Settlement Patterns and Chronology in Calakmul and Its Surroundings

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.

Calakmul is the largest site on the northern edge of the Bajo el Laberinto and has been investigated intensively since the 1980s. Previous research has produced valuable data regarding the general urban extent and the Late Preclassic monumental architecture surrounding the main plaza, as well as public, palatial, and some residential groups from the Classic period. Comparatively little has been said about the chronology of its larger urban sphere and peripheries, which is why we have recently started a broad reconnaissance and testing program in this extended area. The preliminary results of our mapping and excavation efforts suggest that Calakmul experienced accelerated urban growth between ca. 450 and 650 CE. The formal configurations of domestic compounds are heterogeneous, ranging from simple, low house mounds to extensive multi-patio complexes. Surprisingly, this development occurred before the major political shift marked by the establishment of the Kanu’l rulers at Calakmul around 635 CE. Another unexpected find was that of formal settlements dating to the Postclassic, a period poorly documented in previous works. This late occupation suggests that Calakmul and the Bajo el Laberinto remained an important locale well after the departure of the Kanu’l and the end of the Classic period.

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): 39843.0