An Empirical Study of the Economy of the Classic Maya Regal Palace of La Corona, Guatemala

Summary

This paper reports on the final results of a multi-facetted study of the northern section of the regal palace of La Corona. This study sampled (n=328) both plaster and soil in three adjacent patios and adjoining middens. The plaster samples underwent a geochemical analysis (ICP-MS), while the soil samples underwent flotation analysis which recovered macro-botanical remains and micro-artifacts. These results were then combined to traditional artifactual data derived from five middens excavated within the sampled area. The combination of these datasets reveals invaluable information about the economic activities that occurred in the regal palace during its latest phase of occupation, spanning roughly 750-850 A.D. These activities included: food preparation; the manufacture of many different lithic, ceramic, and perishable artifacts; the combustion of various materials; the preparation of pigments; the storage of perishable and durable items; and the discard of every type of artifact. The results of this NSF-funded study inform on the pragmatic dimensions of the political-economy of the ancient institution that was the La Corona Regal palace.

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): 21559