the final design of a place including mundane things like where water drains to esoteric things like worldview and cosmology. What the data in this book show are remarkable and nuanced variations in architectural assemblages across space and time, varied levels of political control over suburban landscapes, shared planning concepts combined with wildly different ideas about how to build a Maya city, and intriguing hints at possible relationships between cities based on planning principles. Flexibility in city design emerges from this study as a hallmark of ancient Maya urbanism.Less
Within a challenging tropical environment, a remarkable urban tradition developed and flourished as an element of ancient Maya culture. This book is about the cities of the eastern lowlands, a small but geographically diverse part of the homeland of the Maya. Using data collected by many different archaeological projects and researchers, the author presents detailed descriptions of 14 Classic period (ca. 250 to 900 CE) cities from five geographical areas of the modern nation of Belize, discussing the setting, the history of investigations, the site plan and urban features, culture history, and political history of each. For many of the cities discussed, this is the first time all of this information has been presented together. The data are viewed through the analytical lenses of site planning and the built environment. The final chapters consider the 14 cities as a group to examine urban planning and look for meaning, construed broadly here to encompass all the things that contributed to the final design of a place including mundane things like where water drains to esoteric things like worldview and cosmology. What the data in this book show are remarkable and nuanced variations in architectural assemblages across space and time, varied levels of political control over suburban landscapes, shared planning concepts combined with wildly different ideas about how to build a Maya city, and intriguing hints at possible relationships between cities based on planning principles. Flexibility in city design emerges from this study as a hallmark of ancient Maya urbanism.
Jeanne Lopiparo and Julia A. Hendon
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813033303
- eISBN:
- 9780813039350
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813033303.003.0003
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
A wide collection of ceramic figural artifacts were found during the excavations held at the northwestern Honduras' lower Ulúa valley at five Late to Terminal Classic period sites. To be able to ...
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A wide collection of ceramic figural artifacts were found during the excavations held at the northwestern Honduras' lower Ulúa valley at five Late to Terminal Classic period sites. To be able to address issues regarding use, production, and social meaning, evidence from large contemporary habitation sites are compared with those of smaller communities. Examining the evidence reveals how there may have been several production locales, that the figurines and whistles had different uses in various ritual events on various social scales, and that the sites were attributed with varied uses and imagery. These artifacts suggest that meaning develops from how participation in social events and practices contribute to how social relations and identities are renewed.Less
A wide collection of ceramic figural artifacts were found during the excavations held at the northwestern Honduras' lower Ulúa valley at five Late to Terminal Classic period sites. To be able to address issues regarding use, production, and social meaning, evidence from large contemporary habitation sites are compared with those of smaller communities. Examining the evidence reveals how there may have been several production locales, that the figurines and whistles had different uses in various ritual events on various social scales, and that the sites were attributed with varied uses and imagery. These artifacts suggest that meaning develops from how participation in social events and practices contribute to how social relations and identities are renewed.
Heather Mckillop
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813025117
- eISBN:
- 9780813039497
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813025117.003.0003
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
This chapter discusses salt-production equipment prevalent in Punta Ycacos salt production sites during the Late Classic period. In this chapter, the artifacts discovered at Punta Ycacos are ...
More
This chapter discusses salt-production equipment prevalent in Punta Ycacos salt production sites during the Late Classic period. In this chapter, the artifacts discovered at Punta Ycacos are analyzed. The analysis of these artifacts suggested that a specific and limited activity was carried out. It also suggested that these salt production shops were non-domestic shops. The artifacts also indicated the existence of standardization in the equipment used in salt production and salt works among the four salt production sites in Punta Ycacos. This chapter uses two methods for the classification and analysis of the artifacts found in PuntaYcacos production sites. The first method classified the artifacts based on shared characteristics. This classification helped in assigning age to the workshops, in describing the ceramics and in comparing the artifacts with ceramics from other Maya sites. The second method employed the use of measurement and detailed observations on each pottery sherd and vessel support. This method provided description of the variability within types and aided in the examination of the nature of salt-production activities and the postdepositional setting of these salt workshops.Less
This chapter discusses salt-production equipment prevalent in Punta Ycacos salt production sites during the Late Classic period. In this chapter, the artifacts discovered at Punta Ycacos are analyzed. The analysis of these artifacts suggested that a specific and limited activity was carried out. It also suggested that these salt production shops were non-domestic shops. The artifacts also indicated the existence of standardization in the equipment used in salt production and salt works among the four salt production sites in Punta Ycacos. This chapter uses two methods for the classification and analysis of the artifacts found in PuntaYcacos production sites. The first method classified the artifacts based on shared characteristics. This classification helped in assigning age to the workshops, in describing the ceramics and in comparing the artifacts with ceramics from other Maya sites. The second method employed the use of measurement and detailed observations on each pottery sherd and vessel support. This method provided description of the variability within types and aided in the examination of the nature of salt-production activities and the postdepositional setting of these salt workshops.
