essay

Topoxte, Macanche, and the central Peten Postclassic

lowland maya postclassicAustinPublished In 1985 • Pages: 166-183

By: Rice, Prudence M., Rice, Don S..

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 Petén region of Guatemala, with a focus on the islands of Topoxte and Macanche. Excavations at these two sites were carried out as part of an ongoing historical ecology project surveying Maya population growth and their impact on tropical lacustrine environments (p. 168). The study of the architectural remains in conjunction with the analysis of the ceramic ware sequences on these islands have thrown new light on the demographics of the Postclassic period in the Petén. Although these investigations have answered some questions they have also raised some new ones. 'The most troublesome of these … have been chronological, because Petén Postclassic sites have notoriously poor stratigraphy and localized ceramic traditions. Consequently, it has been difficult to factor existing variability into components that are clearly identifiable as temporal, functional, or ethnic in significance' (p. 166).
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Identification
Cultural participation
Ceramic technology
Structures
Religious and educational structures
Settlement patterns
Visual arts
Burial practices and funerals
Chronologies and culture sequences
Typologies and classifications
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
5: Excellent Primary 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
1973-1974, 1979-1980
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)
Topoxte and Macanche Islands, central Petén, Guatemala
NotesAdditional notes
Prudence M. Rice and Don S. Rice
For bibliographical references see document number 2:Anonymous
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
84013168
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Mayas--Antiquities