A Session in Memory of William J. Folan: Cities, Settlement, and Climate
Part of: Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)
This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "A Session in Memory of William J. Folan: Cities, Settlement, and Climate" at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.
William J. Folan (1931–2022) was an indefatigable researcher who made substantive contributions to archaeological scholarship over the course of a professional career spanning seven decades. Reflecting the influence of his advisor Walter W. Taylor, Willie’s ideas often went against the mainstream. This is most clearly reflected in his seminal work on Maya settlement patterns and urbanism, as well as theories that explored the impacts of climatic variability on long-term historical dynamics. Although best known for his pathbreaking studies of two of the largest precontact Maya cities—Coba and Calakmul—his work made a substantive impact across Mesoamerica and North America. Perhaps Willie’s greatest strength was as a collaborator, with a proven track record of creating opportunities for junior colleagues. His personal story and 60-year investment in field research highlight a lifelong dedication to the advancement of the field. In this session colleagues and friends will come together to highlight Willie’s lasting contributions to archaeology in the areas of settlement patterns, urbanism, political organization, and human-environmental interactions.
Other Keywords
Maya: Classic •
Urbanism •
Ethnohistory/History •
Maya: Postclassic •
Lithic Analysis •
Historical Archaeology •
Survey •
Paleoethnobotany •
Urbanization •
Geochemistry
Geographic Keywords
North America (Continent) •
United Mexican States (Country) •
Peten (State / Territory) •
Belize (Country) •
Cayo (State / Territory) •
Stann Creek (State / Territory) •
Toledo (State / Territory) •
Yucatan (State / Territory) •
Orange Walk (State / Territory) •
Corozal (State / Territory)
Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-7 of 7)
- Documents (7)
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Ancient Obsidian Trade in Campeche, Mexico (2023)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "A Session in Memory of William J. Folan: Cities, Settlement, and Climate" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Those of us who were fortunate enough to work with Willie Folan all know that he was generous to a fault. I was invited first to study obsidian artifacts excavated by his team at the great Preclassic to Classic Maya city of Calakmul, and then to continue that work with later projects, including Postclassic...
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Bones and Ritual among the Ancient Maya of Calakmul and Champotón, Campeche: Celebrating the Legacy of Dr. William Folan (1931–2022) (2023)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "A Session in Memory of William J. Folan: Cities, Settlement, and Climate" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Mayanist community recalls a close colleague and tireless promoter of Maya archaeology, Dr. Folan. The Bioarchaeology Laboratory of the Autonomous University of Yucatan remembers him with great affection and a deep appreciation of a remarkable person, scholar, and student mentor. He ably led the archaeological...
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Environmental History of the Petén Campechano (2023)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "A Session in Memory of William J. Folan: Cities, Settlement, and Climate" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Paleoenvironmental inferences are based on pollen and geochemical data from sediment cores collected in Lakes Silvituc and Uxul, and Oxpemul Reservoir, near three archaeological sites that supported agricultural activity between ca. 900 BC and AD 750, under the control of the Kaan Dynasty. These sites show patterns...
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Lidar Reconnaissance of the Calakmul Urban Landscape (2023)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "A Session in Memory of William J. Folan: Cities, Settlement, and Climate" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Building on the work of William J. Folan, the Bajo Laberinto Archaeological Project, initiated in 2022, is focused on investigations of urbanism centered on the city of Calakmul in southern Campeche. An initial 100 km2 lidar survey along the northern rim of the Bajo Laberinto has revealed large, elaborate...
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A Tale of Two Types of Cities: The Rise and Decline of Low-Density Urbanism in Champotón, Campeche (2023)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "A Session in Memory of William J. Folan: Cities, Settlement, and Climate" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Over his distinguished career William Folan made a substantive contribution to knowledge of the scale, form, and nature of Maya urbanism. Classic Maya cities are often classified as a low-density agrarian-based urban tradition, a cross-cultural concept characterized by expansive settlement zones, lack of...
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William J. Folan and the Climate Fascination (2023)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "A Session in Memory of William J. Folan: Cities, Settlement, and Climate" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. We recall the moment that William J. Folan was struck by the Climate Fascination. In 1978 he had a visiting professorship at the University of Texas at San Antonio and we were sharing an office. He suggested that JDG should do an article on Maya Lowlands climate change. JDG responded that Willie was the expert who...
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William J. Folan's Canadian Contributions to Archaeology and Ethnohistory (2023)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "A Session in Memory of William J. Folan: Cities, Settlement, and Climate" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Although most recognize William Folan’s contributions to Mayan archaeology, his early career was devoted to significant national heritage projects in Canada. From 1965 to 1972, Willie carried out two unprecedented large archaeological projects for Parks Canada. It was a ground-breaking time in Canadian archaeology,...