Classic Maya Settlement Systems Reveal Differential Land Use Patterns in the Upper Belize River Valley

John P. Walden (), Julie A. Hoggarth, Claire E. Ebert, Scott L. Fedick, Michael Biggie, Brett Meyer, Kyle Shaw-Müller, Yijia Qiu, Weiyu Ran, Olivia P. Ellis, Tia B. Watkins, J. Britt Davis, Rafael A. Guerra, Christophe Helmke and Jaime J. Awe
Additional contact information
John P. Walden: Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, 21 Divinity Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Julie A. Hoggarth: Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, One Bear Place #97173, Waco, TX 76798, USA
Claire E. Ebert: Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, WWPH, 3302 S Bouquet St., Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
Scott L. Fedick: Department of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside, 1285 Hartford Pike, Glocester, RI 02814, USA
Michael Biggie: Los Angeles Maritime Institute, Berth 73, Suite 2, San Pedro, CA 90731, USA
Brett Meyer: Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, 101 West Hall, 1085 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Kyle Shaw-Müller: Department of Anthropology, 19 Ursula Franklin St., Toronto, ON M5S 2S2, Canada
Yijia Qiu: Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, WWPH, 3302 S Bouquet St., Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
Weiyu Ran: Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, WWPH, 3302 S Bouquet St., Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
Olivia P. Ellis: Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, WWPH, 3302 S Bouquet St., Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
Tia B. Watkins: Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31–34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, UK
J. Britt Davis: School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
Rafael A. Guerra: Faculty of Arts, Science, and Technology, Galen University, Western Highway, Mile 62.5, San Ignacio, Belize
Christophe Helmke: Department of Cross–Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Karen Blixens Plads 8, DK-2300 Copenhagen, Denmark
Jaime J. Awe: Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University, 5 E McConnell Drive, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 2, 1-34

Abstract: Land use practices have had important implications for structuring household inequalities and broader political systems in the past. Our contribution examines settlement patterns in relation to political structure, household wealth, ecological productivity and agricultural techniques. Combining settlement pattern data with high–precision soils data, we examine the extent to which different trajectories of polity formation impact the settlement location and land use practices of intermediate elites and commoners. The Classic Maya (CE 250/300–900) polities of Baking Pot and Lower Dover in the Upper Belize River Valley serve as enlightening case studies because despite being situated near one another, the two centers emerged along very different trajectories. Whereas the polity of Baking Pot arose slowly, in tandem with surrounding demography, the neighboring polity of Lower Dover arose rapidly in the Late Classic period (CE 600–900) in an area which was already home to established local populations. Our analysis shows that while Baking Pot had substantial settlement clustering around its epicenter, populations at Lower Dover aggregated around secondary and tertiary centers farther away from the polity core. Analyses also demonstrate that most commoner and intermediate elite residences were situated on the most productive agricultural lands in the region, though some intermediate elite households were situated on hilltops or in border zones with marginal soil productivity for political and tactical reasons. Commoner households were situated on a range of productivity zones reflecting diverse land–use practices which had implications for household wealth. Our case study illustrates the importance of integrating land use practices into our reconstructions of ancient political hierarchies, especially in terms of understanding political strategies and household wealth.

Keywords: settlement patterns; political dynamics; ancient Maya; agricultural strategies; intermediate elites; household inequalities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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