The Political Geography of Long-Distance Exchange in the Elevated Interior Region of the Yucatán Peninsula
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Joel D. Gunn, Lecturer (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Abstract: The boundaries of ancient polities were not always marked by fortifications, natural geographic features, or unoccupied buffer zones. Fortunately, in the case of the Classic Maya, economic and political systems often were coterminous because commerce was only partially commodified (G. Braswell 2010). Put another way, rulers sought to manage the exchange of certain goods within their territory, and the frontier of their economic control often coincided with the limit of their political sovereignty. The study of trade routes and networks, therefore, can help us better understand political organization. In this chapter we reconstruct in broad strokes the patterns of exchange in the Elevated Interior Region (EIR) of the Yucatán Peninsula using data on the distribution of obsidian, ceramics, and other long-distance trade goods. Our goal is to understand to what extent these patterns paralleled changes in the political geography of the region. We suggest possible trade routes into and across the EIR based on least-cost analysis and integrate them into our analysis of the regional political economy. Finally, we discuss how these data contribute to our understanding of unresolved issues in the political and economic organization of the region.
The Political Geography of Long-Distance Exchange in the Elevated Interior Region of the Yucatán Peninsula
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Created on 1/21/2021
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Additional Information
- Publication
- In Chase A. & Chase D. (Authors) & Masson M., Freidel D., & Demarest A. (Eds.), The Real Business of Ancient Maya Economies: From Farmers’ Fields to Rulers’ Realms (pp. 352-367).
- Language: English
- Date: 2020
- Keywords
- anthropology, archaeology, Elevated Interior Region, Yucatán Peninsula, trade routes