A Millennium of Sociopolitical Transitions in the PRALC Region: The View from La Cariba

Summary

Excavations at minor centers provide us not only with a wealth of information about those sites, but they can also illuminate sociopolitical shifts over time within the broader region. The minor center of La Cariba, located four kilometers southwest of La Corona, has been investigated since 2009. A broad dataset including architectural, epigraphic, osteological, and artifactual evidence has provided a detailed narrative of political and demographic changes over a millennium at La Cariba. The site’s origins in the Late Preclassic demonstrate the establishment of a communal ceremonial place with a substantial investment in labor, despite a strikingly low population density. Around the transition into the Early Classic, a notable demographic increase corresponded with a major construction episode at La Cariba. After a possible abandonment for a few centuries, during the height of Kaan influence in the region, La Cariba was once again renovated, this time with minimal effort, with architectural evidence implying a strong relationship between La Cariba and La Corona. Epigraphic evidence links La Cariba’s Early and Late Classic occupations to two enigmatic periods in La Corona’s history, greatly enriching our understanding of these important periods, both of which involved major sociopolitical transitions in the region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21442