Unleashing Maya Warfare

Inquiry Into the Practical Aspects of War-Making

Bibliographic Data

ID6033902
AuthorsChristine L Hernández (0000-0001-7071-7443, Loyola University Chicago, corresponding author), Justin Bracken (0000-0003-4590-4014, The Graduate Center, CUNY)
Year2023
Volume34
Issue1
Pages184-197
Publication date2023-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAncient Mesoamerica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0956-5361 • E-ISSN: 1469-1787
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0956536121000493
OpenAlexW4320167712
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited88

Across many decades of Maya archaeology, the study of war has typically been focused on its geopolitical, systemic, evolutionary, and structural implications. We argue these approaches stand to benefit from deeper interrogations of practice. Such a perspective shifts scholarly attention toward the ways in which Maya peoples prepared for and engaged in combat, and how they administered the outcomes of war. Deploying this approach requires the study of tactics, strategy, fortifications, materiel, landscape, embodiment, and a host of other related factors. With the issue of practice at the forefront of our analysis, we demonstrate how the study of war has been “blackboxed” in Maya archaeology, then undertake a comparative analysis to highlight how digging into the details of past martial practice enriches debates in Mesoamerican studies regarding the role of war in the rise and disintegration of states

Archaeology · Art · Digging · Geopolitics · Maya · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Visual arts · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · History · Latin American history and culture · Law

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