Sustainable Urbanism in the Maya Lowlands: 13 Years of Research in the Bajo el Laberinto Region, Southern Campeche

Summary

This is an abstract from the "New and Emerging Perspectives on the Bajo el Laberinto Region of the Maya Lowlands, Part 2" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Since 2011, a multidisciplinary team of researchers has been investigating the development of dense urbanism along the southern edge of the Bajo el Laberinto. Anchored by Yaxnohcah in the east and Pared de los Reyes in the west, the area was settled at ca. 900 BCE and occupied until ca. 1500 CE, constituting one of the longest cultural histories in the Maya Lowlands. In addition, it supported very dense populations throughout the Classic period, with new communities and neighborhoods appearing, possibly linked to an expanding market economy. The long-term occupation of the region was supported with sustainable environmental practices over millennia, punctuated by modifications in land-use strategies at critical junctures. In this paper, we highlight the major findings of our 13 years of research in the Bajo el Laberinto area focused on Yaxnohcah and present our interpretations regarding the intersection of population dynamics, political economies, and land-use strategies during significant cultural crossroads. These findings lay the foundation for our ongoing research in the area, which has become a regional endeavor that also encompasses the northern rim of the Bajo el Laberinto centered on the prominent city of Calakmul.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• New and Emerging Perspectives on the Bajo el Laberinto Region of the Maya Lowlands, Part 2   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40133.0