Maya palaces and elite residences : an interdisciplinary approach / edited by Jessica Joyce Christie.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Christie, Jessica Joyce, 1956-

Series:

Linda Schele series in Maya and pre-Columbian studies.

The Linda Schele series in Maya and pre-Columbian studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Maya architecture.

Mayas--Dwellings.

Mayas.

Mayas--Kings and rulers.

Palaces--Latin America.

Palaces.

Latin America--Antiquities.

Latin America.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (353 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, 2003.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Maya "palaces" have intrigued students of this ancient Mesoamerican culture since the early twentieth century, when scholars first applied the term "palace" to multi-room, gallery-like buildings set on low platforms in the centers of Maya cities. Who lived in these palaces? What types of ceremonial and residential activities took place there? How do the physical forms and spatial arrangement of the buildings embody Maya concepts of social organization and cosmology? This book brings together state-of-the-art data and analysis regarding the occupants, ritual and residential uses, and social and cosmological meanings of Maya palaces and elite residences. A multidisciplinary team of senior researchers reports on sites in Belize (Blue Creek), Western Honduras (Copan), the Peten (Tikal, Dos Pilas, Aguateca), and the Yucatan (Uxmal, Chichen-Itza, Dzibilchaltun, Yaxuna). Archaeologist contributors discuss the form of palace buildings and associated artifacts, their location within the city, and how some palaces related to landscape features. Their approach is complemented by art historical analyses of architectural sculpture, epigraphy, and ethnography. Jessica Joyce Christie concludes the volume by identifying patterns and commonalties that apply not only to the cited examples, but also to Maya architecture in general.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter One. Elite Residences at Blue Creek, Belize

Chapter Two. At Court in Copan

Chapter Three. A Multipurpose Structure in the Late Classic Palace at Copan

Chapter Four. Palaces of the Royal Court at Tikal

Chapter Five. The Political Acquisition of Sacred Geography

Chapter Six. Where Did Elites Live?

Chapter Seven. Access Patterns in Maya Royal Precincts

Chapter Eight. Evidence for the Functions and Meanings of Some Northern Maya Palaces

Chapter Nine. The Function of a Maya Palace at Yaxuna

Chapter Ten. Palace and Society in the Northern Maya Lowlands

Chapter Eleven. The Tripartite Layout of Rooms in Maya Elite Residences

Chapter Twelve. Conclusions

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-292-79860-1

OCLC:

55889753