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ANDREWS, E. WYLLYS & WILLIAM L. FASH (eds). Copan: the history of an ancient Maya kingdom. xvi, 492 pp., maps, figs, tables, illus., bibliogr. Oxford, Santa Fe: James Currey; School [...]

Drawing on theoretical understandings of the relationship between civil society and the state, the authors argue that the collapse of the kingdoms of Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan in the ninth century AD resulted from the same political processes that permitted the expansion of dynastic power in preceding centuries. Populations initially clustered around the dynastic capitals of these kingdoms, where daily spheres of interaction facilitated trust building among its residents. The image and performance of the polity was focused on the monarch, and participation in communal efforts, such as construction, warfare, and feasting, nurtured generalized trust within society as a whole, strengthening the polity. As populations expanded over the course of the Classic period and polities grew in territorial extent, spheres of interaction were more diffuse and trust-building efforts were increasingly focused on activities and individuals outside of the king and his court. The result was a breakdown of uniform trust across the kingdom and the failure of dynastic polities. Beyond a study of historical particularities in two kingdoms, this article is intended to suggest ways to more broadly frame interpretations of political processes in Maya polities within the broader context of ancient and modern complex societies worldwide. The model may also be applicable in other cultural contexts where emergent states contended with the challenges of maintaining coherency across an expanding territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ancient Maya center of Xuenkal, located in the Cupul region about 45 km northeast of Chichén Itzá, is one of the few known interior sites that witnessed a substantial Sotuta occupation. Proyecto Arqueológico Xuenkal (PAX) research is investigating the Sotuta material and its relationship to preceding Late-Terminal Classic Cehpech settlement in order to understand the nature of this transition. Drawing upon extensive test excavations and broad excavations of household groups, we suggest that the pre-Sotuta Xuenkal occupation was much more robust than previously hypothesized. Settlement data show extensive Cehpech settlement extending into the hinterlands, while household excavations reveal that Late Classic Xuenkal was both very prosperous and closely tied to neighbouring Ek' Balam and Kulubá, and more distant Cobá. In contrast, the Sotuta settlement is limited to clusters within the site core. Together these data suggest that the Sotuta control of Xuenkal may have been the result of regional political conflict rather than an autochthonous transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]