Epigraphy and the Archaeology of Settlement in the Dolores Region, Peten, Guatemala

Summary

This is an abstract from the "At the Interface the Use of Archaeology and Texts in Research" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper summarizes recent research into the timing, distribution, and causes of ancient Maya settlement in the area of Dolores, Peten, Guatemala, in the western Maya Mountains. Integrating evidence from hieroglyphic inscriptions, ceramic studies, and GIS modeling of least-cost pathways and viewsheds, I propose an archaeohistorical narrative for the Late Classic period in which kingdoms outside the Dolores area intervened there, including through the sponsorship of religious cults and local dynasties, in order to secure control of travel routes important in the procurement of cacao and other valued crops. As the Calakmul hegemony broke down under pressure from Tikal, local kingdoms contended for dominance, repeating in miniature some of the strategies used by larger Maya polities.

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• At the Interface the Use of Archaeology and Texts in Research

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24745