Unconquered Mayas in the Rainforest: Culture Change in a Tribal Zone

FAIN: FT-52961-04

Joel W. Palka
Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois (Chicago, IL 60612-4305)

The existence of unconquered Mayas in the rainforests of Guatemala from the Spanish Colonial Period up until the 20th century is of great historical, archaeological, and anthropological significance. These people lived in a 'tribal zone,' or an indigenous controlled area where interaction with the Spanish colonists was minimal. This project will locate and excavate 16th to 18th century Manche Chol sites in northern Guatemala to study how these Mayas lived free of colonial rule in the remote jungles and examine how contact here with other Mayas, and not just Europeans, transformed their society. The results will carry significant implications for the analysis of lifeways and interaction in native autonomous zones following colonial expansionism across the globe.