Activity Areas and Evidence of Crafting: The Study of a Late Classic Lithic Maya Workshop at Chinikihá, Chiapas, Mexico

Summary

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

Recent research in the Maya Lowlands, particularly in Chiapas and Tabasco, has shed new light on the regional patterns and social practices of Late Classic Maya society. This presentation will build upon these findings by delving into the lithic materials unearthed from archaeological work at the site of Chinikihá. The focus will be on the significance of identifying and analyzing activity areas and associated lithic materials within a commoner architectural context. The objective of this study is to enhance our understanding of lithic crafting technologies and the daily lives of these communities. We will provide a thorough overview of the results derived from analyzing lithic materials found in a workshop setting. This research employs a dual methodology: mass debitage analysis and attribute analysis of the lithic artifacts. By examining these materials, the study underscores the role of lithic analysis in elucidating stone tool technology, raw material access, social practices, and the roles of crafting and learning in Maya communities of practice.

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): 53771