Urban Commoner Households: (In)Equality and Daily Life at Aventura

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Households at Aventura: Life and Community Longevity at an Ancient Maya City" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Cities are locations of diverse human interaction where persons from different families and social affiliations can gather, exchange goods, and participate in community events. However, the management of these diverse interactions and activities requires social and political systems that do not value the contribution of all residents equally, resulting in inequities. In this paper, I present survey and excavation data designed to assess the smallest households of Aventura’s urban community and assess the nature of inequality at the site. Illustrated through the horizontal excavation of two commoner households, this paper examines what life at Aventura was like for the city’s lower-status residents. Through a discussion of domestic architecture, ritual practices, and refuse deposits, I argue that while some households at Aventura experienced inequality, they remained active and integrated members of the broader community. I conclude by reflecting on the role that this integration of low-status households played in the city’s longevity and the maintenance of its robust and diverse population.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Households at Aventura: Life and Community Longevity at an Ancient Maya City   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36520.0