Ancient Maya Commerce : Multidisciplinary Research at Chunchucmil

Hutson, Scott R.

doi:10.26530/oapen_626387

Cited by 11 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 199 publications

(395 reference statements)

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“…Research by Robin and her team at the site of Chan in Belize is another excellent example of detailed studies of daily nonelite activities (Robin 2002(Robin , 2012; see also Hutson 2016Hutson , 2017 for another very useful example from Chunchucmil near the west coast of northern Yucatan, among a growing number of such studies). Studies of plant and animal remains from Maya sites are also providing useful information about both elite and commoner ancient Maya diets (see White 1999;Emery 2004Emery , 2010Wright 2006;Emery & Thornton 2008, among many others).…”

Section: What Do We Know About Ancient Maya Commoners?mentioning

confidence: 99%

How Maya Archaeologists Discovered the 99% Through the Study of Settlement Patterns

Sabloff

2019

Annu. Rev. Anthropol.

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This article presents an autobiographical perspective on the changing nature of Maya archaeology, focusing on the role of settlement pattern studies in illuminating the lives of commoners as well as on the traditional emphasis on the ruling elite. Advances in understanding the nature of nonelite peoples in ancient Maya society are discussed, as are the many current gaps in scholarly understandings of pre-Columbian Maya civilization, especially with regard to the diversity of ancient “commoners” and the difficulty in analyzing them as a single group.

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Section: What Do We Know About Ancient Maya Commoners?mentioning

confidence: 99%

How Maya Archaeologists Discovered the 99% Through the Study of Settlement Patterns

Sabloff

2019

Annu. Rev. Anthropol.

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“…Households resident on basal platforms dominate settlement across the north (e.g., Dzibilchaltun and Chunchucmil [ 45 , 46 ]), but contrast with some areas of the central lowlands, where more often the basic unit is an elongated mound, often arranged with other such mounds to form the edges of a patio or courtyard group. (A similar contrast has been noted between the residential units of Caracol, Belize, also primarily basal platforms, and those of the central Peten [ 25 ].)…”

Section: Methods: the Lidar Datasetmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lidar survey of ancient Maya settlement in the Puuc region of Yucatan, Mexico

Ringle

Negrón

Ciau³

et al. 2021

PLoS ONE

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The application of lidar remote-sensing technology has revolutionized the practice of settlement and landscape archaeology, perhaps nowhere more so than in the Maya lowlands. This contribution presents a substantial lidar dataset from the Puuc region of Yucatan, Mexico, a cultural subregion of the ancient Maya and a distinct physiographic zone within the Yucatan peninsula. Despite the high density of known sites, no large site has been fully surveyed, and little is known about intersite demography. Lidar technology allows determination of settlement distribution for the first time, showing that population was elevated but nucleated, although without any evidence of defensive features. Population estimates suggest a region among the most densely settled within the Maya lowlands, though hinterland levels are modest. Lacking natural bodies of surface water, the ancient Puuc inhabitants relied upon various storage technologies, primarily chultuns (cisterns) and aguadas (natural or modified reservoirs for potable water). Both are visible in the lidar imagery, allowing calculation of aguada capacities by means of GIS software. The imagery also demonstrates an intensive and widespread stone working industry. Ovens visible in the imagery were probably used for the production of lime, used for construction purposes and perhaps also as a softening agent for maize. Quarries can also be discerned, including in some cases substantial portions of entire hills. With respect to agriculture, terrain classification permits identification of patches of prime cultivable land and calculation of their extents. Lidar imagery also provides the first unequivocal evidence for terracing in the Puuc, indeed in all northern Yucatan. Finally, several types of civic architecture and architectural complexes are visible, including four large acropolises probably dating to the Middle Formative period (700–450 B.C.). Later instances of civic architecture include numerous Early Puuc Civic Complexes, suggesting a common form of civic organization at the beginning of the Late Classic demographic surge, (A.D. 600–750).

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“…Similarly, when describing the K'iche' and Kaqchikel capitals of Q'umarkaj (also known by the Nahuatl-derived name, "Utatlán") and Iximche' (respectively) in highland Guatemala, Ximénez (1929-31, 94) observed that markets were held in spaces close to temples; this suggests a high degree of elite control over marketplaces in those cities. In the archaeological record, several Maya marketplaces seem to fit this pattern, including marketplaces at Tikal (Becker 2015, Jones 2015), Calakmul (Carrasco Vargas, Vásquez López, and Martin 2009, Buenavista del Cayo (Cap 2015(Cap , [2021 Chapter 12 this volume), Xunantunich (Cap [2021] Chapter 12 this volume; Keller 2006); Maax Na (King [2021] Chapter 11 this volume; King and Shaw 2015), Chunchucmil (Hutson 2017;Terry, Bair, and Coro-nel 2015), and Mayapán (Masson and Peraza Lope 2014;Terry, Bair, and Coronel 2015). The degree to which the marketplace was spatially integrated with political or religious facilities may indicate the degree of monitoring and policing of marketplace spaces conducted by political officials, as opposed to non-governmental organizations such as guilds or entrepreneurial associations.…”

Section: Marketplaces and Urban Geographymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Marketplaces in Mesoamerican cities are generally associated with spaces characterized by their relative "openness" (although vendor stalls and other features may be present), and are often associated with large plazas (Cap 2015;A. Chase et al 2015;Dahlin et al 2007;Dahlin et al 2010;Hirth 2009;Hutson 2017;Keller 2006;Shaw 2012;Shaw and King 2015;Terry, Bair, and Coronel 2015; see Ossa [2021] Chapter 5; Paris and López Bravo [2021] Chapter 6;Anaya et al [2021] Chapter 9; King [2021] Chapter 11; Cap [2021] Chapter 12), but apart from these criteria, many variations are possible with regard to their location. Urban marketplaces may be centrally located with respect to the city as a whole, centrally located with respect to a particular district, or located on the edge of town.…”

Section: Marketplaces and Urban Geographymentioning

confidence: 99%

1 Introduction: Urban Commerce in Ancient Mesoamerica

Paris

2021

Archaeological Papers of the American

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Nearly three decades of research have identified evidence of commercial institutions and exchange at cities throughout Mesoamerica. This introduction examines three major areas of investigation for commercial institutions in ancient Mesoamerican cities: marketplaces and urban geography; currencies, standards and credit; and the social dimensions of urban commerce. It discusses the different ways in which the contributing authors examine different commercial economies of ancient Mesoamerica through the prism of its urban centers, and the potential of this approach for further archaeological research.

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Ancient Maya Commerce : Multidisciplinary Research at Chunchucmil

Cited by 11 publications

References 199 publications

How Maya Archaeologists Discovered the 99% Through the Study of Settlement Patterns

How Maya Archaeologists Discovered the 99% Through the Study of Settlement Patterns

Lidar survey of ancient Maya settlement in the Puuc region of Yucatan, Mexico

1 Introduction: Urban Commerce in Ancient Mesoamerica

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