Aguada Fénix and the Middle Usumacinta Region: Interregional Interactions and Social Transformations in the Middle Preclassic Period

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Aguada Fénix and the Middle Usumacinta Region: Interregional Interactions and Social Transformations in the Middle Preclassic Period" at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Data recovered in Aguada Fénix and the Middle Usumacinta Region has significantly contributed to understanding Mesoamerica’s early history, particularly early Maya societies. Since 2017, research by the Middle Usumacinta Archaeological Project (MUAP) has focused on understanding the interregional interactions of groups inhabiting the Isthmian Interaction Sphere that led to the development of early Maya societies, as well as the ways in which these groups adapted to the environment. Ongoing investigations address inquiries related to monumentality as a collective effort, social and symbolic practices, sedentarism and semi-mobile ways of life, intensification of maize agriculture and mixed subsistence, and modification of the landscape. In this session, we will present research advances by MUAP and their implications for the study of Middle Preclassic Mesoamerica.