On the Edge of the Maya World: Identity, Interaction, and Administrative Strategies in the El Paraiso Valley, Honduras

FAIN: FT-58112-10

Ellen Elizabeth Bell
California State University, Stanislaus Foundation (Turlock, CA 95382-3200)

While our understanding of Classic period (A.D. 250-900) Maya centers has improved dramatically, the administrative mechanisms employed in Maya kingdoms remain unclear. How, exactly, did Maya rulers rule? The El Paraiso Region Archaeological Project (PAREP) addresses this question in the Classic Maya kingdom of Copan, Honduras. Research documents a dynamic administrative strategy in which Maya rulers eschewed traditional cultural assimilation strategies in favor of an outpost approach that required negotiating across cultural boundaries. This strategy took into account the multiplicity of social identities in the region and their integral importance in polity-building. Its study sheds light on processes in similar contexts, ancient and modern. NEH Summer Stipend support (June 8-August 8, 2010) is sought to finalize artifact analysis, complete digitization of PAREP primary field records, and compile and disseminate (electronically and in hard-copy) the final research report.