Costly Signaling, Cost Masking, and the Classic-Postclassic Transition: Slipped Ceramics and other Media in the Context of the Petén Lakes Region, Guatemala.

Author(s): Kevin Schwarz

Year: 2016

Summary

Costly signaling theory indicates that highly visible acts of public generosity and display, which exact costs not easily recouped, however, can provide social benefits to those engaged in such acts. Such signaling is associated with the strength or fitness of the provider. Analyzing slipped and fineware ceramics in display contexts, and obsidian use and architecture, this presentation explores how Maya elites and rural sub-elites engaged in costly signaling and modified their actions by cost shifting and cost masking, which significantly transformed their signaling behavior. The presentation focuses on the Petén Lakes region of Guatemala from the Late Classic to Postclassic transition (AD 600-AD 1250). Costly signaling has been implicated by archaeologists in the rise of complex societies. However, costly signaling theory, with these modifications, might equally apply to theorizing political collapse and the regeneration of complex societies thereafter.

Cite this Record

Costly Signaling, Cost Masking, and the Classic-Postclassic Transition: Slipped Ceramics and other Media in the Context of the Petén Lakes Region, Guatemala.. Kevin Schwarz. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Orlando, Florida. 2016 ( tDAR id: 404142) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8B859VG

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

Keywords

Culture
CLASSIC LOWLAND MAYA • Itza Maya • Postclassic Maya

Material
architecture • Building Materials • Ceramic • Chipped Stone • fineware ceramics • Obsidian

Site Name
Ixlu • Quexil Islands • San Jeronimo II • Tayasal • Trinidad de Nosotros

Site Type
Domestic Structure or Architectural Complex • Domestic Structures • Funerary and Burial Structures or Features • Non-Domestic Structures • Settlements

Investigation Types
Archaeological Overview • Architectural Documentation • Collections Research • Ethnographic Research • Methodology, Theory, or Synthesis

General
Costly Signaling Theory • Cost masking • Cost shifting • El Chayal obsidian • Fine Gray pottery • Fine Orange pottery • Fineware ceramics • Ixtepeque obsidian • Maya • Monumental Architecture • Plumbate pottery • Pottery

Geographic Keywords
Guatemala (State / Territory) • Lago Peten Itza • Laguna Quexil • Lake Peten Itza Basin • Lake Quexil • Maya lowlands, Petén, Guatemala • Mesoamerica • Peten Lakes region

Spatial Coverage

min long: -107.271; min lat: 12.383 ; max long: -86.367; max lat: 23.068 ;

File Information

  Name Size Creation Date Date Uploaded Access
Costly-signaling-Maya-Schwarz-SAA-2016.pdf 814.28kb May 4, 2016 May 4, 2016 9:43:03 AM Public
Written paper of Society of American Archaeology conference presentation from April 10, 2016 by Kevin R. Schwarz