SHIFTING SOCIAL RELATIONS DURING THE TERMINAL CLASSIC PERIOD (ca. a.d. 810–950/1000): CERAMICS FROM THE LOWLAND MAYA SITE OF UCANAL

Abstract

The end of the Classic period was a tumultuous moment in Maya history, not only because the power of many dominant political centers waned, but because the ways in which elites and non-elites related to each other were increasingly called into question. To understand the nature of changing social relations in the southern Maya lowlands during this time, this study examines the distribution and provenance of decorated ceramics during the Late Classic (ca. a.d. 600–810) and Terminal Classic (ca. a.d. 810–950/1000) periods from the archaeological site of Ucanal, Peten, Guatemala. Comparisons of ceramics from different households across the site reveal that differences in access to decorated and imported ceramics decreased between these periods, suggesting that socioeconomic distinctions leveled out over time. In turn, chemical analysis of ceramics using a portable X-ray fluorescence instrument reveals that the site shifted its political-economic networks, with greater ties to the Petexbatun and Usumacinta regions and continued ties with the Upper Belize Valley.

A pivot point in Maya history: fire-burning event at K'anwitznal (Ucanal) and the making of a new era of political rule

“…Such horizontal political dispositions became popular throughout the Terminal Classic period (LeMoine et al . 2022; Carter & Lukach 2023) and it was during this time that political leaders in the southern Maya Lowlands began to shift away from ostentatious displays of wealth and that distinctions between elite and non-elite households greatly diminished (Halperin & Garrido 2019; Chase & Chase 2021; LeMoine & Halperin 2021).…”

“…Side-by-side seating emphasised horizontal relationships on a seemingly equal footing, which contrasts with the hierarchical positionality of Late Classic imagery in which rulers were often depicted higher and larger than all figures in the scene. Such horizontal political dispositions became popular throughout the Terminal Classic period (LeMoine et al 2022;Carter & Lukach 2023) and it was during this time that political leaders in the southern Maya Lowlands began to shift away from ostentatious displays of wealth and that distinctions between elite and non-elite households greatly diminished (Halperin & Garrido 2019;Chase & Chase 2021;LeMoine & Halperin 2021).…”

Repeated Palaeofloods of 8.2–6.4 ka and Coeval Rise of Neonatal Culture in the Upper Yangtze River, China

“…A general agreement has been reached that declines that Neolithic cultures across the Earth were commonly connected with climatic deteriorations [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. A growing number of standpoints [20][21][22] for humans on the adaption to adverse social environments is, however, widely accepted in contrast to environmental determinism.…”