Households and Polities in Classic Maya Society: Survey and Excavation in the Aguateca Area, Guatemala

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With National Science Foundation support, Drs. Takeshi Inomata, Daniela Triadan, and an international team of colleagues, will conduct the second phase of the Aguateca Archaeological Project, examining households in Classic Maya society (A.D. 250-900). Its first phase focused on the epicenter of Aguateca, which was abandoned rapidly because of an attack by enemies around A.D. 810. Extensive excavations of residences with numerous in situ assemblages provided extraordinary data on elite households. Investigations showed that Aguateca was originally part of the Tamarindito polity during the Tepeu I phase (A.D. 600-700) of the Late Classic period. After an intrusive dynasty, coming from Tikal, established its seats of power at Dos Pilas and Aguateca, the population of Aguateca grew explosively during the Tepeu II phase (A.D. 700-810). Households associated with the Tamarindito polity and those affiliated with the Dos Pilas/Aguateca dynasty appear to have built their houses in different architectural styles. Building on the success of the first phase, the proposed second phase will examine the relationship between households and polities. The primary research questions are: How do governmental institutions of polities affect the daily lives of households and how does the organization and activities of households condition the governing strategies and political options? An effective archaeological approach for this purpose is to examine differences and similarities among households across neighboring polities with particular attention to the nature of political boundaries. The research will be guided by three theoretical concerns. The first is a debate among Maya scholars on whether Classic Maya polities had clearly demarcated boundaries or fluid, indeterminate ones. The second is that the effects of political control by the central authorities may have varied among households of different social positions. The third is that the study of this issue requires attention to multiple dimensions of society, including political administration, economic transactions, social interactions, and community identities. A consideration of the specific historical context and the nature of available data leads to the following more specific questions: (1) Do the two different architectural styles exhibit clearly demarcated spatial distributions between Aguateca and the neighboring centers?; (2) Did elite and non-elite households in the Aguateca polity and the Tamarindito polity use their domestic spaces differently and conduct different types of activities?; and (3) Did elite and non-elite households in the Aguateca and Tamarindito polities have differential access to economic goods? These questions will be addressed through an integrated program of survey along transects between these centers, excavation, soil residue analyses, and continuous laboratory analyses.Detailed, contextualized data obtained from the project will contribute to the growing field of household archaeology in the Maya area. They will also present theoretical implications beyond Maya archaeology, by providing a rich account of how households experienced centralized power and how the reactions of households shaped the political strategies of polities. In addition, the project will promote intellectual exchanges among scholars and students from various countries and offer opportunities for master, Ph.D., and licenciatura research. Moreover, the project will aid the preservation of cultural and natural patrimony through a sustainable development of the region and the involvement of local communities. The project will continue a long-term collaboration with the local Q'eqchi' Maya by promoting and assisting their initiatives for archaeo-eco tourism, reforestation, and lake-rejuvenation.