10 - Skeining the Threads

Summary

The title of this final chapter conveys the hope that, in the end, the contours of ancestral Maya economic forms might take the shape of an orderly coil of thread. The entangled mass of the preceding chapters – like the chaos left by a kitten's play with yarn – disentangled and rewound into a usable form. But recall that skeins are twisted and coiled like the double helix of DNA. The overall effect is one of organization but upon closer inspection there is much crisscrossing and doubling back of threads. The structure of a skein is recursive, redundant, and continually on the edge of disorganization should improper tension be applied – very much, in fact, like human society. Although structurally complex, a skein is but the starting point for projects to come. This sense of “skein” is what I mean to impart with the title of this chapter. To my mind, the previous nine chapters do not represent the final word but rather initial words regarding social and ritual practices of ancestral Maya economies. This study can be approached as a skein of thread ready to be utilized as warp or weft on a weaving loom. Much work has gone into its production but even more work will need to take place before narratives of ancestral Maya society achieve the texture and interlock of a finely woven fabric.