Prohibido Tocar Este Cenote: The Archaeological Basis for the Titles of Ebtun

Abstract

Ebtun, Kaua, Cuncunul, Tekom, and Tixcacalcupul are a group of related communities on the Yucatán peninsula described in the corpus of Maya-language documents known as The Titles of Ebtun. In this paper I explore transformations in agrarian practice and material expressions of identity after the Spanish invasion by analyzing archaeological variation in the life histories of places over the last 500 years. As new plants, animals, and technologies were adopted, landscape organization changed, and locales took on new meanings. Ebtun's landscape reflects a historically contingent process that has transformed place and identity, fostering autonomy of cultural practice and renewal of tradition.

A preliminary revised life history of Punta Laguna, Yucatan, Mexico: A persistent place

“…Over the last several decades, archaeologists have investigated the life histories of places (e.g., Alexander 2012a; Joyce 2009; Mitchell 2008). They have, in other words, examined “evidence for human recognition, use, and modification of a particular position, locality or area over the full time span of its existence” (Ashmore 2002:1178).…”

Tracing the structural consequences of colonialism in rural Yucatán, Mexico

“…These studies have demonstrated, through analysis of settlement patterns, architecture, artifacts, and historical documents, the continued effectiveness of mobility and flexibility in household production as strategies for food security and resistance to outside rule. On the other hand, residents of rural areas reasserted their claims to land through the legal system for centuries (Alexander, 2012a(Alexander, , 2012bArmstrong-Fumero and Hoil Gutiérrez, 2017).…”

Coloniality in the Maya Lowlands: Archaeological Perspectives

“…Pioneering in her field, Hattula Moholy-Nagy at Tikal conducted work in Guatemala in the 1950s (Moholy-Nagy 2012), which blazed the way for the serious study of the Colonial period by archaeologists as part of the long-term history of Mayas in the region. Despite its marginalization, a handful of scholars working across post-fifteenth-century sites since the 1980s charted the way for the growth of historical archaeologies in the region (see, esp., Andrews 1981Andrews , 2012bGarcía Targa 1995;Alexander 1997Alexander , 2003Alexander , 2004; for recent useful reviews, see Fowler 2009;Palka 2009;Alexander 2012;Joyce, Gómez, and Sheptak 2015). Recent monographs such as Rani Alexander's (2004) This volume builds on the decades of work by these few determined scholars of the Maya region who do focus on the historic period, defined as the Colonial era and its aftermath (roughly 1500 to present).…”