essay
The southern lowlands
lowland maya postclassic • Austin • Published In 1985 • Pages: 143-149
By: Chase, Arlen F. (Arlen Frank), Rice, Prudence M..
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This is a study of the Postclassic period in the southern Maya lowlands centered on the modern Department of Petén in northern Guatemala and extending into parts of adjacent Belize. The authors discuss events following the so-called 'Classic Maya collapse'. This 'collapse', according to Chase and Rice, has been magnified out of proportion by the lay public and scholars alike who envision warfare, epidemic disease and other apocalyptic disasters as a major cause of this cultural demise when actually this process involved more of a cultural transition to the Postclassic. Although striking changes and the cessation of previous patterns (e.g., in reference to settlements and ceramic styles) are in evidence during this period, by no means was their total abandoment of the southern lowlands as was previously hypothesized (p. 143). The continuing archaeological and ethnohistoric research into the Postclassic of the southern lowlands, as reflected in the various works referred to in the text, has demonstrated that there were areas of high population density, complex social systems, and well organized economic systems embracing extensive long distance trade networks in the area during this period. These trade links probably acted as a stabilizing force for political interrelations in the region (p. 148).
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Identification
- Maps
- Reviews and critiques
- External migration
- Ceramic technology
- Settlement patterns
- traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Postclassic Maya
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2001
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Middle America and the Caribbean
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Maya Area
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Archaeologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- John Beierle ; 2000
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- no date
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1100 BP-480 BP (900 A.D.-1520 A.D.)
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- southern lowlands: Department of Petén, Guatemala
- NotesAdditional notes
- [Arlen F. Chase and Prudence M. Rice]
- For bibliographical references see document number 2:Anonymous
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 84013168
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Mayas--Antiquities