Agency and Practice in the Classic Maya Collapse: Excavations of the Terminal Classic Royal Palace at Seibal, Guatemala

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Drs. Takeshi Inomata and Daniela Triadan, with an international team of collaborators, will conduct a three year project at the Maya center of Seibal, Guatemala, to examine processes of political disintegration around the 9th century AD, often called the Classic Maya collapse. By extensively excavating the Terminal Classic palace remains at this site, the researchers will focus on actions and strategies of the royal elite during this social change. Harvard University extensively investigated Seibal in the 1960s, documenting its unique florescence during the 9th century while many other centers were declining. Since then, Seibal has been considered a key site in the study of the Classic Maya collapse. Subsequent developments in archeological research in the region and in epigraphic decipherment have added substantial data, making the reexamination of this important center highly desirable. A critical piece of information still missing from Seibal is the royal residential complex of the Terminal Classic. Recent investigations have shown that the East Court of Seibal most likely served as the Terminal Classic royal palace. By examining the Terminal Classic palace, the project members will examine the following questions: 1) Was the East Court newly constructed during the Terminal Classic, representing a break from the previous dynastic tradition? 2) How did the configurations of the palace, along with the patterns of interactions, change through time? 3) How were royal ideologies and symbolisms expressed through architectural decorations? 4) How is the decline of the Seibal dynasty reflected in the palace remains? Through a combination of extensive excavations, deep trenches, and tunnels, they will examine the presence of an earlier palace complex, changes in spatial configurations, types of activities reflected in artefactual deposits, stucco sculptures and other architectural decorations, and the process of abandonment. The project promises to provide new insights into how the ruling elite tried to cope with the changing social and natural environments, either by devising new forms of political interactions and new ideologies or by maintaining old traditions. The research will also shed light on how these efforts ultimately failed. The results of the project will contribute to the understanding of the social dynamics of Classic Maya political disintegration and the anthropological study of social change. The project will involve graduate and undergraduate students, as well as Guatemalan students, offering them opportunities for training and research. Moreover, the project members will continue their collaboration with local communities in the region for cultural and natural conservation, which they have been developing since the 1990s. The archaeological remains of Seibal have been under serious threat since illegal occupants began deforesting a substantial part of the protected national park in the late 1990s. The proposed project will aid and promote local awareness and initiative, which are indispensable for the successful protection of the Seibal park.