Takeshi Inomata
Biographic Data
| ID | 176777 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Takeshi Inomata |
| GIVEN NAMES | Takeshi |
| FAMILY NAME | Inomata |
| SIGNATURE | INOMATA T |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Arizona |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5236-5613 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 53 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 919 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 49 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 4 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1996 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 15 |
A Preceramic-Preclassic transition cemetery at the Lowland Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala
The recent identification of an outlying cemetery at the Maya ceremonial centre of Ceibal, Guatemala, is providing new insights into the Preceramic to Middle Preclassic transition in the Maya lowlands, c. 1000 BC. Identified within the Amoch Group complex and dating to c. 1100-800 BC, the use of a dedicated area for the dead is not previously documented in this region for this period. Here, the authors argue that the emergence and subsequent disa…
An isotopic examination of Maya Preclassic and Classic animal and human diets at Ceibal, Guatemala
This study examines the carbon (δ13C), oxygen (δ18O), and strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotopes from the dental enamel of 63 animals and compares these data to the carbon signatures from 21 humans from the Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala. Comparing both domestic dogs and non-domestic species over a history spanning two millennia, we find that subsistence strategies and interregional relationships between Ceibal and other areas changed over time, likely b…
Broadscale deep learning model for archaeological feature detection across the Maya area
Astronomy, Architecture, and Landscape in the Olmec Area and Western Maya Lowlands: Implications for Understanding Regional Variability and Evolution of Orientation Patterns in Mesoamerica
In the area along the southern Gulf Coast in Mexico, a large number of previously unrecorded archaeological sites have recently been detected with the aid of lidar data, which also allowed us to determine the orientations of hundreds of structures and architectural assemblages, including many standardized complexes dated to the Early-to-Middle Formative transition. As revealed by our analyses, most orientations were based on astronomical and cale…
Politicizing belonging: Community formation at the Late Preclassic Maya hamlet of Dos Ceibas
People are often assumed to expand existing mechanisms—kinship in particular—to include others when they form communities. These models (con)fuse similarity with sameness, as we argue based on Husserl's concept of empathy. People recognize others without overlooking differences. They form community by negotiating belonging. We ask how individuals materialize community, how they create unity in a political process, and how they employ bordering an…
Lidar, Space, and Time in Archaeology: Promises and Challenges
Airborne lidar (light detection and ranging), which produces three-dimensional models of ground surfaces under the forest canopy, has become an important tool in archaeological research. On a microscale, lidar can lead to a new understanding of building shapes and orientations that were not recognized previously. On a medium scale, it can provide comprehensive views of settlements, cities, and polities and their relationships to the topography. I…
Radiocarbon dates of burials from Ceibal and other Pasión Maya sites, Guatemala, and the examination of freshwater reservoir effect through diet reconstruction
Public Architecture in Ancient Mesoamerica
The study of temple-pyramids and other public buildings has long been an important focus in Mesoamerican archaeology. Scholars generally use the term public architecture to refer to structures for use, visitations, and gatherings beyond individual households, but the term public needs to be examined more critically. Public buildings are tied to the formation and transformation of the public sphere, a social field shaped in specific historical con…
Origins and spread of formal ceremonial complexes in the Olmec and Maya regions revealed by airborne lidar
Monumental architecture at Aguada Fénix and the rise of Maya civilization
Refining Kaminaljuyu Chronology: New Radiocarbon Dates, Bayesian Analysis, and Ceramics Studies
Since Kaminaljuyu was first systematically excavated in the 1930s, the chronology of the site has been fraught with confusion and scholarly disagreement. In recent years, scholars generally adopted the chronology presented by Shook and Popenoe de Hatch (1999) as the most authoritative account. In 2014, however, Inomata and colleagues proposed a revision of this chronology by shifting its Preclassic portion (including the Las Charcas and Providenc…
Dating Izapa Monuments: Comments on Rosenswig
Rosenswig's discussion of the sculptural chronology of Izapa contains some inaccuracies that require correction. The dates of the monuments at Izapa also require further evaluation
Chronology Building in Southern Mesoamerica: Comment on Love
Love (2018) misunderstands some concepts of Bayesian analysis and the data from Naranjo and Urías. The cross-dating of El Ujuxte needs to be reevaluated with the publication of its ceramic data
King’s People
This chapter focuses on court members, excluding close family members of the ruler such as spouses and children. It addresses three major questions regarding the Classic Maya courtiers. The chapter reviews types of work carried out by Classic Maya court members. It discusses theoretical problems involved in the origins and recruitment of court members rather than trying to give direct answers to the question. The chapter examines the spatial sett…
Opening the Royal Maya Court
The chapter focuses on equally attentive to Early Colonial mention of pre-Hispanic courts and to their survivals after Spanish contact. It examines spatial aspects of the court by analyzing the layout of palaces at major Classic Maya centers. The royal court was peripheral to these inquiries, being addressed somewhat indirectly as an adjunct to political organization, elite lineage systems, and other matters of relevance to synchronic, society-wi…
Royal Courts of the Ancient Maya: Theory, Comparison, and Synthesis
Royal Courts of the Ancient Maya: Data and Case Studies
The Isthmian Origins of the E Group and Its Adoption in the Maya Lowlands
Recent investigations at Ceibal (Seibal) and other Preclassic Period (1000 BCE–250 CE) sites indicate that the E Group assemblage was originally developed around 1000-900 BCE as an element of a standardized site plan called the Middle Formative Chiapas pattern (MFC) through interactions among diverse groups inhabiting the Isthmian region, including the southern Gulf Coast, Chiapas, the southern Pacific Coast, and the southwestern end of the Maya …
Plaza Builders of the Preclassic Maya Lowlands: The Construction of a Public Space and a Community at Ceibal, Guatemala
Early Maya Ritual Practices and Craft Production: Late Middle Preclassic Ritual Deposits Containing Obsidian Artifacts at Ceibal, Guatemala
This article examines Preclassic Maya ritual practices and craft production by means of a study of ritual deposits containing obsidian artifacts dated mostly to the late Middle Preclassic period (700–350 b.c.) at Ceibal, Guatemala. New ritual practices developed at Ceibal during this period, possibly through political interactions and negotiation involving emerging elites and other diverse community members. Common objects in ritual deposits in t…
Multiple Waves of Political Disintegration in the Classic Maya Collapse: New Insights from the Excavation of Group D, Ceibal, Guatemala
In the study of the Classic Maya collapse around the 9th century a.d., scholars tend to emphasize its gradual nature. New data, however, point to multiple episodes of rapid social change that affected wide areas. We investigated these critical moments at Ceibal (Seibal), Guatemala, through intensive excavations in its Group D. This naturally defensible location was used as a primary elite complex, possibly including a royal palace, during the Lat…
Public Ritual and Interregional Interactions: Excavations of the Central Plaza of Group A, Ceibal
The probable E-Group assemblage was a primary focus of our investigation at the lowland Maya center of Ceibal. Tunnel excavation into Structure A-20 (the western structure of this complex) demonstrated that the Ceibal residents built the earliest version (Structure Ajaw) by carving natural marl around 950b.c.The earliest version of the eastern platform (Structure Xa'an) was also made at the same time out of the natural marl layer. Through a serie…
Mortuary Rituals and Cranial Modifications at Ceibal: From the Early Middle Preclassic to the Terminal Classic Period
Skeletal remains excavated from the lowland Maya site of Ceibal, representing approximately 117 individuals, provide significant data for the study of changes in bodily treatments and mortuary practices from 1000b.c.toa.d.900. The early Middle Preclassic residents of Ceibal apparently did not bury their dead inside residential structures, which represents a burial practice different from those found at contemporaneous Belizean sites. During this …
The Emergence of Standardized Spatial Plans in Southern Mesoamerica: Chronology and Interregional Interactions Viewed From Ceibal, Guatemala
Our investigations at the lowland Maya center of Ceibal have demonstrated that a formal spatial pattern consisting of an E-Group assemblage and large platforms started around 1000b.c.and gradually expanded over the next several centuries. A re-evaluation of ceramic and radiocarbon data from other lowland Maya sites suggests that the beginning of sedentary life and ceramic use in various parts of the Maya lowlands started roughly simultaneously ar…
Social Transformations in a Middle Preclassic Community: Elite Residential Complexes at Ceibal
Excavations in large platforms in the center of Ceibal revealed extensive early Middle Preclassic constructions. They consisted of extensive clay platforms that supported low basal structural platforms. Although the function of the earliest platform, Sulul, during the Real-Xe 1 and 2 phases (950–775b.c.) is not clear, the one built during the Real-Xe 3 phase (775–700b.c.) likely supported multiple residential buildings. The emphasis on elevating …
The Power and Ideology of Artistic Creation: Elite Craft Specialists in Classic Maya Society
There is increasing evidence that in Classic Maya society some of the finest objects were produced by artists who were elites. Excavations at the rapidly abandoned center of Aguateca, Guatemala, in particular, have provided clear archaeological evidence of craft production by elites. These data present a unique test case for refining the archaeological theory of craft specialization. For the Classic Maya, the manufacture of art objects was an act…
Plazas, Performers, and Spectators: Political Theaters of the Classic Maya
Theatrical performances not only communicate preexisting ideas but also define political reality as it is experienced by participants. Theatrical events thus constitute a critical process of integration and conflict in a wide range of societies and have particularly significant effects on the maintenance and transformation of premodern centralized polities. The study of performances allows archaeologists to explore the interrelations between poli…
An ethnoarchaeological study of chemical residues in the floors and soils of Q'eqchi' Maya houses at Las Pozas, Guatemala
This ethnoarchaeological study at the Q'eqchi' Maya village of Las Pozas, Guatemala, aimed to refine the understanding of the relationship between soil chemical signatures and human activities for archaeological applications. The research involved phosphorus, exchangeable ion (calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium), and trace element analysis of soils and earth floors extracted by Mehlich II, ammonium acetate, and DTPA chelate solutions, respecti…
Domestic and Political Lives of Classic Maya Elites: The Excavation of Rapidly Abandoned Structures at Aguateca, Guatemala
The Aguateca Archaeological Project conducted extensive excavations of elite residences at the Maya center of Aguateca, which was attacked by enemies and abandoned rapidly at the end of the Classic period. Burned buildings contained rich floor assemblages, providing extraordinary information on the domestic and political lives of Classic Maya elites. Each elite residence served for a wide range of domestic work, including the storage, preparation…
The story in the floors: Chemical signatures of ancient and modern Maya activities at Aguateca, Guatemala
The Last Day of a Fortified Classic Maya Center: Archaeological Investigations at Aguateca, Guatemala
Archaeological investigations at Aguateca, Guatemala, by the Petexbatun Regional Archaeological Project have provided clues to the intriguing sequence of the downfall of this Maya center. The earliest substantial occupation at Aguateca dates to the Late Preclassic period. After very little presence during the Early Classic period, Aguateca rapidly grew into a densely occupied center, probably at the beginning of the eighth century a.d. Migration …
Classic Maya Defensive Systems and Warfare in the Petexbatun Region: Archaeological Evidence and Interpretations
From 1989 to 1996, excavation and surveys were carried out at dozens of sites and intersite areas in the southwestern Peten by the Defensive Systems Subproject of the Vanderbilt Petexbatun Regional Archaeological Project and by subsequent related Vanderbilt investigations. The excavations and analyses explored fortification systems, related settlement, and artifactual evidence. Beginning at abouta.d. 760, the major centers of the Classic Maya civ…
Floor Assemblages from Burned Structures at Aguateca, Guatemala: A Study of Classic Maya Households
Investigations at the fortified Maya center of Aguateca, Guatemala, have revealed an unusual case of large-scale rapid abandonment. Structures in its epicenter were burned and abruptly abandoned during an attack by enemies at the end of the Late Classic period (A.C. 600–830). The excavation of burned structures has recovered rich floor assemblages, providing excellent data sets with which to examine household organization and activities. The resi…
Evaluating the use of Ikonos satellite imagery in lowland Maya settlement archaeology
The Construction of Public and Domestic Spheres in the Preclassic Maya Lowlands
There exists a significant theoretical imbalance in the archaeological study of domestic and public domains. Although the domestic has been an important focus of theoretical discussion, there is not an adequate archaeological theory on the public, and the study of the public is often confused with that of elite strategies. We believe that this theoretical imbalance strongly shapes interpretations of early Maya society, leading to the problematic …
Chronological Revision of Preclassic Kaminaljuyú, Guatemala: Implications for Social Processes in the Southern Maya Area
Kaminaljuyú has been an important focus of archaeological research since the 1930s, and the chronologies of various sites of the Southern Maya Area are linked directly to that of Kaminaljuyú. The implications of the currently prevalent chronology of Kaminaljuyú are that various social and political institutions developed significantly earlier in the Southern Maya Area than in the Maya Lowlands during the Preclassic period. Our evaluations of new …
Central-Place Analyses in the la Entrada Region, Honduras: Implications for Understanding the Classic Maya Political and Economic Systems
Analyses of archaeological data from the La Entrada region in northwestern Honduras demonstrate that central-place theory applies to the regional settlement system during the Late Classic period. The configuration of the regional central-place system appears to have been oriented to the local exchange of subsistence goods and to the minimization of energy expenditure in their movement. The distribution patterns of obsidian artifacts vary signific…
In the Palace of the Fallen king: The Royal Residential Complex at Aguateca, Guatemala
The Aguateca Archaeological Project extensively excavated two structures (M7-22 andM7-32) in the Palace Group of the Late Classic Maya (A.C. 600–830) center of Aguateca, Guatemala. Multiple lines of evidence, including site layout, architectural features, soil chemistry, objects stored in a sealed room, and abandonment processes, suggest that these were the buildings where the ruler and his family lived and worked. The use of space in these struc…
Early Maya Ritual Practices and Craft Production: Late Middle Preclassic Ritual Deposits Containing Obsidian Artifacts at Ceibal, Guatemala
This article examines Preclassic Maya ritual practices and craft production by means of a study of ritual deposits containing obsidian artifacts dated mostly to the late Middle Preclassic period (700–350 b.c.) at Ceibal, Guatemala. New ritual practices developed at Ceibal during this period, possibly through political interactions and negotiation involving emerging elites and other diverse community members. Common objects in ritual deposits in t…
Public Ritual and Interregional Interactions: Excavations of the Central Plaza of Group A, Ceibal
The probable E-Group assemblage was a primary focus of our investigation at the lowland Maya center of Ceibal. Tunnel excavation into Structure A-20 (the western structure of this complex) demonstrated that the Ceibal residents built the earliest version (Structure Ajaw) by carving natural marl around 950b.c.The earliest version of the eastern platform (Structure Xa'an) was also made at the same time out of the natural marl layer. Through a serie…
Social Transformations in a Middle Preclassic Community: Elite Residential Complexes at Ceibal
Excavations in large platforms in the center of Ceibal revealed extensive early Middle Preclassic constructions. They consisted of extensive clay platforms that supported low basal structural platforms. Although the function of the earliest platform, Sulul, during the Real-Xe 1 and 2 phases (950–775b.c.) is not clear, the one built during the Real-Xe 3 phase (775–700b.c.) likely supported multiple residential buildings. The emphasis on elevating …
Mesoamerican Plazas: Arenas of Community and Power
In this chapter, we reflect on the mechanisms through which political activity becomes incorporated into communal social and cultural life by the creation of spaces for permanent collective action. Our impression is that routine aspects of communitarian life are usually framed by cyclical events capable of attracting a sizable number of individuals leading to a collective experience \nwith political connotations. Hence, our goal is to highlight t…
Origins and spread of formal ceremonial complexes in the Olmec and Maya regions revealed by airborne lidar
Multiple Waves of Political Disintegration in the Classic Maya Collapse: New Insights from the Excavation of Group D, Ceibal, Guatemala
In the study of the Classic Maya collapse around the 9th century a.d., scholars tend to emphasize its gradual nature. New data, however, point to multiple episodes of rapid social change that affected wide areas. We investigated these critical moments at Ceibal (Seibal), Guatemala, through intensive excavations in its Group D. This naturally defensible location was used as a primary elite complex, possibly including a royal palace, during the Lat…
Time tested: Re-thinking chronology and sculptural traditions in Preclassic southern Mesoamerica
Polished greenstone celt caches from Ceibal: The development of Maya public rituals
An unfinished temple at the Classic Maya centre of Aguateca, Guatemala
The authors demonstrate that a temple examined at the Classic Maya site of Aguateca, Guatemala, was still in the process of construction when it was attacked and abandoned at the beginning of the ninth century AD. Study of the ruin has provided valuable information on Maya building methods and processes, as well as guidance on how unfinished buildings may be identified
Mortuary Rituals and Cranial Modifications at Ceibal: From the Early Middle Preclassic to the Terminal Classic Period
Skeletal remains excavated from the lowland Maya site of Ceibal, representing approximately 117 individuals, provide significant data for the study of changes in bodily treatments and mortuary practices from 1000b.c.toa.d.900. The early Middle Preclassic residents of Ceibal apparently did not bury their dead inside residential structures, which represents a burial practice different from those found at contemporaneous Belizean sites. During this …
The Emergence of Standardized Spatial Plans in Southern Mesoamerica: Chronology and Interregional Interactions Viewed From Ceibal, Guatemala
Our investigations at the lowland Maya center of Ceibal have demonstrated that a formal spatial pattern consisting of an E-Group assemblage and large platforms started around 1000b.c.and gradually expanded over the next several centuries. A re-evaluation of ceramic and radiocarbon data from other lowland Maya sites suggests that the beginning of sedentary life and ceramic use in various parts of the Maya lowlands started roughly simultaneously ar…
After 40 Years: Revisiting Ceibal to Investigate the Origins of Lowland Maya Civilization
The Ceibal-Petexbatun Archaeological Project has been conducting field investigations at the lowland Maya site of Ceibal since 2005. Previous research at this site by Harvard University allowed us to develop detailed research designs geared toward specific research questions. A particularly important focus was the question of how lowland Maya civilization emerged and developed. Comparison with contemporaneous sites in central Chiapas led us to hy…
Central-Place Analyses in the la Entrada Region, Honduras: Implications for Understanding the Classic Maya Political and Economic Systems
Analyses of archaeological data from the La Entrada region in northwestern Honduras demonstrate that central-place theory applies to the regional settlement system during the Late Classic period. The configuration of the regional central-place system appears to have been oriented to the local exchange of subsistence goods and to the minimization of energy expenditure in their movement. The distribution patterns of obsidian artifacts vary signific…
Classic Maya Defensive Systems and Warfare in the Petexbatun Region: Archaeological Evidence and Interpretations
From 1989 to 1996, excavation and surveys were carried out at dozens of sites and intersite areas in the southwestern Peten by the Defensive Systems Subproject of the Vanderbilt Petexbatun Regional Archaeological Project and by subsequent related Vanderbilt investigations. The excavations and analyses explored fortification systems, related settlement, and artifactual evidence. Beginning at abouta.d. 760, the major centers of the Classic Maya civ…
The Last Day of a Fortified Classic Maya Center: Archaeological Investigations at Aguateca, Guatemala
Archaeological investigations at Aguateca, Guatemala, by the Petexbatun Regional Archaeological Project have provided clues to the intriguing sequence of the downfall of this Maya center. The earliest substantial occupation at Aguateca dates to the Late Preclassic period. After very little presence during the Early Classic period, Aguateca rapidly grew into a densely occupied center, probably at the beginning of the eighth century a.d. Migration …
Floor Assemblages from Burned Structures at Aguateca, Guatemala: A Study of Classic Maya Households
Investigations at the fortified Maya center of Aguateca, Guatemala, have revealed an unusual case of large-scale rapid abandonment. Structures in its epicenter were burned and abruptly abandoned during an attack by enemies at the end of the Late Classic period (A.C. 600–830). The excavation of burned structures has recovered rich floor assemblages, providing excellent data sets with which to examine household organization and activities. The resi…
In the Palace of the Fallen king: The Royal Residential Complex at Aguateca, Guatemala
The Aguateca Archaeological Project extensively excavated two structures (M7-22 andM7-32) in the Palace Group of the Late Classic Maya (A.C. 600–830) center of Aguateca, Guatemala. Multiple lines of evidence, including site layout, architectural features, soil chemistry, objects stored in a sealed room, and abandonment processes, suggest that these were the buildings where the ruler and his family lived and worked. The use of space in these struc…
The Power and Ideology of Artistic Creation: Elite Craft Specialists in Classic Maya Society
There is increasing evidence that in Classic Maya society some of the finest objects were produced by artists who were elites. Excavations at the rapidly abandoned center of Aguateca, Guatemala, in particular, have provided clear archaeological evidence of craft production by elites. These data present a unique test case for refining the archaeological theory of craft specialization. For the Classic Maya, the manufacture of art objects was an act…
An ethnoarchaeological study of chemical residues in the floors and soils of Q'eqchi' Maya houses at Las Pozas, Guatemala
This ethnoarchaeological study at the Q'eqchi' Maya village of Las Pozas, Guatemala, aimed to refine the understanding of the relationship between soil chemical signatures and human activities for archaeological applications. The research involved phosphorus, exchangeable ion (calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium), and trace element analysis of soils and earth floors extracted by Mehlich II, ammonium acetate, and DTPA chelate solutions, respecti…
Domestic and Political Lives of Classic Maya Elites: The Excavation of Rapidly Abandoned Structures at Aguateca, Guatemala
The Aguateca Archaeological Project conducted extensive excavations of elite residences at the Maya center of Aguateca, which was attacked by enemies and abandoned rapidly at the end of the Classic period. Burned buildings contained rich floor assemblages, providing extraordinary information on the domestic and political lives of Classic Maya elites. Each elite residence served for a wide range of domestic work, including the storage, preparation…
In the Realm of Nachan Kan: Postclassic Maya Archaeology at Laguna de On, Belize
Book Review| April 01 2002 In the Realm of Nachan Kan: Postclassic Maya Archaeology at Laguna de On, Belize By Marilyn A. Masson. (Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2000. 280 pp., preface, introduction, maps, bibliography, index. $65.00 cloth.) Takeshi Inomata Takeshi Inomata Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Ethnohistory (2002) 49 (2): 456–458. https://doi.org/10.1215/00141801-49-2-456 Views Icon Views Article conte…
The story in the floors: Chemical signatures of ancient and modern Maya activities at Aguateca, Guatemala
An unfinished temple at the Classic Maya centre of Aguateca, Guatemala
The authors demonstrate that a temple examined at the Classic Maya site of Aguateca, Guatemala, was still in the process of construction when it was attacked and abandoned at the beginning of the ninth century AD. Study of the ruin has provided valuable information on Maya building methods and processes, as well as guidance on how unfinished buildings may be identified
Plazas, Performers, and Spectators: Political Theaters of the Classic Maya
Theatrical performances not only communicate preexisting ideas but also define political reality as it is experienced by participants. Theatrical events thus constitute a critical process of integration and conflict in a wide range of societies and have particularly significant effects on the maintenance and transformation of premodern centralized polities. The study of performances allows archaeologists to explore the interrelations between poli…
On “Rethinking” Craft Specialization: Responses by the Authors
Knowledge and Belief in Artistic Production by Classic Maya Elites
Many of the beautiful pieces of Classic Maya art were produced by elite craftspeople. The study of this production system requires attention to the knowledge and beliefs underlying such activities. The production of art objects necessitated esoteric knowledge of the calendar, history, and religion, which was closely tied to the power and prestige of the elite. Elite artists, however, did not engage in production activities only for political gain…
Evaluating the use of Ikonos satellite imagery in lowland Maya settlement archaeology
Culture and Practice of War in Maya Society
Early Ceremonial Constructions at Ceibal, Guatemala, and the Origins of Lowland Maya Civilization
Early Mayan Architects Lowland Mayan civilizations began to construct dramatic pyramids beginning about 900 BCE. The cultural origins of these civilizations have been uncertain, particularly the connection to earlier Olmec cultures along the Gulf of Mexico. Inomata et al. (p. 467 ; see the cover; see the News story by Pringle ) describe excavations and extensive radiocarbon dating at the early Mayan city of Ceibal in Guatamala. The site shows inc…
Negotiation of Inalienability and Meanings at the Classic Maya Center of Aguateca, Guatemala
A central issue in Annette Weiner's theory of inalienable possessions is the meaning of objects. This chapter provides a critique of conceptualizations that view objects as repositories of fixed, preexisting meaning from perspectives of practice theory, performance theory, and cognitive sciences. It examines how inalienability and associated meanings are created, negotiated, and contested. Data from the Classic Maya site of Aguateca provide an ex…
Fire Intensity Assessment through the Analysis of Artifacts and Building Materials: Burning and Abandonment at the Classic Maya Sites of Aguateca and Ceibal, Guatemala
Different types of artifacts and building materials react in varying manners to heat exposure, and the analysis of their degrees and patterns of thermal alterations provide important clues to the intensity of fire to which they were subjected. Such data allow researchers to examine the presence or absence of a building fire, the quantity of fuel, and the intentional or accidental nature of the fire. This approach is particularly important in the …
Life and Politics at the Royal Court of Aguateca: Artifacts, Analytical Data, and Synthesis
Mesoamerican Plazas: Arenas of Community and Power
In this chapter, we reflect on the mechanisms through which political activity becomes incorporated into communal social and cultural life by the creation of spaces for permanent collective action. Our impression is that routine aspects of communitarian life are usually framed by cyclical events capable of attracting a sizable number of individuals leading to a collective experience \nwith political connotations. Hence, our goal is to highlight t…
Chronological Revision of Preclassic Kaminaljuyú, Guatemala: Implications for Social Processes in the Southern Maya Area
Kaminaljuyú has been an important focus of archaeological research since the 1930s, and the chronologies of various sites of the Southern Maya Area are linked directly to that of Kaminaljuyú. The implications of the currently prevalent chronology of Kaminaljuyú are that various social and political institutions developed significantly earlier in the Southern Maya Area than in the Maya Lowlands during the Preclassic period. Our evaluations of new …
Development of sedentary communities in the Maya lowlands: Coexisting mobile groups and public ceremonies at Ceibal, Guatemala
Significance The results of our research at the lowland Maya site of Ceibal add to the growing archaeological understanding that the transition to sedentism did not necessarily occur simultaneously across different social groups within a region and that monumental constructions did not always postdate fully established sedentism. Whereas sedentary and mobile populations are, in many cases, interpreted to have maintained separate communities, our …
The Construction of Public and Domestic Spheres in the Preclassic Maya Lowlands
There exists a significant theoretical imbalance in the archaeological study of domestic and public domains. Although the domestic has been an important focus of theoretical discussion, there is not an adequate archaeological theory on the public, and the study of the public is often confused with that of elite strategies. We believe that this theoretical imbalance strongly shapes interpretations of early Maya society, leading to the problematic …
Time tested: Re-thinking chronology and sculptural traditions in Preclassic southern Mesoamerica
Archaeology (45 works) · Maya (40 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (38 works) · Geography (32 works) · History (32 works) · Latin American history and culture (25 works) · Art (20 works) · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies (13 works) · Ancient history (12 works) · Political science (12 works)