essay

The Postclassic of the Maya lowlands: a preliminary overview

late lowland maya civilization : classic to postclassicAlbuquerquePublished In 1986 • Pages: 17-51

By: Willey, Gordon Randolph.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Willey presents an overview of the Maya Lowlands based on the information known in 1981. His overview begins with the 'collapse' of the Maya in the Terminal Classic Period and extends to the end of the Postclassic Period. His overview mostly focuses on the location of the various large sites during this time and whether any large monuments were being constructed. The Maya Lowlands is divided into sections and Willey compares them (Northern Plains Zone, Campeche Zone, Belize Zone, Usumacinta Zone, etc.). Willey presents a hypothesis about the 'collapse.' He considers the Maya to have been exploited by the peoples of Central Mexico and that in their trade networks the merchants/upper class were allied with Central Mexico.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Identification
Prehistory
Functional and adaptational interpretations
Cultural participation
Ceramic technology
Settlement patterns
Social relationships and groups
Chronologies and culture sequences
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
Sarah Berry ; 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
1200 BP-480 BP (800 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)
Maya Lowlands; Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico
NotesAdditional notes
For bibliographical references see document number 6:Anonymous
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
85016513
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Mayas--Antiquities