What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to explore how changes in access to ritual spaces reflect transformations in Maya social organization.

February 25, 2026Latin American Antiquity0 citations

Maya Collectives, Ritual Landscapes, and Community Dynamics at Mensäbäk, Chiapas, Mexico

JPJoel W. PalkaArizona State University SJSantiago JuarezColgate University

Key Points

The aim is to explore how changes in access to ritual spaces reflect transformations in Maya social organization.
Analyzed archaeological and historical data from the Mensäbäk Basin.
Examined changes in ritual practices and governance structures from Late Preclassic to Late Postclassic.
Investigated the relationship between landscape and community dynamics.
Identified a shift from collective to less collective social structures in the Maya.
Demonstrated variations in governance models between exclusionary and communal forms based on context.
Provided evidence of political and ideological shifts over the specified time periods.

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the sociopolitical evolution of Palenque and the Mensäbäk Basin, focusing on shifting models of organization from the Late Preclassic (300 BC–AD 250) to the Late Postclassic (AD 1250–1525). We argue that changes in access to ritual spaces and landscape-related ceremonies reflected broader transformations in Maya social organization as it made the transition from collective to less collective societies. The transformation from Preclassic to Postclassic occupations in the Mensäbäk Basin provides visible evidence of political and ideological shifts. Findings from Mensäbäk highlight the diversity of governance structures, showing that exclusionary and communal models varied based on spatial and temporal contexts.

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