Assessing the Role of Preclassic Traditions in the Formation of Early Classic Yucatec Cultures, México

Bibliographic Data

ID11073005
AuthorsJeffrey B Glover, Jeffrey Glover (0000-0001-8070-3707, corresponding author), Travis W Stanton (0000-0001-9791-5642)
Year2010
Volume35
Issue1
Pages58-77
Publication date2010-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Field Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0093-4690 • E-ISSN: 2042-4582
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1179/009346910x12707320296711
OpenAlexW1975670531
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited32

In the northern Maya lowlands the transition from the Late Preclassic to the Early Classic is poorly understood. Despite the knowledge that ceramic traditions underwent drastic changes, the timing of these changes is difficult to place in absolute terms. Many of the chronological problems stem from an over-reliance on the dates ascribed to this transition by earlier scholars. We evaluate the cultural historical frameworks of the Preclassic and Early Classic periods in the northern lowlands, which have remained surprisingly static since their creation over 50 years ago. Using data from excavations and regional settlement surveys, we explore the possibility of how changes in settlement patterns, monumental architecture, and ceramics contribute to debates about concepts such as the Terminal Preclassic and Protoclassic and our broader understanding of the social and political transformations that occurred at this transition. We propose that five ceramic spheres emerged in the northern lowlands during the Terminal Preclassic (75 B.C.–A.D. 400). The increased ceramic heterogeneity correlates with the emergence of more hierarchical political structures. We use two research areas, Yaxuná and the Yalahau region, to explore the implications of a Preclassic Maya collapse, as well as architectural data combined with ceramic data to shed light on the variability of sociopolitical organization at the end of the Preclassic

Archaeology · Assemblage (archaeology · Excavation · Geography · Maya · Political science · Politics · Settlement (finance · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Natural History · Architecture · History · Latin American history and culture · Law

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