The Evolution of Ancient Maya Exchange Systems: An Etymological Study of Economic Vocabulary in the Mayan Language Family

Abstract

This article presents a cultural reconstruction of ancient Maya economic development derived through etymological study of exchange-related terms in Mayan languages. It applies the results of historical linguistic analysis to archaeological and epigraphic data in order to gain insight into Maya economic prehistory. Cognitive spheres examined include generalized exchange, reciprocation, appropriation and vertical transfers of goods and labor, open commerce, and material valuables. Among the most poignant implications of the results are the antiquity of commerce and its rather extended evolutionary trajectory. Indicators of intense commercialization, however, are few and rather late. Widespread recognition of several elements of the diverse complex of Contact period Mesoamerican valuables can be traced only to the latter part of the Late Formative period or afterward. Evidence of formalized market systems—specifically linking commerce to towns and architectural plazas—appears only late in the Classic period. Terms associated with the hierarchical appropriation of goods and labor appear earlier and are more persistent and stable over time. In particular, there is a single widespread root for tribute obligation apparently subsuming tax, plunder, and work debt all under a single term, as well as evidence for the great antiquity of formalized servitude. Finally, various forms of general reciprocity and gifting are, as might be expected, shown to be of great diversity, complexity, and antiquity. In the course of analysis, several recent models of Mayan language interaction and diversification are examined and evaluated, and a slightly revised linguistic chronology is suggested that better reconciles linguistic data with archaeological facts as they are currently known. The results also have interesting implications for proto-Mayan geographical origins.

Ancient Maya Commerce : Multidisciplinary Research at Chunchucmil

“…They could consume that food themselves or sell it at Chunchucmil's market in exchange for obsidian or perhaps more fungible equivalencies. The chemical data presented in chapter 10 and elsewhere (Dahlin et al 2007 certainly point to sales of food at Chunchucmil, as do the murals at Calakmul, though a case can be made that this kind of food selling is more like a restaurant and less like a grocery (Speal 2014).…”

“…We note that a lack of stalls does not imply the absence of a marketplace (Coronel et al 2015:105). Since the word for market (k'iwik) is the same as the word for plaza (Speal 2014;Tokovinine and Beliaev 2013), it is likely that some plazas used as marketplaces on certain days would be used for other events on other days. This means that marketing often took place without permanent stalls and may also have occurred only occasionally, as suggested by Freidel (1981).…”

Ancient Maya Commerce: Multidisciplinary Research at Chunchucmil

“…They could consume that food themselves or sell it at Chunchucmil's market in exchange for obsidian or perhaps more fungible equivalencies. The chemical data presented in chapter 10 and elsewhere (Dahlin et al 2007(Dahlin et al , 2010 certainly point to sales of food at Chunchucmil, as do the murals at Calakmul, though a case can be made that this kind of food selling is more like a restaurant and less like a grocery (Speal 2014).…”

1 Introduction: Urban Commerce in Ancient Mesoamerica

“…The exchange of money may be facilitated by currency, a particular type of object that is commonly accepted as a medium of exchange and unit of account within a particular cultural context; however, a currency is not universally a store of value; for example, it may take the form of credit, such as tokens or promissory notes (Hudson 2004). Archaeological evidence for Mesoamerican currencies has recently received increased scholarly attention (Baron 2018; Freidel and Reilly 2010; Freidel, Masson, and Rich 2017; Harrison‐Buck 2017; Masson and Freidel 2012; Speal 2014). Several ethnohistoric sources detail the diverse types of currencies observed at Spanish Contact in both Central Mexico and the Maya culture area (López de Cogolludo 1957; Sahagún 1959; Landa in Tozzer 1941; Las Casas 1987; see also King 2015b; King [2021] Chapter 11 this volume).…”

“…Linguistic evidence suggests that they did, but evidence for specific credit instruments have not yet been documented. In northern Yucatán, early dictionaries such as the Calepino de Motul (Ciudad Real 1995) and Diccionario de San Francisco (Pérez 1976) contain terms such as atcabah (Cordemex atk'abtah ) and boolman (Cordemex equivalent not found) for “buying and selling on credit” (Tokovinine and Beliaev 2013, 170; see also King 2015b, 50); while the Ara Dictionary from the Tzeltal‐speaking region of highland Chiapas (Ruz 1988) includes terms such as yoquin for “to pass a debt or rulership or duty.” Tokovinine and Beliaev (2013, 173) also outline the terms for “pay” and “loan” in numerous Mayan and proto‐Mayan languages, along with others for “buy,” “sell,” “barter,” “trade/profit,” “price,” and “market” (see also Speal 2014). No archaeological evidence of credit records has been located to date, such as promissory notes or inventories; they could have been kept on perishable bark paper.…”