Ancient Urbanites: The Spatial and Social Organization of Outlying Temple Groups at Ceibal, Guatemala

Summary

Recent investigations of minor temple groups at Ceibal, Guatemala shed light on the social and spatial organization of ancient Maya cities. Many researchers suggest that minor temples were important integrative hubs in lowland Maya settlements. Because minor temples were constructed at regular intervals around the urban epicenter of Ceibal, it appears that they were integral to city planning, and likely the centers of localized communities. Although they may have been discrete social units, the formation of these "intermediate" groups was crucial to shaping and sustaining the larger sociopolitical order. This research investigates community organization at Ceibal by: 1) assessing the existence of spatially-distinct residential zones organized in association with at least one temple; 2) evaluating variations in material culture across different residential zones; and 3) identifying local sources of water within each zone, which would have been important loci of routine interactions and crucial for supporting local populations. A diachronic assessment of multiple lines of evidence provides a basis for more clearly identifying and understanding how intermediate social groups at Ceibal formed and articulated with the larger society. More broadly, this paper provides methodological and theoretical approaches for studying different levels of community organization among the ancient Maya.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16057