Río Bec. Des grandes maisons et des récoltes

Abstract

Río Bec. Des grandes maisons et des récoltes Río Bec. Big houses and staple production Río Bec. Grandes residencias y cosechas

Chronology of the Río Bec Settlement and Architecture

“…That this trend must be interpreted in social terms as a process of absorption of small units—with variable degrees of success—into those in which large Río Bec residences were being built is beyond the scope of the present paper (see Arnauld 2011; Arnauld et al. 2012; Michelet et al 2013). This is one of the most promising, albeit unexpected, outcomes of our dual-focus research on chronology applied to architecture and settlement dynamics.…”

“…As mentioned, the curve of new foundation construction also levels off with time. Dating a larger sample of unvaulted structures and stone piles would probably confirm and enhance the contraction pattern by which more and more lesser units were abandoned as the number of large residences increases in Kanlol-Makan times (Arnauld et al 2012). A somewhat divergent evolution is apparent in the northeastern quadrant (Figure 2), which seems to have lagged behind all other sectors after the Kanlol phase (Taladoire 2007).…”

“…These activities in the Makan phase completely remodeled the micro-region's sociopolitical landscape, reflecting the emergence of new social groupings now able to erect multiroom residences, some with towers (Groups N, B) and others with zoomorphic doors (Yaxek-Las Escobas, Structure 2). As seen in the nuclear zone, the contraction process accompanied extensive monumental construction, which means that it must have provided, rather than diverted, labor force through coresidence concentration (see more detailed discussion in Arnauld et al [2012] and Michelet et al [2013]).…”

Río Bec Settlement Patterns and Local Sociopolitical Organization

“…The average distance separating the monumental groups is approximately 350 m, but ranges vary from 150 m to slightly more than 1,000 m. The proximity of groups suggests face-to-face interaction among the families occupying them. At the same time, this proximity must have favored architectural emulation, or even competition amongst the most important social houses (Arnauld et al 2012). At the micro-regional scale, a statistical nearest-neighbor analysis indicates the existence of two concentrations of groups—one central, the other eastern—stretched along a northwest-southeast axis (Figure 1) and separated by an empty area approximately 1,000 m wide corresponding to a drainage zone.…”

“…Nevertheless, cases of high-ranked units absorbing neighboring lesser units are also known (Taladoire et al 2013; see also Michelet et al 2013). These dynamics may have determined the emergence of neighborhoods on peninsulas circumscribed by drainage channels (Arnauld et al 2012). Agrarian factors had a strong impact as those distinct processes of neighborhood formation and lesser units absorption led to the emergence of a few landed estates larger than the average land extent available elevated to each dwelling unit (see Lemonnier and Vannière 2013).…”