Everyday Life During the Late Terminal Classic in the Cochuah Region

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Following a peak in construction activity during the Terminal Classic, most of the 105 sites documented in the Cochuah Region in the central Yucatan Peninsula were abandoned with only a fraction boasting minor Postclassic activity in the form of small shrines and temples. However, at a number of settlements, a much-reduced population continued during a newly defined phase termed the Late Terminal Classic. During this time, in addition to open-fronted (C-shaped) structures, residents built small, round foundation braces and scavenged tools and ceramic vessels from earlier structures. Excavations of the round constructions have revealed a mix of cultural continuities and innovations as inhabitants struggled to continue in what would have been an extremely challenging and turbulent time period. The excavations are able to provide details about what everyday life was like through the patterning of soil chemistry, ancient starches, and artifact distributions in and around four of the round structures. This patterning is considered in comparison to a variety archaeological and ethnographic examples and the methods used to consolidate and preserve these structures are also discussed.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 29860