The Rise of a Maya Merchant Class

Ancient Maya Commerce : Multidisciplinary Research at Chunchucmil

“…Competitive interlocking market systems tend to feature many markets and goods that flow freely through them. The northern lowlands in the Postclassic period is generally thought to exemplify this type of system (Freidel and Sabloff 1984;Freidel 2012, 2013;Sabloff and Rathje 1975) and Braswell has suggested that the Terminal Classic period, where obsidian from the same broad variety of sources was available at both Uxmal and Chichén Itzá, also pertains to this category. This kind of source analysis does not work well for the northern lowlands in the Early Classic period since the El Chayal source dominates obsidian at all sites.…”

“…We revisit these assumptions in greater detail in chapters 10 and 12 but summarize them presently. Regarding the assumption of voluminous seaborne trade, researchers often state that such trade became more common in the Postclassic (McKillop 1996;Sabloff and Rathje 1975). Turner and Sabloff (2012) go so far as to say that the shift from land-borne to seaborne trade at the end of the Classic period played the most important role in the Terminal Classic collapse of southern lowland polities.…”

“…Ethnohistorical material for the Maya highlands suggests that a majority of households depended on marketplaces for everyday needs (King 2015:38). The importance of trade indicated in these historical sources receives support from the archaeology of the Postclassic period, which has documented a rise in obsidian exchange, the appearance of bustling centers on coastal trade routes, and changes in ceramic production geared toward exports (Masson 2001;Masson and Chaya 2000;Masson and Peraza Lope 2014:26;McKillop 1996;Rathje 1975;Sabloff and Rathje 1975;West 2002).…”

Mayan Belief Systems: A Network Interpretation

“…This implies that the Middle Preclassic settlement period was one of transition. Others (Webster, 1976:109 andSabloff andRathje, 1975:78) also see the period from about 400 B.C. to 300 B.C.…”

Maya collapse cycles

“…Itza aggression and alliance building at southern sites near the Caribbean coast have long been documented and these data make sense in the context of this political shift (11,(15)(16)(17). Chichen Itza's command of seaborne trade and longranging contacts in the Mesoamerican world set the stage for the amplification of mercantile institutions (18) that Sabloff and Rathje (19) initially identified as a key component of societal transformation from the Classic to the Postclassic Periods.…”