Autorentext

Joel W. Palka is an associate professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. He is the author of Unconquered Lacandon Maya: Ethnohistory and Archaeology of Indigenous Culture Change and Maya Pilgrimage to Ritual Landscapes: Insights from Archaeology, History, and Ethnography.

Klappentext

Household archaeology and the unraveling of Classic Maya power The Classic Maya collapse (ca. CE 800) in Mesoamerica has been the focus of much scholarly debate over the last century. In Classic Maya Social Inequality, Networks, and Collapse at Dos Pilas, Petén, Guatemala, Joel W. Palka further explores possible causes of the collapse and breaks new ground by examining its differing effects on Maya elites and commoners. Drawing on four years of extensive household excavations, Palka reveals how the unraveling of Maya society unfolded not through drought or economic decline alone, but through the disintegration of elite social networks and shifting strategies of survival among high-status commoners. Using data from monumental architecture, hieroglyphic inscriptions, and domestic archaeology, this study illuminates the lived experience of collapse from multiple social strata. By integrating political, environmental, and household perspectives, Palka provides one of the most comprehensive archaeological analyses of social change at an ancient Maya capital. This richly illustrated volume redefines our understanding of collapse, resilience, and transformation in ancient Mesoamerica, offering vital insights for archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians alike.

Inhalt

CONTENTS

List of Figures
List of Tables

1. Maya Social Inequality, Political Networks, and the Dos Pilas Collapse
2. Structure Hierarchy and Excavation Strategy at Dos Pilas
3. Excavations in Small Residential Groups of Low-Status Commoners
   4.Intermediate Residential Groups of Level 5
4. The Socio-Economic Middle Status: Level 6 Maya Residential Groups
5. Elite Maya Residences, Palaces, and Artifact Assemblages
6. Artifacts, Architecture, and Chronology at Dos Pilas

7. Conclusions: Maya Socio-Economic Inequality and the Dos Pilas Collapse

   References
   Index