Assessing Classic Maya Intermediate Elite Political Strategies through Multivariate Statistical Manipulation of Settlement Pattern Data

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Intermediate elites played pivotal roles in the politics of ancient complex societies across the world. In the Classic period (AD 250-900/1000) Maya lowlands, intermediate elites acted as intercessors between apical rulers and commoners. These intermediate elites and the political strategies they employed, however, have rarely taken center stage in reconstructions of Maya politics. This poster evaluates the role of intermediate elites who occupied the middle level of the settlement hierarchy of the Belize River Valley of west-central Belize. Multivariate statistical analyses of previously recorded architectural and environmental variables (n=28) identified five types of settlement groups. Groups 2 and 3 were associated with intermediate elites, with Group 2 being large specialized elite centers with ballcourts, causeways, terminus groups and multiple plazas. In contrast, Group 3 were smaller residential and ceremonial groups focused around a single plaza. Investigation of patterned variability in the middle tier of the system indicates four primary intermediate political elite strategies used to gain and maintain power and authority: 1) apical elite emulation, 2) shielding client-commoners, 3) apical elite compliancy, and 4) the management of frontier zones. Elucidating the variability in intermediate elite decision-making provides a new avenue for understanding political landscapes, and the dynamics of integration.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24586