Terminal Classic Period

Abstract. The present essay has for objective to reconstruct hypothetically the Northern Lowland mayan armies of the Late Classic-Terminal period (600 - 1000 d.C), through the archaeology of warfare and the graphic analysis of diverse murals from Chichén Itzá, Chacmultún, Ichmac and Mulchic sites. To support the proposal some documents relatives to the conquest and colonization of the Yucatan peninsula was used, which provide valuable information about the mayan warfare. The paintings of each archaeological site are studied in particular way, the armament systems are exposed, the military organization of contingents, as well as the control systems and the tactics employed during the armed conflicts. This paper also tries to clarify some ideas associated to these paintings that need to be disprove.

In polities headed by divine kings, the public performance of hierarchy and inequality is essential to political power. Yet what happens to that inequality when political institutions break down? This dissertation investigates how hierarchy was constituted and contested during one such period: the Terminal Classic phase (ca. A.D. 800 - 1000) of southern lowland Maya civilization, when populations declined and existing dynastic kingdoms dissolved. The dissertation explores Terminal Classic hieroglyphic and visual representations of sociopolitical hierarchy and, through archaeological investigations at El Zotz, Guatemala, and elsewhere, seeks material evidence for the persistence and nature of inequality during the Maya collapse.

Abstract. The present essay is a hypothetical proposal that tries to reconstruct the army of the Chichén Itzá polity during the Terminal Classic (800 - 1100 D.C.). Based on the iconographic analysis of diverse murals and monuments dated for this period, as the Ball Game Great Court, Las Monjas, the Tables Temple, the Warriors Temple and its sub-structure well-known as the Chac Mool Temple. At first will be exposed the armament systems used by the itza', later the possible military organization, as well as the control systems and conclude with the tactics employed during the warlike conflicts.

The Terminal Classic period (ca. AD 800-1000) in the Southern Maya Lowlands witnessed a precipitous decline in the erection of carved stone monuments, a decline that corresponds to shifts in political ideologies and the disappearance of many prominent royal dynasties. Although Southern Lowland sites are often considered peripheral to the events and innovations occurring elsewhere in Mesoamerica during this time, a recently discovered stela, Stela 29, at the site of Ucanal in Peten, Guatemala, underscores the active role of the site in broader political movements in the ninth century. Our icono-graphic, textual, and stylistic analysis of this stela, in concert with other Terminal Classic monuments from the site, reveals a vernacular cosmopolitan aesthetic whereby local Classic Maya styles were infused with images and elements that referenced connections with peoples from northern Yucatan, the Gulf Coast, and Central Mexico.

El período Clásico Terminal (ca. 800-1000 dC) en las tierras bajas mayas del sur experimento un descenso precipitado en la construcción de monumentos de piedra tallada, un descenso que corresponde a cambios en las ideologías políticas y el cese de muchas dinastías reales prominentes. Aunque los sitios de las tierras bajas del sur a menudo se consideran periféricos a los eventos e innovaciones que ocurren en otras partes de Mesoamérica durante este tiempo, una estela recientemente descu-bierta, la Estela 29, del sitio de Ucanal en Petén, Guatemala, subraya el papel activo del sitio en los movimientos políticos más amplios en el siglo noveno. Nuestro análisis iconográfico, textual y estilístico de esta estela, en concierto con otros mon-umentos del Clásico Terminal del sitio, revela una estética cosmopolita vernácula en la que los estilos Mayas Clásicos locales se infunden con imágenes y elementos que hacen referencia a conexiones con gente del norte de Yucatán, de la costa del Golfo y del Centro de México.

This work has two immediate antecedents: "Los Dioses Remeros mayas y sus contrapartes nahuas", a paper presented by Velásquez García at the Wayeb Conference in Leiden, Netherlands (2005), and the work entitled "Highland Mexican and Maya Intellectual Exchange in the Late Postclassic", presented by Lacadena García-Gallo at an academic meeting held in Dumbarton Oaks, USA (2006). In the first of them, Velásquez García supported the association of the so-called Paddler Gods as lords of twilights and liminal moments, information that was used by Lacadena García-Gallo to propose that some exempt sculptures of Calzada Mopán, Seibal, Jimbal, Ixlú and other Maya sites of the 9th century represented the origin of a new military and sacrificial ideology in Mesoamerica, associated with the first appearances of the morning star in the days of Crocodile, Snake, Water, Reed, and Earthquake, Venusian gods armed with atlatl or spear thrower and his joint appearance with the Paddler Gods, lords of twilight. However, Lacadena García-Gallo could not find the complete sequence of those five days bearers or carriers of the morning orthos of Venus in the Maya monuments of the 9th century. Thanks to the archaeological finds by Pascual Soto and the epigraphic interpretations of Velásquez García, we propose that around 850 AD the ruler 13 Rabbit of EI Tajín used discursive strategies similar to those that Lacadena García-Gallo observed in those Maya sites, in order to consolidate his political power in the context of the economic and institutional crisis that characterized the transition from Classic to Postclassic. Findings in the Building of the Columns of EI Tajín revealed that this center of the Gulf Coast implemented the same military ideology, associated with the cult of Venus-Tlaawiskalpanteekwtli and its heliacal orthos in the days of Crocodile, Snake, Water, Reed, and Movement, but unlike the Maya monuments, in El Tajín we do have the sequence of the full five days. Bricker, Hernández, and Vail showed that it is a new ideology that came from outside the Maya area, due to the square shape and graphic designs of the calendrical signs linked to Venus. During the 9th and 10th centuries of our Era, the most complete repertoire of that sequence of calendrical spellings, associated with astronomical orientations, martial iconography and certain stylistic features, is found in EI Tajín, with which the Maya kingdoms of the time supported an abundant exchange of portable objects (ceramics and stone yokes). We will try to demonstrate these relationships with archaeological data. We will also offer a modern vision on ancient postulates (Jiménez Moreno, 1959) that, through 16th century sources, glimpsed the mobility of "Nahua" groups from EI Tajín to the Río de la Pasión region, an idea that may explain the appearance of deities and Central Mexican year bearers, as well as the theonym Ejek[atl] (e-je-ke) in Terminal Classic Maya monuments. The Venusian, military, and sacrificial ideology that began in 9th century Mesoamerica left vigorous testimonies in later documents, such as the Anales de Cuautitlán, the Borgia, Cospi, Dresden, Maya de México, and Vatican B codices, as well as the accounts of Fray Bernardino de Sahagún and Fray Jerónimo Román y Zamora.

Este trabajo cuenta con dos antecedentes inmediatos: "Los Dioses Remeros mayas y sus posibles contrapartes nahuas", ponencia presentada por Velásquez García en la Conferencia Wayeb de Leiden, Países Bajos (2005), y el trabajo intitulado "Highland Mexican and Maya Intelectual Exchange in the Late Postclassic", presentado por Lacadena García-Gallo en una reunión académica celebrada en Dumbarton Oaks, EUA (2006). En el primero de ellos Velásquez García apuntaló la asociación de los llamados Paddler Gods o Dioses Remeros como señores de los crepúsculos y los momentos liminares, información que fue aprovechada por Lacadena García-Gallo para proponer que algunas esculturas exentas de Calzada Mopán, Ceibal, Jimbal, Ixlú y otros sitios mayas del siglo IX representaban el origen de una nueva ideología castrense y sacrificial en Mesoamérica, asociada con las primeras apariciones de la estrella matutina en los días Cocodrilo, Serpiente, Agua, Caña y Terremoto, dioses venusinos armados con atlatl o lanzadardos y su aparición conjunta con los Dioses Remeros, señores de los crepúsculos. No obstante, Lacadena García-Gallo no pudo encontrar la secuencia completa de esos cinco días portadores o cargadores de los ortos matutinos de Venus en los monumentos mayas del siglo IX. Gracias a los hallazgos arqueológicos de Pascual Soto y a las interpretaciones epigráficas de Velásquez García, proponemos que hacia 850 d.C. el gobernante 13 Conejo de EI Tajín empleó estrategias discursivas semejantes a las que Lacadena García-Gallo observó en esos sitios mayas, con el fin de afianzar su poder político en el contexto de la crisis económica e institucional que caracterizó la transición del Clásico al Posclásico. Hallazgos en el Edificio de las Columnas de EI Tajín revelaron que este centro de la Costa del Golfo instrumentó la misma ideología castrense, asociada con el culto a Venus-Tlaawiskalpanteekwtli y sus ortos heliacos en los días Cocodrilo, Serpiente, Agua, Caña y Movimiento, pero a diferencia de los monumentos mayas, en El Tajín sí tenemos la secuencia de los cinco días completos. Bricker, Hernández y Vail mostraron que se trata de una nueva ideología que procedía del exterior del área maya, debido a la forma cuadrada y diseños gráficos de los signos calendáricos vinculados con Venus. Durante los siglos IX y X de nuestra Era el repertorio mas completo de esa secuencia de grafías calendáricas, asociada con orientaciones astronómicas, iconografía marcial y ciertos rasgos estilísticos, se encuentra en EI Tajín, con el que los reinos mayas de la época sostuvieron un abundante intercambio de objetos portátiles (cerámica y yugos de piedra). Trataremos de demostrar estas relaciones con datos arqueológicos. Ofreceremos también una visión moderna sobre antiguos postulados (Jiménez Moreno, 1959) que, mediante fuentes del siglo XVI, atisbaron la movilidad de grupos "nahuas" de EI Tajín a la región del Río de la Pasión, idea que puede explicar la aparición de deidades y portadores de año centromexicanos, así como del teónimo Ejek[atl] (e-je-ke) en monumentos mayas del Clásico Terminal. La ideología venusina, castrense y sacrificial iniciada en la Mesoamérica del siglo IX dejó vigorosos testimonios en documentos más tardíos, como los Anales de Cuautitlán, los códices Borgia, Cospi, Dresde, Maya de México y Vaticano B, así como los relatos de fray Bernardino de Sahagún y fray Jerónimo Román y Zamora.

El debate sobre el colapso de la civilización Maya Clásica en las Tierras Bajas del Sur, es complicado por varios factores. En primer lugar, se encuentra la frecuentemente citada variabilidad entre las diferentes regiones de las Tierras Mayas. Esta diversidad regional se incrementa especialmente en el Clásico Tardío y fue más evidente en el mismo siglo del colapso, durante el periodo Clásico Terminal. Dada esta variabilidad, las causas inmediatas y últimas del fenómeno del colapso fueron diferentes en cada región. En el mismo periodo Clásico Terminal, las transformaciones variaron desde un dramático despoblamiento hasta un lento declive. De hecho, en algunos sitios, el Clásico Terminal fue una época de florecimiento cultural, aunque tales desarrollos fueron generalmente de breve duración. Por tanto, los factores generales más comunes en el colapso, declive o transformación del sistema socio-político Maya Clásico en diferentes regiones, debe buscarse en lo más profundo de la causalidad, en el nivel de las causas últimas. De manera similar, en el Clásico Terminal es posible encontrar paralelos entre la historia cultural de las subregiones del mundo Maya, a nivel de estructuras similares y procesos comunes. Así, es necesario ser preciso al discutir los procesos operados en los siglos VIII y IX, prestando atención en primer lugar a cada historia cultural regional y, solamente después, se debe buscar establecer los factores comunes entre las regiones.

Excavations in Structure 13R-10 of La Corona suggest that it was an important activity area during the Late (AD 600-830) and Terminal Classic (after AD 830) periods. Epigraphic and architectural evidence provide evidence of links with the Kaan dynasty during the Late Classic. Analysis and distribution of paleoethnobotanical, zooarchaeological, ceramic, and lithic materials indicate a change of function of this structure during the Terminal Classic, during which Structure 13R-10 and its surrounding areas were used for diverse subsistence activities related to the preparation and storage of food, and economic activities related to the manufacture of artifacts on a small scale.

Journal de la société des américanistes Maya times | 2017 Hors-série-Tiempos mayas "In the days of my life." Elite activity and interactions in the Maya lowlands from Classic to Early Postclassic times (the long ninth century, AD 760-920) "En el curso de mi vida". Acciones e interacciones de las elites en las tierras bajas mayas del Clásico al Posclásico temprano (el largo siglo IX, 760-920 d.C.) « De mon vivant ». Actions et interactions des élites dans les basses terres mayas du Classique au Postclassique ancien (le long IX e siècle, 760-920 apr. J.-C.

This report examines archaeological research on an alleyway between Structures B4 and B5 at the Maya Archaeological Reserve of Cahal Pech in Belize. It looks at a Terminal Classic ceramic deposit that was placed on the floor of this alleyway.

Research into ancient societies frequently faces a major challenge in accessing the lives of those who made up the majority of their populations, since the available evidence so often concerns only the ruling elite. Our excavations at the ancient Maya site of Calakmul, Mexico, have uncovered a “painted pyramid:” a structure decorated with murals depicting scenes of its inhabitants giving, receiving, and consuming diverse foods, as well as displaying and transporting other goods. Many are accompanied by hieroglyphic captions that describe the participants, and include spellings of key subsistence items. Collectively, they offer insights into the social mechanisms by which goods were circulated within major Maya centers.

Research into ancient societies frequently faces a major challenge in accessing the lives of those who made up the majority of their populations, since the available evidence so often concerns only the ruling elite. Our excavations at the ancient Maya site of Calakmul, Mexico, have uncovered a “painted pyramid:” a structure decorated with murals depicting scenes of its inhabitants giving, receiving, and consuming diverse foods, as well as displaying and transporting other goods. Many are accompanied by hieroglyphic captions that describe the participants, and include spellings of key subsistence items. Collectively, they offer insights into the social mechanisms by which goods were circulated within major Maya centers.

Shared identities create deep historical ties to community spaces and can facilitate or constrict political expansion. This research examines the relationship between the ways in which families engaged local landscapes and developed shared identities at Actuncan, Belize, during the Terminal Classic period, a time when the city experienced population growth as surrounding centers declined. The nature and location of activity patterns in and around three residential groups allow inferences about shared practices and the expression of identities that those activities enabled and constrained. Importantly, this research includes investigations of both residential groups and architecturally free areas. It uses multiple methods to explore activities and to produce overlapping datasets, including excavation and analysis of macroartifacts, microartifacts, and soil chemical residues. The results suggest that Actuncan residents used not only the formal patio spaces of residential groups but also the interstitial spaces between them. Moreover, one residential group, Group 1, appears to have been a locus for distinct activities including sequential burials and, possibly, affiliative ritual practices connected to ancestral landscape use. Understanding relationships among residents is an important foundation for exploring broader political dynamics, including relationships between residents and rulers and how rulers created, legitimized, and maintained power and authority.

Recent investigations at the site of Xuenkal on the plains north of Chichén Itzá provide evidence of the changing regional political environment during the Terminal Classic Period (A.D. 900–1000). This paper examines a collection of spindle whorls recovered during the 2005, 2006, and 2007 field seasons of the Proyecto Arqueológico Xuenkal (PAX) as evidence for intensification of craft production. Through this analysis and comparison with spindle whorl collections from other Lowland Maya sites, we suggest the inhabitants of Xuenkal rapidly adapted to changing economic demands by increasing the amount of cloth produced in their residential settings, perhaps in response to increased tribute demands that emanated from the dominant political power of the region. Spinning and weaving is associated with the female gender during the Classic Period in Mesoamerica. Thus, intensification of this gendered activity not only produced excess materials for the state, but also reinforced its gender ...

Research into ancient societies frequently faces a major challenge
in accessing the lives of those who made up the majority of their
populations, since the available evidence so often concerns only
the ruling elite. Our excavations at the ancient Maya site of
Calakmul, Mexico, have uncovered a ‘‘painted pyramid:’’ a structure
decorated with murals depicting scenes of its inhabitants
giving, receiving, and consuming diverse foods, as well as displaying
and transporting other goods. Many are accompanied by
hieroglyphic captions that describe the participants, and include
spellings of key subsistence items. Collectively, they offer insights
into the social mechanisms by which goods were circulated within
major Maya centers.