In the Land of the Codex-Style Ceramics: New Insights on Classic Maya Settlement Organization in Northern Petén, Guatemala

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Recent Multidisciplinary Investigations in the Mirador Basin, Guatemala" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Since the archaeologist Michael Coe dubbed "Codex-style" ceramics to a group of polychrome vessels coming from northern Guatemala and southern Campeche, many scholars have given attention to study this pottery produced during the Late Classic period. However, little is still known about the archaeological context of these ceramics and its relation to local settlement organization. The northern Petén underwent significant transformations between the Early and Late Classic periods, which is marked by the increase of population caused by the expansion of the Kaanul dynasty to the southern Maya lowlands. The "Preclassic" cities such as El Mirador and Nakbe were reoccupied, and new settlements emerged in a particular pattern of residential groups clustered around central plazas with causeways. The demographic apogee of the region during the late seventh through the middle eight centuries coincides in time with the production of Codex-style vessels. Based on settlement patterns studies and spatial analysis, this paper provides new evidence from 36 archaeological sites with this ceramic style that will contribute to our understanding of the Late Classic settlement organization in this particular region of the Maya lowlands.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Recent Multidisciplinary Investigations in the Mirador Basin, Guatemala

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33362