Archaeologies of Value and Inequality among the Middle Preclassic Maya

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The archaeology of value as a theoretical framework has enjoyed a rebirth in recent years, with studies ranging from a focus on commodity value and inalienability, to analyses of the nature of ritual economy and studies of “the good life.” Yet a theory of value can also play an integral role in conceptualizing how and why inequality is manifested in the past. Here, I examine realms of discourse within ancient Maya systems of value, especially during the Middle Preclassic period (1000-350 BC). Domains of value are formulated in diverse array of discursive social forms and practices, ranging from kinship, quotidian ritual, and practices of daily life, yet they can also be framed by political actors actively engaging in defining what is of value in society. By examining shifts in materialized domains of value at the Middle Preclassic Maya village of Paso del Macho, I offer a new model for tracing the “origins of inequality” that proves flexible in what aspects of social life can be examined, and how they can be studied archaeologically.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53601