Coba

A Classic Maya Metropolis

1st Edition - September 28, 1983

Author: William J. Folan

eBook ISBN:

9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 9 6 6 7 - 8

Coba: A Classic Maya Metropolis investigates the ancient Maya and their ways both at Coba and in the rest of southern Mesoamerica. More specifically, it examines the composition,… Read more

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Coba: A Classic Maya Metropolis investigates the ancient Maya and their ways both at Coba and in the rest of southern Mesoamerica. More specifically, it examines the composition, size, and organization of Coba and the manner in which the residents of this classic Maya metropolis extended themselves and their activities over the landscape. An interpretation of Maya class structure is also offered. Comprised of 14 chapters, this book begins with a background on the archaeological investigations of Coba as part of the Coba Archaeological Mapping Project. The debate over the urban status of Classic Maya settlements is considered, along with investigations of the hydrology, paleoclimatology, flora patterns, and soils of Coba. The importance of Coba in Maya history is then discussed, and the physical geography of the Yucatan Peninsula is described. Subsequent chapters focus on the various characteristics of Coba, including its urban organization and social structure; the composition of its residential compounds; neighborhoods and wards; and cottage industry and guild formation. A reconstruction of Coba's prehistoric population is also presented. This monograph will be of interest to archaeologists and anthropologists.

List of Figures

List of Tables

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

1. Archaeological Investigations of Coba: A Summary

The Debate over Urban Status

Investigations of Coba

The Coba Maps

Topics of This Study

2. The Importance of Coba in Maya History

Traditional History of Coba

Coba as a Regional Center

The Impact of Climatic Change

3. Physical Geography of the Yucatan Peninsula

Introduction

Geology

Mining and Quarrying at Coba

Soils

Hydrography

Flora

Fauna

Climate

4. Urban Organization and Social Structure of Coba

Community Patterns of Maya Settlements

Urban Organization of Coba

Social Structure

Class as Related to Structures

5. The Ruins of Coba

The Buildings

Stelae and Other Hieroglyphic Monuments

6. Linear Features in Zone I: Description and Classification

Comparative Data on Linear Features in the Maya Area

Linear Features at Coba: General Description

Conclusions

7. Solares, Kitchen Gardens, and Social Status at Coba

Introduction

The Solar as Kitchen Garden

Solares in Zone I at Coba: Analysis

Conclusions

8. Coba and Mayapan: A Comparison of Solares, Household Variation, Sociopolitical Organization, and Land Tenure

Introduction

Sample Areas: Coba and Mayapan

Linear Features: Configuration and Distribution

House-Lot Walls and Solares

Household Compounds: Composition and Distribution

Conclusions

9. Household Composition: An Analysis of the Composition of Residential Compounds of Coba

Introduction

Archaeological Evidence: The Form of the Household

Ethnohistorical Evidence: Residential Patterns

Ethnographic Evidence: The Complexity of the Residential Patterns

Household Composition of Ancient Coba

Conclusions

10. Cottage Industry and Guild Formation in a Classic Maya Metropolis

Introduction

Ancient Coba: A Complex of Ward, Neighborhood, and Household

Guilds

Conclusions

11. Class Structure in a Classic Maya City

Introduction

Conclusions

12. Neighborhoods and Wards in a Classic Maya Metropolis

Introduction

Analysis

Conclusions

13. A Reconstruction of the Prehistoric Population at Coba

Introduction

Initial Population Estimates at Coba

Population Estimates for Classic Period Coba

Population Estimates Based on All 13 Zones

Population Estimates Based on Zones I and VI

Ethnohistoric and Ethnographic Data

A Trial Estimate of Classic Maya Palace Populations at Coba

Conclusions

14. Summary and Conclusions

Coba: A Developmental Model

Testing the Model

Bibliography

Index