The Sloppy Science of Ancient Maya E-Groups

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Misinformation and Misrepresentation Part 1: Reconsidering “Human Sacrifice,” Religion, Slavery, Modernity, and Other European-Derived Concepts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Ancient Maya E-Groups have been a subject of archaeological fascination for nearly a century, resulting in extensive literature on E-Groups. However, consistency in that literature is hard to find. In this paper, we review some problems with E-Group research. This includes the lack of a consistent definition of the characteristics of E-Groups, the limited number of excavations that have taken place at E-Groups, and the lack of consensus on the functions and roles these assemblages played amongst the Maya. By highlighting these issues, we aim to show that our current understanding of E-Groups is mainly speculative, filled with academic baggage, and broad-stroke assumptions used on a range of architectural assemblages. Such assumptions are often treated as fact by virtue of repetition within the literature. We will end our paper with proposals on how to improve future academic discussions of E-Groups.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)   •
• Misinformation and Misrepresentation Part 1: Reconsidering “Human Sacrifice,” Religion, Slavery, Modernity, and Other European-Derived Concepts

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38001.0