THE ANCIENT FIFTH EDITION ROBERT J. SHARER Stanford University Press Stanford, California
CONTENTS A Note on Names, Pronunciation, and Conventions, xxx. Introduction i 1. The Setting 19 Natural and Cultural Subdivisions of the Maya Area, 20. The Pacific Coastal Plain and Piedmont, 24. The Highlands, 26. The Lowlands, 33. 2. The Origins of Maya Civilization 44 The Chronological Framework, 44. The Developmental Stages of Maya Civilization, 48. The Origins of Highland and Coastal Cultural Traditions, 50. Preclassic Antecedents and Contemporaries, 54. Factors Underlying the Rise of Maya Civilization, 61. 3. The Preclassic Maya 71 The Emergence of Complex Societies in the Maya Area, 72. The Pacific Coastal Plain in the Middle Preclassic, 73. The Highlands in the Middle Preclassic: THE SALAMA VALLEY, 77. The Lowlands in the Middle Preclassic: NAKBE, 80. Late Preclassic Maya Civilization and the Origins of Writing, 84. The Late Preclassic Mixe-Zoquean Tradition: IZAPA, 86. The Southern Maya in the Late Preclassic: KAMINALJUYU. CHALCHUAPA. ABAJ TAKALIK, 91. Other Southern Maya Sites in the Late Preclassic, 101. Highland-Lowland Interaction in the Preclassic, 107. The Central Lowlands in the Late Preclassic:
xiv Contents EL MIRADOR. CERROS, 108. The Style of Power in Late Preclassic Maya Civilization, 122. The Northern Lowlands in the Late Preclassic: KOMCHEN, 129. The Protoclassic and the Decline of the Southern Maya, 130. Summary: Reconstructing the Maya Preclassic, 133. 4. The Early Classic and the Rise of Tikal 138 The Emergence of States in the Maya Area, 139. Competition and Warfare in the Maya Area, 143. The Protoclassic as Transition to the Classic, 144. The Southern Maya Area in the Classic, 146. The Lowlands in the Early Classic: TIKAL, 148. Tikal as a Major Power. in the Early Classic, 175. Some Neighboring Centers in the Central Lowlands: UAXACTUN, 179. Tikal Consolidates Its Position, 185. Some Other Centers in the Central Lowlands: Rio AZUL. YAXHA. NAKUM. CALAKMUL. BECAN, 191. The Successors of Stormy Sky at Tikal, 203. The Basis of Tikal's Power in the Early Classic, 205. The Middle Classic "Hiatus" and the Decline of Tikal, 210. 5. The Late Classic and the Expansion of the Lowland States 211 The New Order in the Late Classic: CARACOL, HI. The Decline of Tikal and the Rise of the New Polities, 215. Further Caracol Conflicts, 217. The Rise of the Petexbatun: THE PETEXBATUN CAPITALS: DOS PILAS AND AGUATECA, 22o. The Petexbatun Expansion, 22.5. Resurgence in the Central Lowlands: NARANJO, 232. The Expansion of Polities on the Usumacinta: ALTAR DE SACRIFICIOS. YAXCHILAN. BONAMPAK. PIEDRAS NEGRAS, 236. The Revitalization of Tikal, 264. Sites in the Eastern Lowlands: ALTUN HA. XUNANTUNICH. LUBAANTUN, 271. The Expansion of Polities in the Southwest Lowlands: PALENQUE, 275. The Early Rulers of Palenque, 289. The Supernatural Basis of Power in Maya Cosmology, 292. The Later Rulers of Palenque: TONINA, 293. Recovery and Decline at Palenque, 296. The Expansion of Polities in the Southeast Lowlands: COPAN, 297. Archaeology and History at Copan: QUIRIGUA, 302. A Tale of Two Cities, 327. The Revitalization of Copan, 330. The Last Days of Quirigua, 334. The Development of the Maya Lowlands in the Late Classic, 336. 6. The Terminal Classic 338 The Decline of Dynastic Rule, 339. The Collapse Issue, 340. Investigations into the Classic Decline, 341. The Emergence of New Power Brokers, 348. Intervention in the Southern Lowlands: SEIBAL, 349. Putun Connections to Yucatan and Central Mexico, 354. Reconstructing the Classic Decline, 354. The Rise of the Northern Polities: DZIBILCHALTUN. EDZNA. COBA AND YAXUNA, 357. The Puuc and Related Regional Traditions: UXMAL. KABAH. SAYIL.
Contents xv LABNA, 368. The Emergence of a New Order jn the Northern Lowlands, 382. 7. The Postclassic 384 The Dominance of Chichen Itza: CHICHEN ITZA, 386. The Organization of the Itza State, 402. External Connections of the Itza State, 406. The Dominance of Mayapan: MAYAPAN, 408. The East Coast of Yucatan: TULUM, 413. The Fall of Mayapan and the Rise of Petty States: SANTA RITA COROZAL, 417. The Final Days of Maya Independence, 422. The Southern Maya Area in the Postclassic, 424. Summary: The Evolution of Maya Civilization, 433. 8. Subsistence Systems 435 The Traditional View, 435. Subsistence Systems Available to the Ancient Maya, 439. Reconstructing the Patterns of Maya Subsistence, 449. 9. Trade and External Contact 452 Prehistoric Trade in Mesoamerica, 452. Goods and Mechanisms in Long-Distance Trade, 455. Preclassic Trade, 458. Classic Trade, 460. Postclassic Trade, 462. 10. The Organization of Maya Society 464 RECONSTRUCTING THE SOCIAL LANDSCAPE Evidence from Settlement Studies, 466. Population Reconstructions, 467. Settlement Units in the Maya Lowlands, 473. The Individual in Maya Society, 476. Marriage and the Family, 486. Descent Groups, 488. Social Stratification, 489. RECONSTRUCTING THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE Location and Power, 492. Size and Power, 493. Number and Size of Lowland Polities, 494. Evidence from Ethnohistoric Studies, 497. The Evolution of Social Systems, 508. The Lowland Maya as Galactic Polities, 510. 11. Ideology and Cosmology 513 The Origins of Maya Ideology, 514. Transformations by Outsiders, 516. Cosmology, 520. Maya Deities, 526. Rituals and Ceremonies, 539-12. Arithmetic, Calendrics, and Astronomy 556 Arithmetic, 556. The Calendar, 559. Astronomy, 575.
xvi Contents 13. Language and Writing 582 History of the Mayan Languages, 582. The Structure of Mayan Languages, 590. Maya Documents of the Colonial Period, 595. Ancient Maya Writing, 597. Pre-Columbian Maya Texts, 598. Deciphering Maya Writing, 604. Recent Advances in Decipherment, 617. The Mayan Syllabary, 619. The Origins of Maya Writing, 621. The Status of Decipherment, 623. 14. Architecture, Sculpture, and Painting 630 Architecture, 630. Stone Sculpture, 641. Wood Sculpture, 657. Stucco Modeling, 659. Painting, 662. 15. Artifacts 674 Ceramics and Archaeology, 674. A Chronological Review of Maya Pottery, 678. Patterns of Household and Industrial Ceramic Production, 707. Lithics, 708. Mosaics, 716. Metalwork, 719. Painted Books, 720. Textiles, 723. Basketry and Matting, 726. Featherwork, 727. Epilogue: The Spanish Conquest 731 First Contacts, 1502 25, 731. The Period of Conquest, 1524 1697, 737. The Subjugation of the Southern Maya by Pedro de Alvarado, 1524-27, 737. The Subjugation of Yucatan by the Montejos, 1527 46, 741. The Independent Itza, 1525 1696, 747. The Subjugation of the Itza, 1696-97, 750. Appendix: Conversion Between Maya and Gregorian Chronologies 755 Date-Conversion and Sky-Chart Computer Programs, 756. How to Convert Dates (the Old-Fashioned Way), 756. Gregorian Equivalents for Katun and Half-Katun Endings, 758. Reference Material 763 Bibliographic Summaries, 765. Bibliography, 785. Illustration Credits, 849. Index, 853.