Dissertation Research: The Political Economy of the Northern Maya

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Under the direction of Dr. Gary Feinman, Ms. Susan Kepecs will conduct her doctoral dissertation research in the Chikinchel region of the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. In this archaeological research, she will conduct a surface survey to locate large sites which were occupied during Early and Late Postclassic periods. From these a group will be drawn for more intensive analysis. Small settlements and other features will be surveyed and mapped. Surface distributions of elite architecture, housemounds, trade goods, and other remains will be plotted. Subsequent analysis will reveal relationships between architectural indicators of social class and the remains of economic activities. Through a comparison of Early and succeeding Late Postclassic sites, it will be possible to determine how economic and related social organization changed over time. Archaeologists have long been interested in the "decline" of the Mayan empire. The Classic period saw the construction of temples and other major monuments and associated large scale ceremonial activity. In the succeeding Early and Late Postclassic periods, these large centers were abandoned and the population dispersed into smaller groups. Traditionally this has been interpreted as a "decline." However, others argue that what is involved is a change in economic organization characterized by decentralization and increasing economic competition between groups. Because economic and social organization during the Postclassic period have not been well examined, it is not possible to choose between these two options. Ms. Kepecs research will provide much needed data. A major goal of archaeology is to understand the processes which lead to the rise and decline of complex societies. The Mayan case has provided a textbook example of social decline and many researchers have attempted both to discover the cause and to generalize to other societies. Ms. Kepecs' research is important because it will shed additional light on this question.