No abstract

Research into ancient societies frequently faces a major challenge in accessing the lives of those who made up the majority of their populations, since the available evidence so often concerns only the ruling elite. Our excavations at the ancient Maya site of Calakmul, Mexico, have uncovered a ''painted pyramid:'' a structure decorated with murals depicting scenes of its inhabitants giving, receiving, and consuming diverse foods, as well as displaying and transporting other goods. Many are accompanied by hieroglyphic captions that describe the participants, and include spellings of key subsistence items. Collectively, they offer insights into the social mechanisms by which goods were circulated within major Maya centers.archaeology ͉ hieroglyphic writing ͉ nanoparticles

Resumen: Los nombres personales son un elemento importante de los textos jeroglífi-cos mayas del período Clásico (250-900 d.C.) y su análisis aporta información sobre la configuración social y política de esta época. De interés primordial es el nombre colectivo conocido como "glifo emblema" que fungía como título real. En esta ocasión discutimos las implicaciones sociales del uso del apelativo k'uhul kanu'l ajaw, tratándose del glifo emblema más mencionado en el área maya durante el Clásico Tardío. En particular, determinamos los patrones de transmisión intergeneracional de este nombre y de otros segmentos nominales de la unidad social Kanu›l, para así problematizar los paradigmas de parentesco y los modelos de organización social que se han propuesto para el período en cuestión.PalabRas clave: Mayas, Clásico Tardío, dinastía Kanu'l, Calakmul, glifo emblema, unidades sociales.AbstRact: Personal names are important elements of Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions of the Classic period (AD 250-900), and their analyses provide information about the social and political configuration of this time. The collective name known as "Emblem Glyph", which served as a regal title, is of particular interest here. In this occasion, we discuss the social implications of the use of the appellative k'uhul kanu'l ajaw, the most frequent Emblem Glyph in the Maya area, during the Late Classic period. We determine the pattern of intergenerational transmission of this and other names related to the Kanu'l social unit, in order to problematize the parentage paradigms and the models of social organization that have been proposed for this period.

Archaeological excavations at Yaxnohcah have revealed a long sequence of sedentary occupation, from 1000 b.c. to a.d. 1400, with dynamic periods of growth occurring during the Middle (1000–400 b.c.) and Late Preclassic (400 b.c.–a.d. 200). Two of these complexes, Grazia and Helena, serve as case studies that reveal the transformative processes of this period, illustrating site evolution on a larger scale. The Grazia platform probably began as a residential area in the Middle Preclassic and acquired an increasingly public character throughout subsequent modifications, culminating in the construction of a triadic temple platform and a ballcourt. A long sequence of fire rituals and altars show the importance of the Grazia complex as a center for collective ritual. Helena also features Middle Preclassic domestic constructions, but was transformed into a ballcourt platform during the transition to the Late Preclassic. Both cases show that Yaxnohcah was founded as a widespread, loosely integrated settlement in the Middle Preclassic and evolved into a formally and centralized network of communities with their respective nodal centers in the Late Preclassic period. Placemaking and the rise of monumentality played an important role in this transformation and reflect the particular forms of community integration.

In this article, we argue that landesque capital was integral to the development of complexity in the Maya Lowlands. Such features involved permanent investments in the landscape that supported material and ideological practices, resulting in increased sustainability and well-being. We contend that these developments stemmed from accretional modifications to soils in the Preceramic/Early Preclassic, as well as intentional investments of labor in agricultural features, large public works, and select civic complexes during the Middle Preclassic. Capital improvements were particularly important during the Middle Preclassic, when sedentary occupations and civic life were established. The timing and location of the investments strongly correlate with other aspects of Middle Preclassic lifeways, such as the transition to sedentism, acquisition and control of resources, changes in lithic production, and the emergence of an elite class. We note that some of the largest investments in landscape management during the Middle Preclassic occurred in the Central Karstic Uplands, where substantial cities rose in the Late Preclassic. We conclude that during the Middle Preclassic an ontology of landesque capital developed, based on the synergistic fusing of daily and ritual practices with physical features, which provided a foundation for resilience, sustainability, and well-being in subsequent generations.