Construction of Maya Space: Causeways, Walls, and Open Areas from Ancient to Modern Times

Construction of Maya Spaces sheds new light on how Maya society may have shaped--and been shaped by--the constructed environment. Moving beyond the towering pyramids and temples often associated with Maya spaces, this volume focuses on how those in power used features such as walls, roads, rails, and symbolic boundaries to control those without power, and how the powerless pushed back. Through fifteen engaging chapters, contributors examine the construction of spatial features by ancient, historic, and contemporary Maya elite and nonelite peoples to understand how they used spaces differently. Through cutting-edge methodologies and case studies, chapters consider how and why Maya people connected and divided the spaces they used daily in their homes, in their public centers, in their sacred places such as caves, and across their regions to inform us about the mental constructs they used to create their lives and cultures of the past. Contributors Elias Alcocer Puerto Alejandra Alonso Olvera Traci Ardren Jaime J. Awe Alejandra Badillo Sánchez Nicolas C. Barth Grace Lloyd Bascopé Adolpho Iván Batún-Alpuche Elizabeth Beckner M. Kathryn Brown Bernadette Cap Miguel Covarrubias Reyna Juan Fernandez Diaz Alberto G. Flores Colin Thomas H. Guderjan C. Colleen Hanratty Héctor Hernández Álvarez Scott R. Hutson Joshua J. Kwoka Whitney Lytle Aline Magnoni Jennifer P. Mathews Stephanie J. Miller Shawn G. Morton Holley Moyes Shannon Plank Dominique Rissolo Patrick Rohrer Carmen Rojas Sandoval Justine M. Shaw J. Gregory Smith Travis W. Stanton Karl A. Taube Daniel Vallejo-Cáliz

About the Author :
Thomas H. Guderjan is an archaeologist, a professor of anthropology, and the chair of the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Texas at Tyler. Jennifer P. Mathews is a historical Maya archaeologist, an award-winning professor of anthropology, and chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Trinity University in San Antonio.

Review :
“Construction of Maya Space includes chapters with a fresh examination of settlement patterns, drawing on the expertise of Maya archaeologists, ethnographers, and historians who provide case studies from their field research. This edited volume updates the discussion of defensive walls, broadens perspectives on how causeways link and separate, and the ritual, economic, and political uses of constructed features and spaces beyond buildings.” - Heather McKillop, author of Maya Salt Works “How ancient peoples used, integrated, and divided space is of paramount interest for archaeological interpretation. This volume analyzes walls, roadways, buildings, and other constructions that the ancient Maya used to spatially define their landscapes. The chapters in this volume aptly demonstrate how such remnant features can be used to contextualize social and ritual interactions, making possible a broader understanding of both the past and the present.” - Arlen F. Chase, co-editor of Maya Kingship: Rupture and Transformation from Classic to Postclassic Times