Ancillary economic activities in a Classic Maya regal palace: A multiproxy approach

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a multiproxy approach to the ancillary activities which supported the ancient Maya royal court of the center of La Corona (750-900 CE). This approach sampled both the plaster floors and their overlaying soil matrix from areas of the palace of La Corona, resulting in a data set comprised of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry geochemical, soil-flotation derived microartifactual, and macrobotanical data. These data complemented the architectural and artifactual record, documenting elusive aspects of the economic, ancillary functions of the Northwest Group of the La Corona regal palace. Specifically, this approach revealed that distinct portions of this architectural group were regularly used for preparing foods and craft objects, carrying products and items, discarding ash, using and/or grinding cinnabar-based pigments, and illuminating nighttime activities. These results not only revealed activity areas in patios, but also provided evidence regarding the functions of adjacent buildings. This paper significantly contributes to our understanding of the pragmatic economic functions of ancient Maya royal courts. In addition, the presented data sets are methodologically valuable for students of archaeological activity areas.

Environmental legacy of pre-Columbian Maya mercury

“…In these locations, and undoubtedly elsewhere, legacy mercury in pre-Columbian contexts may be the most unambiguous proof of past Maya mercury use, and the various ritual, industrial and domestic activities that used mercury minerals, that have left behind a permanent mark in the buried and preserved in the soilscape. Indeed, this association between elevated Hg and past Maya activities has been put forward as prima facie evidence that cinnabar must have been used at some Maya sites in the past (e.g., Lamoureux-St-Hilaire et al, 2019;pg. 778).…”

Gini coefficient at La Corona: The impacts of variation in analytical unit and aggregation scale

“…Though remote, La Corona was peppered with sculpted monuments that recorded its political association with the important Classic Maya dynasty of Kaanul, the hegemonic rulers of the Classic period centers of Dzibanche and Calakmul with which it maintained a close alliance for over two centuries in the Late Classic period (Baron 2016; Canuto and Barrientos Q. 2020; Lamoureux-St-Hilaire et al 2019; Martin 2001:183, 2008; Stuart et al 2018). Despite this important role as a tightly integrated but geographically distant political dependency, La Corona's civic-ceremonial core was small (~1 km 2 ), composed of two main architectural complexes, interspersed with a handful of minor shrines and residential clusters (Barrientos Q. et al 2011).…”

Mercury enrichment in anthrosols and adjacent coastal sediments at a Classic Maya site, Marco Gonzalez, Belize

“…Mercury (Hg) is of particular interest in Maya archaeology due to its use in high‐status funerary and cultural practices (Ávila et al, 2014; Batta et al, 2013; Bell, 2007) and what its occurrence in archaeological contexts (floors, middens, ceramic pigments, casques) tells us about artisan industry, commerce and trade in the Mayan world. Multi‐element (including mercury) geochemical surveys of Maya archaeological sites have identified significant changes to soil characteristics associated with occupation and industrial activities (Cook et al, 2006; Eberl et al, 2012; Fulton et al, 2017; Lamoureux‐St‐Hilaire et al, 2019; LeCount et al, 2016; Luzzadder‐Beach et al, 2011; Parnell et al, 2002; Terry et al, 2004; Wells et al, 2000).…”