Sociopolitical Implications of a New Emblem Glyph and Place Name in Classic Maya Inscriptions

Bibliographic Data

ID4374592
AuthorsJoel W Palka, Joel Palka (0000-0002-0905-2048)
Year1996
Volume7
Issue3
Pages211-227
Publication date1996-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLatin American Antiquity (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1045-6635 • E-ISSN: 2325-5080
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/971575
OpenAlexW2321269495
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited22

A new emblem glyph and place name, which depicts tied hair, is identified in Classic Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions from the upper Usumacinta River region of Chiapas and Guatemala. Emblem glyphs are used as titles of rulers, whereas place names indicate a person"s place of origin or where events took place. An interesting discovery from glyphic texts with this "Tied-Hair" glyph is that rulers at the large sites of Bonampak and Lacanhá, Chiapas, originated from the Tied-Hair site. Maya sites with emblem glyphs are often viewed as being politically independent polities ruled by a local patrilineage. Evidence discussed here suggests that Maya centers could have been ruled by noble males from other sites and that some polities were made up of several centers. This complex sociopolitical organization may have been created through dynastic alliances, through inheritance, or by military conquest. Classic Maya political integration then may have been similar to that of the Aztec, Mixtec, and Maya of Postclassic Mesoamerica

Ancient history · Archaeology · CONQUEST · Emblem · Genealogy · Geography · Glyph (data visualization · Maya · Mesoamerica · Political science · Politics · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Latin American history and culture · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies · History · Law

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