Paleoecological Evidence of an Early Postclassic Occupation in the Southwestern Maya Lowlands: Laguna Las Pozas, Guatemala

2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Johnston ◽  
Andrew J. Breckenridge ◽  
Barbara C. Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Classic Maya ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Maya Lowlands ◽  
Postclassic Period ◽  
Refugee Population ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
Early Postclassic ◽  
Maya Collapse ◽  
Terminal Classic Period

Magnetic, palynological, and paleoecological data indicate that in the Río de la Pasión drainage, one of the most thoroughly investigated areas of the southern Maya lowlands, a refugee population remained in the Laguna Las Pozas basin long after the Classic Maya collapse and the Terminal Classic period, previously identified by archaeologists as eras of near-total regional abandonment. During the Early Postclassic period, ca. A. D. 900 to 1200, agriculturalists colonized and deforested the Laguna Las Pozas basin for agriculture while adjacent, abandoned terrain was undergoing reforestation. After discussing the archaeological utility of magnetic analyses, we conclude that following the Maya collapse, some refugee populations migrated to geographically marginal non-degraded landscapes within the southern lowlands not previously occupied by the Classic Maya.

THE NORTHERN MAYA COLLAPSE AND ITS AFTERMATH

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony P. Andrews ◽  
E. Wyllys Andrews ◽  
Fernando Robles Castellanos
Keyword(s):  
Eleventh Century ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
The South ◽  
Maya Lowlands ◽  
Postclassic Period ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
Early Postclassic ◽  
Societal Structure ◽  
Maya Collapse ◽  
Chichen Itza

Recent adjustments to the chronology of the northern Maya Lowlands have brought about a closer alignment of the decline of Terminal Classic/Early Postclassic Yucatecan polities with the collapse of the southern Maya states. The collapse of the entire Classic-period societal structure throughout the lowlands can now be compressed into a 200- or 250-year period and seen as a progressive chain of events that began in the south and culminated with the fall of Chichen Itza in the eleventh century. This new reconstruction has led us to propose eliminating the Early Postclassic period, the existence of which was based largely on a purportedly late occupation of Chichen Itza. We assign this final occupation of the Itza capital to the Terminal Classic period, which ended sometime in the eleventh century in the northern Maya Lowlands.

scholarly journals Drought, agricultural adaptation, and sociopolitical collapse in the Maya Lowlands

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (18) ◽  
pp. 5607-5612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. J. Douglas ◽  
Mark Pagani ◽  
Marcello A. Canuto ◽  
Mark Brenner ◽  
David A. Hodell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Maya Lowlands ◽  
Agricultural Adaptation ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
Paleoclimate Records ◽  
Early Classic Period ◽  
Plant Wax ◽  
Terminal Classic Period

Paleoclimate records indicate a series of severe droughts was associated with societal collapse of the Classic Maya during the Terminal Classic period (∼800–950 C.E.). Evidence for drought largely derives from the drier, less populated northern Maya Lowlands but does not explain more pronounced and earlier societal disruption in the relatively humid southern Maya Lowlands. Here we apply hydrogen and carbon isotope compositions of plant wax lipids in two lake sediment cores to assess changes in water availability and land use in both the northern and southern Maya lowlands. We show that relatively more intense drying occurred in the southern lowlands than in the northern lowlands during the Terminal Classic period, consistent with earlier and more persistent societal decline in the south. Our results also indicate a period of substantial drying in the southern Maya Lowlands from ∼200 C.E. to 500 C.E., during the Terminal Preclassic and Early Classic periods. Plant wax carbon isotope records indicate a decline in C4 plants in both lake catchments during the Early Classic period, interpreted to reflect a shift from extensive agriculture to intensive, water-conservative maize cultivation that was motivated by a drying climate. Our results imply that agricultural adaptations developed in response to earlier droughts were initially successful, but failed under the more severe droughts of the Terminal Classic period.

Linguistic Divergence and the Collapse of Preclassic Civilization in Southern Mesoamerica

1987 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 367-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce H. Dahlin ◽  
Robin Quizar ◽  
Andrea Dahlin
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Communication Networks ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Late Classic ◽  
Postclassic Period ◽  
Proximate Cause ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
Early Postclassic ◽  
Ultimate Cause ◽  
Early Classic Period

Based on published lexicostatistical dates, two intervals in the prehistory of southern Mesoamerica stand out as fertile periods in terms of the generation of new languages: the Terminal Preclassic/early Early Classic Periods, and the Early Postclassic Period. After comparing archaeological evidence with language distributions within the subregions of southern Mesoamerica during the first of these periods, we conclude that the cultural processes during both periods had the same potential for producing rapid rates of linguistic divergences. Just as rapid proliferation of linguistic divisions was symptomatic of the well-known collapse of Late Classic Maya civilization, so it can be taken as a sign of a collapse of Terminal Preclassic civilization. Both collapses were characterized by severe population reductions, site abandonments, an increasing balkanization in material culture, and disruption of interregional communication networks, conditions that were contributory to the kind of linguistic isolation that allows language divergences. Unlike in the Terminal Classic collapse episode, small refuge zones persisted in the Early Classic Period that served as sources of an evolving classicism; these refuge zones were exceptions, however, not the rule. Although the collapse of each site had its own proximate cause, we suggest that the enormous geographical range covered by these Early Classic Period site failures points to a single ultimate cause affecting the area as a whole, such as the onset of a prolonged and devastating climatic change.

HOUSEHOLD ORGANIZATION AND THE DYNAMICS OF STATE EXPANSION: THE LATE CLASSIC–TERMINAL CLASSIC TRANSFORMATION AT XUENKAL, YUCATAN, MEXICO

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Kam Manahan ◽  
Traci Ardren ◽  
Alejandra Alonso Olvera
Keyword(s):  
Regional Economy ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
State Control ◽  
Late Classic ◽  
Postclassic Period ◽  
State Expansion ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
History Of ◽  
Chichen Itza ◽  
Terminal Classic Period

AbstractWhile changing views of the sociopolitical history of the northern Maya lowlands now recognize that Chichen Itza's emergence as a major polity on an unprecedented scale occurred during the Terminal Classic period, rather than the Early Postclassic period, the ramifications of significant chronological overlap between Chichen Itza's rise and the demise of neighboring polities have been largely unexplored. The ancient Maya center of Xuenkal, located in the Cupul region about 45 km northeast of Chichen Itza, is one of the few known interior sites to contain substantial (and discrete) Cehpech and Sotuta occupations. The Proyecto Arqueológico Xuenkal (PAX) was initiated in 2004 to elucidate Chichen Itza's role in the history of the Cupul region and what role local Xuenkal elites may have played in negotiating regional political dynamics. As with many surrounding centers, it appears that Xuenkal's occupational history reached its zenith with the Late Classic–Terminal Classic Cehpech ceramic sphere. However, unlike neighboring sites associated with Cehpech, such as Ek' Balam or Yaxuna, Xuenkal also contained a substantial Sotuta settlement concentrated within the site core during the Terminal Classic period. These populations adapted into an evolving regional economy by dramatically increasing household production as compared to Late Classic groups. While Sotuta households were tightly integrated into Chichen Itza's regional economy, evidence for their direct state control is not readily apparent. We suggest that the relationship between Chichen Itza and regional communities was more dynamic than current models contend, and that Chichen Itza's political machinations across the peninsula must be considered in local contexts that varied across households, communities, and regions.

Testing the “tropical storm” hypothesis of Yucatan Peninsula climate variability during the Maya Terminal Classic Period

2016 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martín Medina-Elizalde ◽  
Josué Moises Polanco-Martínez ◽  
Fernanda Lases-Hernández ◽  
Raymond Bradley ◽  
Stephen Burns
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Yucatan Peninsula ◽  
Tropical Storm ◽  
Classic Maya ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Proxy Records ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
Yucatán Peninsula ◽  
Precipitation Record ◽  
Terminal Classic Period

AbstractWe examine the “tropical storm” hypothesis that precipitation variability in the Yucatan Peninsula (YP) was linked to the frequency of tropical cyclones during the demise of the Classic Maya civilization, in the Terminal Classic Period (TCP, AD 750—950). Evidence that supports the hypothesis includes: (1) a positive relationship between tropical storm frequency and precipitation amount over the YP today (proof of feasibility), (2) a statistically significant correlation between a stalagmite (Chaac) quantitative precipitation record from the YP and the number of named tropical cyclones affecting this region today (1852—2004) (calibration sensu lato), and, (3) correlations between the stalagmite Chaac precipitation record and an Atlantic basin tropical cyclone count record and two proxy records of shifts in macroscale climate and ocean states that influence Atlantic tropical cyclongenesis. At face value, regional paleotempestology proxy records suggest that tropical storm activity in the YP was either similar or significantly lower than today during the TCP. The “tropical storm” hypothesis has implications for our understanding of the role the hydrological cycle played in the collapse of Classic Maya polities and the role of tropical storms in possibly ameliorating future drought in the YP and other tropical regions.

scholarly journals Technology, production, and distribution of terminal classic molded-carved vases in the Central Maya Lowlands

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Ting ◽  
Christophe Helmke
Keyword(s):  
Energy Dispersive Spectrometer ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Energy Dispersive ◽  
Maya Lowlands ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
Production And Distribution ◽  
Thin Section Petrography ◽  
Terminal Classic Period

The paper summarises the results of the technological and stylistic analyses of the moldedcarved ceramic vases from Altun Ha, and Pook’s Hill, two archaeological sites located in Belize. The stylistic analysis of these vases indicates that the decorative modes and the tradition of manufacturing vases by molds date squarely to the Terminal Classic period (ca. AD 800-1000). The Terminal Classic period is one of transition, exhibiting dramatic socio-political changes in the Maya Lowlands. The technological analyses employ energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF), thin-section petrography, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS), to characterise the physical, mineralogical, and chemical properties of the molded-carved vases. Combining the results of the technological and stylistic analyses help to discriminate the production groups, reconstruct the manufacturing technology, characterise the organisation of production, and delineate distribution patterns. Our present findings reveal that the changes in the socio-political order during the Terminal Classic in the Maya Lowlands likely stimulated changes in the types and manner in which elite pottery was produced, as well as the mechanisms responsible for the distribution of such ceramics.

Classic Maya Ballcourts at La Milpa, Belize

1994 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevan C. Schultz ◽  
Jason J. Gonzalez ◽  
Norman Hammond
Keyword(s):  
Classic Maya ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
La Milpa ◽  
Terminal Classic Period

AbstractTwo ballcourts at the major Classic site of La Milpa are of similar age but different design, a circumstance found only rarely elsewhere. Differences in playing surface and alley plan suggest that different kinds of ballgame were played during the Terminal Classic period on these courts.

GREAT DEVELOPMENT IN TROUBLED TIMES: THE TERMINAL CLASSIC AT THE MAYA SITE OF NAKUM, PETEN, GUATEMALA

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarosław Źrałka ◽  
Bernard Hermes
Keyword(s):  
Classic Period ◽  
Political Crisis ◽  
Maya Lowlands ◽  
Ruling Elite ◽  
Commercial Activities ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
Maya Site ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Great Development ◽  
Terminal Classic Period

AbstractRecent investigations carried out at the Maya site of Nakum, located in the northeastern part of Guatemala, revealed traces of very intense Terminal Classic period occupation and architectural construction and renovation. Archaeological excavations in the site's core and its periphery indicate that the apogee of Nakum's cultural prosperity and demographic increase occurred during the Terminal Classic period when many new structures were constructed and almost all old constructions were rebuilt. The growth and prosperity of Terminal Classic Nakum stands in stark contrast to the prevailing pattern of collapse and abandonment seen at many other lowland Maya sites during this turbulent period. Archaeological and epigraphic data suggest that Nakum survived the collapse of other major cities such as Tikal or Naranjo by at least a century. Nakum's success can be attributed to its role as a fluvial port that controlled commercial activities within this region. Its advantageous location on the banks of the Holmul River, combined with weakened competition from formerly more powerful neighbors such as Tikal and Naranjo, apparently permitted Nakum's ruling elite to actively expand its trade relationships in spite of the broad economic and political crisis that profoundly affected the Southern Maya Lowlands. However, its success was relatively brief, for by the end of the Terminal Classic (ca.a.d.950) Nakum apparently succumbed to the same forces that had caused the collapse and abandonment of most Southern Maya Lowland cities.

THE ROOTS OF SOTUTA: DZITAS SLATE AS A YUCATECAN TRADITION

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott A. J. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Classic Period ◽  
Maya Lowlands ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
Sociopolitical History ◽  
Chichen Itza ◽  
Terminal Classic Period

AbstractThe Sotuta pottery complex has been used in the archaeology of the northern Maya lowlands to identify the Terminal Classic period and cultural association with Chichen Itza. The Sotuta complex, however, is made up of many pottery types, the majority of which are inappropriate markers of elite sociopolitical history. It is argued here that Sotuta-complex slate wares developed out of previous local slate wares regardless of the elite sociopolitical changes taking place with the arrival of the Itza. The wares produced and distributed by commoners were independent of elites and have been artificially chained to questions of elite political expansion for which they are inappropriate correlates.

ON THE COMPATIBILITY OF EPIGRAPHIC, GEOGRAPHIC, AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA, WITH A DROUGHT-BASED EXPLANATION FOR THE CLASSIC MAYA COLLAPSE

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 341-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hubert R. Robichaux
Keyword(s):  
Ninth Century ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Maya Collapse ◽  
Terminal Classic Period

The demographic and cultural Collapse of the ancient lowland Maya civilization in the ninth century A.D. has long been of fascination to both scholars and the general public. A large number of hypotheses has been offered to explain this event. Evidence derived from several independent lines of investigation during the 1990s indicates the time of the Maya Collapse was one in which severe drought conditions prevailed over much of the lowlands. Drought is now considered a potential primary causal factor for the Collapse. This paper cites some of the evidence for the presence of drought conditions at the time of the Collapse and then considers the degree to which a drought-based explanation for the Collapse is compatible with what is currently known about the Collapse's occurrence. There are problematic aspects to the temporal and spatial development of the Collapse that suggest that the Terminal Classic-period drought did not constitute a single, overwhelming blow that rendered collapse inevitable. It is suggested, instead, that culture-historical events and ecological factors interplayed with the Terminal Classic-period drought in such a way as to render the Collapse possible.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document