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The Neglected Role of Inequality in Explanations of the Collapse of Ancient States

“…For the Moche culture of the north coast of Peru, Haas (1981) has interpreted the damage to symbols of power and wealth at the site of Pampa Grande, including adobe pyramids and elite houses, as a manifestation of popular grievance. The Maya Books of Chilam Balam, mentioned above, describe extreme maltreatment of the poor, who expressed their grievance through ritual and by destruction and defacement of physical symbols of elite rule; although perhaps such behavior took opportunities afforded by collapse but might not have initiated it (Joyce et al 2001;Joyce and Weller 2007).…”

Polity and Ecology in Formative Period Coastal Oaxaca

“…The data suggested, however, that the region experienced rapid population growth and increasing social complexity during the Late/Terminal Formative. Comparison of ceramic styles and monumental art suggested that the region had been inhabited by Chatino speakers until the arrival of Mixtecs in the Postclassic (Joyce and Winter 1989; also see Urcid 1993;Joyce 2010;Joyce et al 2001).…”

“…Studies of interregional interaction focused on relations with the Valley of Oaxaca, since Joyce Marcus (1983) had suggested, based on epigraphic data, that the lower Verde might have been conquered by Monte Albán during the Terminal Formative. The 1988 project also resulted in the construction of a ceramic chronology for the region (Figure 1.5), which has been continuously refined (see Barber 2005;Forde 2006;Hedgepeth 2009;Joyce 1991a;Joyce et al 1998Joyce et al , 2001Levine 2007;Workinger 2002).…”

“…Marc Levine's (2002, Chapter 8) study of Late and Terminal Formative ceramics showed that lower Verde pottery is stylistically distinct from highland ceramics and that an increase in serving wares in the Terminal Formative suggests a rise in feasting practices. Regional full-coverage surveys now span 152 km 2 of the lower Verde region, providing an excellent picture of changes in settlement and sociopolitical organization (Joyce 2005;Joyce et al 2001Joyce et al , 2004Workinger 2002). The research on interregional interaction has not supported the hypothesis of Marcus and Flannery (1996) that parts of the lower Verde region were incorporated into a Terminal Formative Monte Albán empire (Joyce 1993(Joyce , 2003Levine, Chapter 8;Workinger 2002, Chapter 7;Workinger and Joyce 2009;Zeitlin and Joyce 1999).…”

“…AD 800, and excavations on the site's acropolis show that during the early Postclassic it was occupied by commoners ). excavations of early Postclassic residences have examined political change, domestic economy, and exchange (Arnaud et al 2009;Hedgepeth 2009;Joyce et al 2001;King 2003King , 2008. Research on the Late Postclassic imperial center of Tututepec has synthesized archaeological and ethnohistorical evidence, including indigenous histories recorded in the Mixtec codices (Forde 2006;Joyce et al 2004;Levine 2007Levine , 2011.…”