Warfare and the Origins of Social Complexity in Southern Central America

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Warfare and the Origins of Political Control " session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Southern Central America is rich in examples of early complex societies, and yet, the timing and mechanism for the emergence of social complexity and differentiation are still not well understood. Recent works are moving archaeologists in the region to question, on the one hand, the definition of social complexity itself, and on the other hand, the role of activities such as exchange of elite goods, agricultural and craft surplus production, religious ideology, and warfare in this process. The role of conflict and war has been sporadically mentioned and even less systematically analyzed. What is certain is that after 300 CE there is a rich and varied imagery related to either physical or symbolic violence. Sites with monumental architecture appear after 400 CE in strategic locations. Architectural features that could have served defensive purposes suggest an increase in competition and possibly conflict. Sixteenth-century chronicles indicate an acute intergroup conflict that may have had deeper roots in competitive complex societies. We will discuss briefly how our concept of social complexity is changing, and then examine some examples of sites that are shedding light on the role of warfare. Finally, we will propose some ways to move forward with the topic.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Warfare and the Origins of Political Control   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36638.0