The Social Uses of Food in Ancient Maya Culture

From feasting as a mechanism for the evolution of complexity to the competitive trade in cacao beans among elites, food and cuisine were deployed in a myriad of ways to cement social relations and reinforce specific identities in the ancient Maya world. The study of foodways encompasses not only diet but all the cultural behaviors and beliefs surrounding consumption—ritual offerings and restrictions, medicinal preparations, competitive consumption, and the role of nostalgia or memory around food. This session presents a series of case studies of Classic Maya foodways from Preclassic to Postclassic contexts. From this rich foundation we will move beyond specific examples to a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms by which food was instrumental to the development of ancient Maya culture. How was diet codified as a marker of Maya identity? Which foods emerged as key components of state ritual and how was their production manipulated? In what ways did cuisine became a specialized knowledge base that reinforced hierarchy? Papers will address the ideological as well as nutritional aspects of Maya cuisine, the economic or political significance of shared foodways, and the role of foodstuffs in the dynamic processes of identity formation.