Painted pots and royal routes: hieroglyphic and ceramic traditions in the western Peten

Author(s): James Fitzsimmons

Year: 2017

Summary

The cities of the western Peten shared a common history and several ceramic traditions. In the northwest along the San Pedro Martir River, archaeological sites like El Peru (Waka’), Zapote Bobal (Hiix Witz), La Joyanca, and La Florida (Namaan) flourished with seemingly few—if any—clashes between them for the entirety of the Classic Period. That being said, we know that this region was greatly affected by the Tikal-Calakmul wars. There was even a ‘road’ or route between the sites allied to the ‘Snake’ kings that ran right through this region, ostensibly through El Peru and Zapote Bobal; indeed this route was one of the keys to their dominance in the Maya area during the seventh and early eighth centuries AD. It seems plausible to suggest that the bonds between the local communities here, with their shared traditions and apparently peaceful relations, may have formed in opposition to these larger geopolitical events. This paper will explore what we know from the hieroglyphic record and how it accords with the ceramic evidence for mutual cooperation in the western Peten.

Cite this Record

Painted pots and royal routes: hieroglyphic and ceramic traditions in the western Peten. James Fitzsimmons. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Vancouver, British Columbia. 2017 ( tDAR id: 431905)

Keywords

General
Ceramics Epigraphy Maya

Geographic Keywords
Mesoamerica

Spatial Coverage

min long: -107.271; min lat: 12.383 ; max long: -86.353; max lat: 23.08 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16795