Overview

Pathways to Complexity synthesizes a wealth of new archaeological data to illuminate the origins of Maya civilization and the rise of Classic Maya culture. In this volume, prominent Maya scholars argue that the development of social, religious, and economic complexity began during the Middle Preclassic period (1000-300 BC), hundreds of years earlier than previously thought. Contributors reveal that villages were present in parts of the lowlands by 1000 BC. Combining recent discoveries from the northern lowlands--an area often neglected in other volumes-and the southern lowlands, the collection then traces the emergence of sociopolitical inequality and complexity in all parts of the Yucatán Peninsula over the course of the Middle Preclassic period. They show that communities evolved in different ways due to influences such as geographical location, ceramic exchange, shell ornament production, agricultural strategy, religious ritual, ideology, and social rankings. These varied pathways to complexity developed over half a millennium and culminated in the institution of kingship by the Late Preclassic period. Presenting exciting work on a dynamic and misunderstood time period, Pathways to Complexity demonstrates the importance of a broad, comparative approach to understanding Preclassic Maya civilization and will serve as a foundation for future research and interpretation.

Full Product Details

9780813054841

Table of Contents

Reviews

An impressive conspectus of expertise spanning Maya fieldwork from the Valley of Guatemala to northern Yucatan. --Latin American Antiquity Richly detailed. . . . Bring[s] together recent advancements in studies of the development of Maya civilisation. --Antiquity

"""Richly detailed. . . . Bring[s] together recent advancements in studies of the development of Maya civilization.""--Antiquity ""An impressive conspectus of expertise spanning Maya fieldwork from the Valley of Guatemala to northern Yucatan.""--Latin American Antiquity ""Packed with data, presented in relatively concise chapters and coming from a wide geographical range, including not just the Southern, Central, and Northern Lowlands, but also a case from the Guatemalan Highlands.""--Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute"

Richly detailed. . . . Bring[s] together recent advancements in studies of the development of Maya civilization. --Antiquity An impressive conspectus of expertise spanning Maya fieldwork from the Valley of Guatemala to northern Yucatan. --Latin American Antiquity Packed with data, presented in relatively concise chapters and coming from a wide geographical range, including not just the Southern, Central, and Northern Lowlands, but also a case from the Guatemalan Highlands. --Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

Richly detailed. . . . Bring[s] together recent advancements in studies of the development of Maya civilisation. --Antiquity

Author Information

M. Kathryn Brown, Lutcher Brown Endowed Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, is coeditor of Ancient Mesoamerican Warfare. George J. Bey III, Chisholm Foundation Chair of Arts and Sciences at Millsaps College, is coeditor of Pottery Economics in Mesoamerica.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available