Dynamic Frontiers in the Archaeology of Chiapas

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Dynamic Frontiers in the Archaeology of Chiapas" at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archaeological investigation has established that Chiapas was a place of cultural and economic fluorescence throughout the precolumbian past. From the Central Depression to the highlands and beyond, ancient peoples of Chiapas cultivated interregional connections, constructed sophisticated site centers, and created innovative artistic and architectural traditions. One of the unique aspects of this region is its past and present cultural diversity, including groups with linguistic roots in several different Mayan languages, as well as Zoque and Chiapanec. Relationships between different polities and cultural groups waxed and waned over time, shifting with the formation and dissolution of political alliances, trade networks, migrations, and new technologies. Archaeologically, such shifts can be traced through changes in the origin of goods or stylistic attributes of a wide range of material culture, from settlement patterns, to elite offerings, to ordinary household consumption patterns. This symposium seeks to shine light on the dynamic frontiers of Chiapas, and to highlight recent archaeological research in the region. Papers may address interactions between Maya and other Indigenous groups, relationships across frontiers within the westernmost Maya area, or recent archaeological investigations of sites in Chiapas.