The Dynamics of State Integration: A Neighborhood Perspective from San Lucas, Copán, Honduras

Summary

In the early 2000s, Mesoamerican archaeologists adopted the "dynamic" model of state organization, positing that political centralization strengthened and diminished over time. Such fluctuations are due primarily to the inherent tension between the institutions of kinship and kingship, and consequent struggle for power in political, economic, and religious spheres. I argue that the intermediate scale of the neighborhood is best suited for analyzing how local- and state-level power structures intermix on the ground. Neighborhoods within cities capture both the everyday life of a diversity of residents, and articulate with larger state institutions and political economy. While the dynamic model is now widely accepted, very few studies show how state actors and local people actually navigate growing and waning power levels. I model such dynamics through the lens of Collective Action Theory, which specifically addresses the role of state actors in the everyday life of local residents through the concept of infrastructural power. I provide a case study illustrating the actions of San Lucas residents and the Copán state during moments of very high and very low infrastructural power. This perspective provides a more holistic understanding of ancient state organization.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21569