Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Award: Spatial Organization Within A Traditional Political System

Tulane University, New Orleans LA

Investigators

Abstract

Dr. Marcello Canuto and Maxime Lamoureux-St-Hilaire of Tulane University, along with colleagues from the United States and Guatemala, will undertake research to study Classic Maya royal courts (AD 250-830). This research will focus on the Classic Maya polity of La Corona, located in northern Guatemala. This archaeological project will study the elusive topic of the administrative and economic behaviors which supported the political activities of a royal court for centuries. This project departs from others which have emphasized priestly kings and divine kingship as the focus of Classic Maya political activities because it focusses on the practical dimensions of power. The study of the everyday practicalities of ruling in Classic Maya society will help develop a more pragmatic model for the roles of both the elite and non-elite in the operation of an ancient political institution. While the Classic Maya were unique in many ways, their political institutions were functionally similar to that of other ancient complex societies. Thus, this project's approach is replicable and therefore should positively impact the broader field of anthropological archaeology. Moreover, by broadening our analytical scope, the study of ancient non-western political systems should shed light on studies of modern-day political and economic systems many of which derive from and incorporate such traditional elements. Dr. Marcello Canuto, Maxime Lamoureux-St-Hilaire, and their research team will study key administrative buildings as well as the floors and refuse-disposal areas associated with the support-oriented section of the La Corona regal palace. Beyond traditional archaeological methods, this research project will employ proven interdisciplinary methods in order to reconstruct the economic behaviors of this ancient institution. Geochemical analyses will study trace-elements absorbed in the plastered floors of the palace, while soil flotation will be used to recover micro-artifacts embedded in those same floors, along with botanical remains recovered from refuse-disposal areas produced by this ancient royal court. These different techniques have only been recently applied jointly to study ancient architecture. The data produced by these interdisciplinary techniques are unique in that they will document several subtle markers of ancient behaviors which would not normally be recoverable by traditional archaeological techniques. The development of this innovative methodology to study the practical aspects of ancient political institutions may positively impact the broader field of anthropological archaeology. This project is part of the larger La Corona Regional Archaeological Project (PRALC), which operates in the northwest Petén Region of Guatemala; one of the most under-studied regions of the Maya world. Moreover, the enduring presence of PRALC helps protect the natural and cultural patrimony of this remote region of Guatemala from human depredation such as poaching, looting, and illegal settlement.