Classic Maya Social Inequality, Networks, and Collapse at Dos Pilas, Petén, Guatemala
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A01=Joel W. Palka
ancient city-state instability
ancient daily life reconstruction
ancient demography studies
ancient governance challenges
ancient Mesoamerican studies
ancient social stratification
ancient survival strategies
anthropological perspectives on change
archaeological case studies Mesoamerica
archaeological method casebook
Author_Joel W. Palka
Category=NKDS
Classic Maya era research
Classic period chronology
collapse theory debates
commoner identity formation
community resilience in antiquity
community-level excavation data
cultural adaptation in crises
cultural resilience modeling
domestic artifact patterns
Dos Pilas archaeology
elite lineage breakdown
environmental stress interactions
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
glyphic text interpretation
heritage site investigations
high-ranking family dynamics
household economy reconstruction
household structure analysis
integrated political-environmental analysis
intergroup alliance erosion
long-term societal trajectories
material culture assessment
Maya political fragmentation
Maya urban decline
Mesoamerican heritage scholarship
migration pressures in antiquity
monumental site investigation
noble lineage networks
palace-centered power shifts
Peten Guatemala excavation
pre-Columbian civilization transitions
pre-Columbian social hierarchy
pre-Hispanic social systems
regional conflict archaeology
ritual landscape interpretation
settlement pattern transformation
shifting regional influences
sociopolitical upheaval research
Product details
- ISBN 9781647692674
- Weight: 454g
- Dimensions: 178 x 254mm
- Publication Date: 29 May 2026
- Publisher: University of Utah Press,U.S.
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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Household archaeology and the unraveling of Classic Maya power
The Classic Maya collapse (ca. CE 800) in Mesoamerica has been the focus of much scholarly debate over the last century. In Classic Maya Social Inequality, Networks, and Collapse at Dos Pilas, PetÉn, Guatemala, Joel W. Palka further explores possible causes of the collapse and breaks new ground by examining its differing effects on Maya elites and commoners.
Drawing on four years of extensive household excavations, Palka reveals how the unraveling of Maya society unfolded not through drought or economic decline alone, but through the disintegration of elite social networks and shifting strategies of survival among high-status commoners. Using data from monumental architecture, hieroglyphic inscriptions, and domestic archaeology, this study illuminates the lived experience of collapse from multiple social strata. By integrating political, environmental, and household perspectives, Palka provides one of the most comprehensive archaeological analyses of social change at an ancient Maya capital. This richly illustrated volume redefines our understanding of collapse, resilience, and transformation in ancient Mesoamerica, offering vital insights for archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians alike.
The Classic Maya collapse (ca. CE 800) in Mesoamerica has been the focus of much scholarly debate over the last century. In Classic Maya Social Inequality, Networks, and Collapse at Dos Pilas, PetÉn, Guatemala, Joel W. Palka further explores possible causes of the collapse and breaks new ground by examining its differing effects on Maya elites and commoners.
Drawing on four years of extensive household excavations, Palka reveals how the unraveling of Maya society unfolded not through drought or economic decline alone, but through the disintegration of elite social networks and shifting strategies of survival among high-status commoners. Using data from monumental architecture, hieroglyphic inscriptions, and domestic archaeology, this study illuminates the lived experience of collapse from multiple social strata. By integrating political, environmental, and household perspectives, Palka provides one of the most comprehensive archaeological analyses of social change at an ancient Maya capital. This richly illustrated volume redefines our understanding of collapse, resilience, and transformation in ancient Mesoamerica, offering vital insights for archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians alike.
Joel W. Palka is an associate professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. He is the author of Unconquered Lacandon Maya: Ethnohistory and Archaeology of Indigenous Culture Change and Maya Pilgrimage to Ritual Landscapes: Insights from Archaeology, History, and Ethnography.
