The Maya of the Cochuah Region: Archaeological and Ethnographic Perspectives on the Northern Lowlands

346 Pages·2015·20.5 MB·English

by  Justine M. Shaw

(continued from front flap) archaeology • anthropology • latin america Shaw The Maya of the Cochuah Region The archaeological record of the Cochuah
region in the northern lowlands of the
necessary for survival and development in Yucatán Peninsula, little understood com-

this challenging setting. The second is that archaeological and ethnographic perspectives on the pared to other areas inhabited by the ancient
while the region is distant from past and northern lowlands Maya, amounts to a blank spot on maps of
present population centers, such as Calakmul the Maya area. But in recent years the
or Cancún, it has never been socially iso- “an extraordinary contribution to Maya lowlands Cochuah region, the ancient bread basket of
lated. Instead, it has consistently maintained archaeology. The results presented help to answer some the north-central Yucatecan lowlands, has
political, religious, and economic ties to of the questions posited by archaeologists currently been documented and analyzed by a num-
other parts of the Maya area. Far from being working in southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and T, ber of archaeological and cultural anthropo-
a largely empty zone, the Cochuah region logical researchers. This book, the first major
h
has been, and continues to be, the heartland western Honduras.” collection of data from those investigations,
of the Maya Lowlands, an intersection —rafael cobos palma, Autonomous University of Yucatan e presents and analyzes the researchers’ find-
between north and south, coast and interior, ings on more than eighty sites and puts
M
past and present. them in the context of the findings of other
“the cochuah region is neighbor to one of the most con-
a investigations from outside the area.
tested and rapidly changing landscapes in Latin America,
y In addition to discussing the history of
and yet so little is known about its ancient grandeur and
anthropological research in the area and
a
modern struggles. Here we find a hidden crossroads, now providing a general overview of its occupa-

partially revealed by emerging archaeological and histor- o tion over time, the contributors address such
topics as modern women’s reproductive
ical narratives.” f
choices, the issue of site boundary defini-
t
—dominique rissolo, director of the h tion, elite sweat baths, miniature shrines,
Yalahau Archaeological Cave Survey and executive director caves as holy places, the iconographic signif-
e
icance of royal feet, ceramic sequences,
of the Waitt Institute, San Diego, California

settle ment shifts through time, road net-
C
works, and the reuse of spaces through time.
o
Rather than focusing on just one site or
c community, they offer unique viewpoints
h on a region’s occupation over 2,500 years.
The book begins with archaeological
u
investigations and continues with research
a
on living peoples. Within the archaeological
h
sections, historic and colonial chapters build
upon those concerned with the Classic
R
Maya, revealing the ebb and flow of settle-
e ment through time in the region as peoples
g entered, left, and modified their ways of life
i based upon external and internal events and
o
forces. Each author has been free to select
n his or her own topic, theoretical approach,
and conclusions, providing a range of voices
justine m. shaw is a professor of anthropol- and perspectives.
ogy at the College of the Redwoods and a In spite of the natural diversity of the

research associate at Humboldt State Univer- edited by Cochuah region and the variety of topics
sity. She has served as the co-principal investi- addressed by the authors, two themes can
gator of the Cochuah Regional Archaeological Justine M. Shaw be traced through time. The first is the flex-
isbn 978-0-8263-4864-7
Survey since 2000. She is the author of White ibility and adaptability of the inhabitants,
90000
Roads of the Yucatán: Changing Social Land-
scapes of the Yucatec Maya and coeditor of Quin- university of new mexico press
tana Roo Archaeology. unmpress.com | 800-249-7737 9 780826 348647 > (continued on back flap)
The Maya of the Cochuah Region

The Maya of the Cochuah Region

archaeological and ethnographic perspectives on the

northern lowlands
Justine M. Shaw
edited by
University of New Mexico Press • Albuquerque
© 2015 by the University of New Mexico Press
All rights reserved. Published 2015
Printed in the United States of America
20 19 18 17 16 15 1 2 3 4 5 6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The Maya of the Cochuah region : archaeological and ethnographic perspectives on the northern
lowlands / edited by Justine M. Shaw.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8263-4864-7 (hardback) — ISBN 978-0-8263-5090-9 (electronic)
1. Mayas—Mexico—Yucatán (State)—Social life and customs. 2. Mayas—Mexico—Quintana Roo
(State)—Social life and customs. 3. Mayas—Mexico—Yucatán (State)—Antiquities.
4. Mayas—Mexico—Quintana Roo (State)—Antiquities. 5. Excavations (Archaeology)—Mexico—
Quintana Roo (State) 6. Excavations (Archaeology)—Mexico—Yucatán (State) 7. Yucatán (Mexico :
State)—Antiquities. 8. Quintana Roo (Mexico : State)—Antiquities. I. Shaw, Justine M., 1971–
F1435.1.Y89M39 2015
972’.65—dc23
2015007816
Jacket photograph: Sanctuary that Houses a Modern Replica
of the Black Christ of the Blisters, by Alberto Flores
Book Design: Catherine Leonardo
Composed in Minion Pro 10.25/13.5
Display is ITC Stone Serif Std
For Bernard Selz, without whom there would be no CRAS project

Contents
,
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Chapter One
The Cochuah Region and the CRAS Project 3
Justine M. Shaw
Chapter Two
The State of Research in the Cochuah Region of Quintana Roo 25
Linnea Wren and Travis Nygard
Chapter Three
Ceramic Exchange in the Cochuah Region 41
Dave Johnstone
Chapter Four
Contemplating Carvings at the Feet of Queen Chaak Kab:
Using Mixed Methodology to Understand Sculpture at Yo’okop 57
Travis Nygard, Kaylee Spencer, and Linnea Wren
Chapter Five
A Monumental Terminal Classic Sweatbath from Yo’okop 77
Justine M. Shaw
Chapter Six
Maya Political Organization during the Terminal Classic Period
in the Cochuah Region, Quintana Roo, Mexico 97
Tatiana Zelenetskaya Young
Chapter Seven
The Problem of Mobility in Estimating the Extent of
Terminal Classic Populations in the Cochuah Region 117
Justine M. Shaw
Chapter Eight
Artificial Causeways: Metaphors of Power and Death 133
Alberto G. Flores Colin
vii
viii contents
Chapter Nine
Postclassic Miniature Shrines in the Cochuah Region 157
Johan Normark
Chapter Ten
Not Only the Home of the Earth Lord: Cochuah Caves
as Holy Places, Holey Spaces, and Emergent Wholes 171
Johan Normark
Chapter Eleven
Three Churches, Three Causeways, and a Miracle: Relations
between Prehispanic and Colonial Settlements in Ichmul, Yucatán 195
Alberto G. Flores Colin
Chapter Twelve
Two Places in Time: A Constructed Landscape in the
Northwestern Region of Yo’okop 213
Alejandra Badillo Sánchez
Chapter Thirteen
Lingering Discourses from Yucatán’s Past: Political
Ecologies of Birth in Rural Yucatán 235
Veronica Miranda
Chapter Fourteen
A Tale of Two Projects: Comparative Findings of the
CRAS and Yalahau Projects 257
Jennifer P. Mathews
References Cited 269
Contributors 313
Index 317
Illustrations
,
figures
1.1 Map of the Yucatán peninsula with archaeological sites 4
1.2 Map of the Cochuah province 5
1.3 Map of Cochuah Regional Archaeological Survey research area 6
3.1 Seated lords receiving ceramic vessels as tribute from kneeling people 42
3.2 Dos Arroyos Orange Polychrome basal break bowl and footed plate 45
3.3 Balanza Black cylindrical vase 46
3.4 Tituc Orange Polychrome lateral flange bowls 47
3.5 Saxche Orange Polychrome hemispherical bowl 48
3.6 Ticul Thin Slate bowls 49
3.7 Early Classic ceramic tradeware percentages 53
3.8 Terminal Classic ceramic tradeware frequencies 54
4.1 Hieroglyphic Stone C, Yo’okop 58
4.2 Structure S5E1-1, Yo’okop 59
4.3 Stela 2, Yo’okop 62
4.4 Stela 1 and Stela 3, Yo’okop 63
4.5 Temple XIV tablet, Palenque 66
4.6 Hieroglyphic Stones B–F, Yo’okop 68
4.7 Oval Tablet, Palenque 69
4.8 Maya vase showing the foot touching of Itzamna 71
4.9 Monument 5, staircase riser from Dzibanché 72
4.10 Palanquin on a sculpture from La Corona 73
4.11 Warrior woman from a mural in the Lower Temple of the Jaguars at
Chichén Itzá 74
5.1 Yo’okop’s Structure S3E1-5 87
5.2 Views of serpent head from Yo’okop’s Structure S3E1-5 88
5.3 Structure S3E1-5 with original separate benches and location of cache 90
7.1 Total sherd counts by time period for the Cochuah region 118
8.1 Sacbe system of Ichmul 135
8.2 Sacbe system of Yo’okop 139
8.3 Sacbe system of San Felipe 142
ix