Archaeological and Epigraphic Indices of the Political Domination: A View from the Northwestern Periphery of the Kaanu’l Hegemonic State

Summary

The past decade has witnessed a revolution in our understanding of Classic Maya geopolitics, particularly in reconstructing asymmetrical interpolity relationships dominated by expansionist states. Employing variable political strategies, including both direct and indirect rulership, the Kaanu’l Dynasty dominated a large network of kingdoms across the Maya Lowlands. This paper examines the impacts of the expansion and dissolution of the Kaanu’l state in western Campeche, within the northwestern frontier of its vast political network. Implementing a strategy of indirect political control, the powerful Kaanu'l rulers of Calakmul incorporated this region through patronage of the large capital of Edzná as a proxy, facilitating control over the strategic route to the northwest via the Edzná canal system and the Río Champotón waterway. The decline of Calakmul as a major geopolitical power in the mid-eighth century AD in turn ushered in a period of political chaos, with emergent groups with strong links to the western Gulf Coast rising to prominence within the ensuing power vacuum. Drawing on both archaeological and epigraphic data, this paper examines the impacts of incorporation into the Kaanu’l state, as well as the major changes that took place within the region following the decline of the Snake Dynasty.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Understanding Classic Maya Hegemonic Networks Through Textual-Material Synergies: The Case of the "Snake" Kingdom

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