Architecture and Sociopolitical Transformation at Chau Hiix, Belize

Andres, Christopher R.

doi:10.1179/009346909791071096

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Rather the record indicates localized pathways of change with details differing for individual sites or groups of sites (Demarest et al 2004). Trends of dehierarchization (Schwarz 2004; and increasingly open façades (Andres 2005) are evident at several sites though and larger versions of the open halls at the Quexil Islands were present in large elite centres such as Zacpetén (Pugh 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Architecture, Materialization and the Duality of Structure: a Maya Case Study of Structurally Shaped Innovation

Schwarz¹

2013

CAJ

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This article addresses the problem of structural determinism in archaeological explanations of material culture change, specifically architecture. A discussion of Giddens' structuration theory emphasizes the duality of structure. The concept is updated by drawing on Gell's theory of agency in art and recent ideas on play, innovation, freedom and consensus prevalent in anthropology and archaeology. This approach shows that material culture is changed through structurally shaped innovation, such that agency is distributed across time, among groups regionally and among elites and commoners. The theoretical exposition develops a case study including discussion of an architectural grammar, ethnohistoric analogy and activity-area studies involving ceramic incense burners. The case study is the Classic–Postclassic transition (ad 750–1200) among the Maya of Petén, Guatemala. While earlier explanations of architectural change in this region focused on an in-migration event, the current investigation posits a Postclassic reconfiguration of Maya architecture, specifically changes in ‘C’-shaped stone benches, based on structurally shaped innovation and a distributed view of agency. The benches served as stages for more heterarchical ritual performances with the incense burners as opposed to the hierarchical ritual performances common in the Classic period. This account overcomes structural determinism by allowing for diversity and cultural specificity in our views of agency.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Architecture, Materialization and the Duality of Structure: a Maya Case Study of Structurally Shaped Innovation

Schwarz¹

2013

CAJ

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“…Chau Hiix is a Maya site located on a seasonal lagoon in the jungles of Belize. The research design focuses on intersite political relations to test competing models of ancient Maya political economy using complementary lines of evidence: area populations, agricultural features, Postclassic settlement, and a long-lived civic center (Andres 2005; Andres and Pyburn 2004; Cook 1997; Cuddy 2000; Goldsmith 2006; Pyburn 2003, 2008; Wille 2007; Wrobel 2003). This research design challenged the data access status quo by needing primary data for intersite comparisons, not the results of analysis that are found in journal publication.…”

Section: Data Management Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Standard Descriptive Vocabulary and Archaeology Digital Data Collection

Beebe

2017

Adv. archaeol. pract.

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Archaeology has embraced the shift to digital technology for collecting, analyzing, and sharing data. Digital repositories are now recognized as essential for data stewardship and are setting standards for data deposition. These new technologies and systems support the scientific need for reproducible results through intra-cultural as well as cross-cultural hypothesis testing. Methods of digital data collection in the field, however, are often site specific, restricted by the limited availability of digital technologies, or not well suited for creating systems that support the requirements of the new digital information paradigm. As a small science project, the Chau Hiix Project in Belize will provide examples of the pitfalls in and insights about shifting to digital technology to make its primary data shareable and reusable. These experiences suggest the need for an international collaborative agenda that develops digital data description standards based on controlled vocabulary, facet analysis, and crosswalks implemented at the analog point of collection.

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“…Mesoamerican archaeologists have long been interested in the widespread collapse of Maya polities during the late first millennium C.E., and the effects of severe droughts have long been suspected as a major culprit in this period of Maya collapse. Archaeologists relate these developments to changing patterns of Maya warfare and to changes in the built environment and public architecture of major Maya centers (Andres 2009; Garrison and Dunning 2009; Inomata and Triadan 2009; Scherer and Golden 2009). Several researchers have related the effects of drought to conflict, regional fragmentation, and an emphasis on building and maintaining fortifications in the Andes during the Late Intermediate Period (early second millennium C.E.…”

Section: Environmental Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…One set of responses to these conditions seems to have focused on new practices of warfare and new types of fortifications (Inomata and Triadan 2009; Scherer and Golden 2009). Another strategy may have been the revival or adaptation of traditional forms of architecture (Milbrath and Peraza Lope 2009); still another may have been the development of new forms of Postclassic‐period architecture that emphasized inclusivity and access rather than the exclusivity of many Classic‐period centers (Andres 2009). The collapse of Maya polities did not affect all Maya communities similarly, and Kevin Schwarz (2009) emphasizes localized responses to these developments in his study of the settlement history of the village of Excicil, in the Peten.…”

Section: Cultural Landscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Place, Landscape, and Environment: Anthropological Archaeology in 2009

Rodning

2010

American Anthropologist

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Topics of current interest to anthropological archaeologists include the relationships between people and place, interactions between people and past environments, and responses by past societies to changes in the natural environment. In this article, I focus on recent considerations of past landscapes and the built environment.This research concentrates on such topics as architecture, the utilization of different environmental zones, and transitions from foraging to farming, one of the long-standing topics of interest to anthropological archaeology.Recent archaeological research also emphasizes climate change and warfare, topics that have relevance to current events and conditions in the modern world.

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Architecture and Sociopolitical Transformation at Chau Hiix, Belize

Cited by 9 publications

References 25 publications

Architecture, Materialization and the Duality of Structure: a Maya Case Study of Structurally Shaped Innovation

Architecture, Materialization and the Duality of Structure: a Maya Case Study of Structurally Shaped Innovation

Standard Descriptive Vocabulary and Archaeology Digital Data Collection

Place, Landscape, and Environment: Anthropological Archaeology in 2009

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