Terry G. Powis, George J. Micheletti, Jon Spenard, and Sheldon Skaggs
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780813066226
- eISBN:
- 9780813058375
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813066226.003.0013
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Archaeological Methodology and Techniques
Powis and his colleagues have gathered significant information about the Middle Preclassic period at Pacbitun, data which speak to the broader subject of architectural monumentality. In Chapter 13, ...
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Powis and his colleagues have gathered significant information about the Middle Preclassic period at Pacbitun, data which speak to the broader subject of architectural monumentality. In Chapter 13, they present two specific case studies pertaining to Pacbitun’s Plaza A architecture. In the first case study, the authors’ discussion begins with the low residential/workshop platforms of Plaza B, an area well-recognized for its marine shell bead craft production, and the naturally elevated area to the east of Plaza B, where the large ceremonial structure of El Quemado was built on the highest point that would later become Plaza A. Unlike any structure previously built at Pacbitun, the presence of El Quemado implies an ability to organize a significant labor force and perhaps marks the beginning of institutionalized inequality. An apparent termination event in the form of chopped corners, extensive burning, and subsequent burial marks an important transition in the organization and ideology of Pacbitun’s society at the onset of the Late Preclassic period. Succinctly, the case studies in this chapter both demonstrate that monumentality refers to more than architectural scale. The labor force, energy, and resources needed to construct El Quemado and the E Group would have greatly surpassed what was needed to build contemporary domestic structures.Less
Powis and his colleagues have gathered significant information about the Middle Preclassic period at Pacbitun, data which speak to the broader subject of architectural monumentality. In Chapter 13, they present two specific case studies pertaining to Pacbitun’s Plaza A architecture. In the first case study, the authors’ discussion begins with the low residential/workshop platforms of Plaza B, an area well-recognized for its marine shell bead craft production, and the naturally elevated area to the east of Plaza B, where the large ceremonial structure of El Quemado was built on the highest point that would later become Plaza A. Unlike any structure previously built at Pacbitun, the presence of El Quemado implies an ability to organize a significant labor force and perhaps marks the beginning of institutionalized inequality. An apparent termination event in the form of chopped corners, extensive burning, and subsequent burial marks an important transition in the organization and ideology of Pacbitun’s society at the onset of the Late Preclassic period. Succinctly, the case studies in this chapter both demonstrate that monumentality refers to more than architectural scale. The labor force, energy, and resources needed to construct El Quemado and the E Group would have greatly surpassed what was needed to build contemporary domestic structures.
M. Kathryn Brown and George J. III Bey (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780813054841
- eISBN:
- 9780813053332
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813054841.001.0001
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology
Pathways to Complexity synthesizes a wealth of new archaeological data to illuminate the origins of Maya civilization and the rise of Classic Maya culture. In this volume, prominent Maya scholars ...
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Pathways to Complexity synthesizes a wealth of new archaeological data to illuminate the origins of Maya civilization and the rise of Classic Maya culture. In this volume, prominent Maya scholars argue that the development of social, religious, and economic complexity began during the Middle Preclassic period (1000–300 B.C.), hundreds of years earlier than previously thought. Contributors reveal that villages were present in parts of the lowlands by 1000 B.C., challenging the prevailing models estimating when civilization took root in the area. Combining recent discoveries from the northern lowlands—an area often neglected in other volumes—and the southern lowlands, the collection then traces the emergence of sociopolitical inequality and complexity in all parts of the Yucatan peninsula over the course of the Middle Preclassic period. They show that communities evolved in different ways due to influences such as geographical location, ceramic exchange, shell ornament production, agricultural strategy, religious ritual, ideology, and social rankings. These varied pathways to complexity developed over half a millennium and culminated in the institution of kingship by the Late Preclassic period. Presenting exciting work on a dynamic and poorly understood time period, Pathways to Complexity demonstrates the importance of a broad, comparative approach to understanding Preclassic Maya civilization and will serve as a foundation for future research and interpretation.Less
Pathways to Complexity synthesizes a wealth of new archaeological data to illuminate the origins of Maya civilization and the rise of Classic Maya culture. In this volume, prominent Maya scholars argue that the development of social, religious, and economic complexity began during the Middle Preclassic period (1000–300 B.C.), hundreds of years earlier than previously thought. Contributors reveal that villages were present in parts of the lowlands by 1000 B.C., challenging the prevailing models estimating when civilization took root in the area. Combining recent discoveries from the northern lowlands—an area often neglected in other volumes—and the southern lowlands, the collection then traces the emergence of sociopolitical inequality and complexity in all parts of the Yucatan peninsula over the course of the Middle Preclassic period. They show that communities evolved in different ways due to influences such as geographical location, ceramic exchange, shell ornament production, agricultural strategy, religious ritual, ideology, and social rankings. These varied pathways to complexity developed over half a millennium and culminated in the institution of kingship by the Late Preclassic period. Presenting exciting work on a dynamic and poorly understood time period, Pathways to Complexity demonstrates the importance of a broad, comparative approach to understanding Preclassic Maya civilization and will serve as a foundation for future research and interpretation.
