Article
THE INFLECTION POINTS IN FORMATIVE MAYA HISTORY: THE VIEW FROM CHAMPOTÓN, CAMPECHE, MEXICO
Ancient Mesoemerica
(2022)
Abstract
This study evaluates the degree of correspondence between chronological frameworks implemented inMaya studies and current archaeological
evidence, focusing on dynamics in the Preclassic period in the Champotón River drainage, Campeche, Mexico. The earliest ceramics
documented in Champotón, dating to the early facet of the Middle Preclassic,were part of a regional tradition that shared decorativemodes with
contemporary complexes across Mesoamerica. The transition between the early and late facets of the Middle Preclassic was an era of abrupt
change, with communities in Champotón participating in the first widespread autochthonous material culture horizon of the Maya Lowlands.
The ensuing centuries would be characterized by conservatismand growth, with spatial continuity in settlement locations and homogeneity in
material culture through the Late Preclassic. These historical dynamics are not unique to coastal Campeche, but were embeddedwithin broader
historical developments during the Middle Preclassic period in the Maya Lowlands. Instead of forcing new evidence into an incongruent
chronological framework, this article proposes a revision to the traditional periodization used in the Maya Lowlands.
Keywords
- Mesoamerica,
- Maya,
- ceramics
Disciplines
Publication Date
Fall 2022
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/S095653612100064X
Citation Information
Jerald D. Ek. "THE INFLECTION POINTS IN FORMATIVE MAYA HISTORY: THE VIEW FROM CHAMPOTÓN, CAMPECHE, MEXICO" Ancient Mesoemerica Vol. 33 Iss. 3 (2022) p. 517 - 540 ISSN: 0956-5361 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/jerald-ek/16/