For more than a century researchers have studied Maya ruins, and sites like Tikal, Palenque, Copan, and Chichen Itza have shaped our understanding of the Maya. Yet the lowlands of Belize, which were once home to a rich urban tradition that persisted and evolved for almost 2,000 years, are treated as peripheral to these great Classic period sites. The hot and humid climate and dense forests are inhospitable and make preservation of the ruins difficult, but this oft-ignored area reveals much about Maya urbanism and culture.
Using data collected from different sites throughout the Maya lowlands, including the Vaca Plateau and the Belize River Valley, Brett Houk presents the first synthesis of these unique monuments and discusses methods for mapping and excavating. Considering the sites through the theoretical lenses of the built environmentand ancient urban planning, Houk vividly reconstructs their political history, how they fit into the larger political landscape of the Classic Maya, and how the ancient cities fell apart over time.
- ISBN10 0813059747
- ISBN13 9780813059747
- Publish Date 5 October 2016 (first published 1 January 2015)
- Publish Status Active
- Imprint University Press of Florida
- Format eBook
- Language English