The “Streetlight Effect” and the Late Preclassic/Early Classic Transition in Petén, Guatemala

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Cooperative and Noncooperative Transitions in the Archaeological Record" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Collapses are frequently observed in the archaeological record, though they are rarely catastrophic events. They generally involve migration and reorganization, which is an opportune time to reevaluate the existing system of organization. Despotic systems tend to be more visible since rulers overtly proclaim their divine right to rule. More cooperative systems are far less evident archaeologically. Consequently, when a more cooperative system replaces despotic systems, governance seems to disappear. When the opposite occurs, governance seems to appear. Using elite culture, particularly a cult of rulership, as an indicator of governance is an example of the Streetlight Effect. We argue that the Late Preclassic period collapse and the Early Classic period emergence of the aristocracy was simply a shift from a more cooperative to a more despotic system, not an advancement. We explore these ideas in the Petén Lakes region of Petén, Guatemala.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Cooperative and Noncooperative Transitions in the Archaeological Record   •
• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 50553