Interpreting Changes in Ancient Maya Society: From Landscape and Architecture to Everything in Between

Part of: Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

The Maya are notorious for actively manipulating their natural and built environment. As complex cities developed, there was continuous alteration of core centers and surrounding spaces as well as to the material remains found within them. This tradition of constant change has led to theoretical questions of the meaning in addition to practical questions of the function of these spaces and artifacts. This session attempts to identify changes and interpret the meaning and functions of space, built and natural, and material remains found within them through a comparative Mesoamerican lens. At a macro level, some cases look at the changing layout in these organic cities attempting to understand the meaning of complexes. At a micro level, these investigations attempt to understand the meaning of change in material remain patterns. While the material remains archaeologist work with are static this sessions attempts to identify the meaning of these materials in moments in time where they serve as evidence of change.

Other Keywords
Maya • Architecture • Cave • Ritual • Ancestors • hydrology • Obsidian • Iconography • Built Environment • Urbanism

Geographic Keywords
Mesoamerica • Central America

Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-14 of 14)

  • Documents (14)
Documents
  1. An Analysis of Architectural Form and Function at Cahal Pech, Belize: The Case of Structure B7 (2015)
  2. Architecture and the Subjective Experience (2015)
  3. Conjunto Los Árboles: its use (2015)
  4. The Development and Modification of a Hydraulic Urban Space at the Classic Maya site of Xultun, Guatemla. (2015)
  5. Keeping it Natural: Ancient Maya Modifications of the Ritual Landscape Outside of Caves (2015)
  6. Maya Graffiti and Sacred Spaces (2015)
  7. Preliminary Results of Wood Charcoal analysis for Household groups in San Bartolo (2015)
  8. Public or Private: Adaptations in the Use of Public Space During the Maya Late Classic Period (2015)
  9. The Pyramid 12H3 Xultun Archaeological Site, Peten. Transition from the Preclassic to Classic (2015)
  10. Ritual constructions of the Mesoamerican Underworldview in the Caves and Cavates of the Southern Mexican Highlands: an exploration of changing functions and meanings. (2015)
  11. Ritualized Shatter: An Introduction of Obsidian to La Mipla, Belize (2015)
  12. The Role of Offerings in interpreting Architecture: Evaluating Human Remains at Xultun, Peten, Guatemala (2015)
  13. The Role of the Sweatbath in Classic Maya Ritual Performance (2015)
  14. Willfully Obscured: Figurines and Caves in the Maya Late Classic Period (2015)