Excavations beneath the Copan Acropolis provide
the most complete record known for the origins and development
of an Early Classic Maya royal complex (ca. a.d.
420–650). Beginning at the time of the historically
identified dynastic founder, the earliest levels include
the first royal compound, centered on a small talud-tablero
platform, a vaulted tomb that may be that of the founder,
and an adjacent tomb that may be that of the founder's
wife and dynastic matriarch. The timing and development
of architecture provide evidence of the founding and growth
of Copan as the capital of a Classic-period polity during
the reigns of the first seven kings (a.d. 426–544).
By the reigns of Rulers 8–11 (a.d. 544–628),
the Early Classic Acropolis covered about the same area
as its final version in the Late Classic. Documentation
of specific Acropolis buildings provides evidence of the
external connections that reinforced the authority of Copan's
Early Classic kings. Building sequences reflect the perpetuation
of political power by using important locations as symbolic
links to the sacred past. The Early Classic Acropolis also
provides new evidence for the beginnings of palace architecture
that have important implications for the origins of Maya
state-level organizations. Overall, the findings from the
Early Classic Copan Acropolis promise to significantly
advance our understanding of the origins and development
of Maya state systems.
Investigations of Classic period (a.d. 400–900) settlement in the El Paraíso Valley, western Honduras, have identified a pattern of paired centers that suggests a previously unrecognized model of political organization in the Maya area. In the El Paraíso Valley, the largely contemporary, equally-sized, and proximate centers of El Cafetal and El Paraíso differ radically from one another in their spatial organization, construction techniques, architectural embellishment, use of open space, and portable material culture. Analysis of these differences suggests that El Cafetal was inhabited by an autochthonous population while El Paraíso was founded under the auspices of the Copan dynasty as an administrative outpost. We suggest that the juxtaposition of these two sites results from a regional strategy of sociopolitical integration implemented by Copan rulers that was adapted to the ethnically diverse regions along the edge of the Copan kingdom.
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