Imported Imperialism: The Impact, Aftermath, and Lasting Political Legacy of Teotihuacan in the Maya Lowlands

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Central Mexico after Teotihuacan: Everyday Life and the (Re)Making of Epiclassic Communities" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The nature of Teotihuacan influence in the Maya Area has been a topic of enduring controversy. A growing corpus of evidence indicates direct political intervention by Teotihuacan across the Maya Lowlands starting in 378 CE facilitated through links with the Mutal Dynasty of Tikal. Emulation was not limited to material culture and political symbols but included new forms of political interaction and the first clear evidence of expansionist foreign policy. However, there has been far less emphasis on the geopolitical impacts of the withdrawal of this western empire in the Maya Area. The decline of Teotihuacan as a major power instigated hegemonic wars, with an emergent dynasty with indigenous roots—the Kanu’l dynasty—rising to geopolitical prominence. Yet, this new order was built on structures likely introduced from the west, which would be reproduced, modified, and perpetuated by kingdoms up to five centuries after the end of direct Teotihuacan activity in the region. The central thesis of this paper is that general historical trends in the Maya Area emerging from synthesis of local dynastic histories were embedded within broader pan-Mesoamerican geopolitical dynamics, including the rise and fall of Teotihuacan.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Central Mexico after Teotihuacan: Everyday Life and the (Re)Making of Epiclassic Communities

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32148