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Pine, prestige and politics of the Late Classic Maya at Xunantunich, Belize

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2015

David L. Lentz ,
Jason Yaeger ,
Cynthia Robin  and
Wendy Ashmore
David L. Lentz
Affiliation:
Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022, USA (Email: [email protected])
Jason Yaeger
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1180 Observatory Dr., Madison, WI 53706, USA (Email: [email protected])
Cynthia Robin
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, 1810 Hinman Ave., Evanston, IL 60208, USA (Email: [email protected])
Wendy Ashmore
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside, Watkins Hall 1229, Riverside, CA 92521, USA (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Comparing the source of a commodity with the social levels of the people amongst whom it is found can reveal important aspects of social structure. This case study of a Maya community, using archaeological and ethnographic data, shows that pine and pine charcoal was procured at a distance and distributed unevenly in settlements. The researchers deduce that this commodity was not freely available in the market place, but was subject to political control.

Keywords

Mayapinepaleoethnobotanyexchangepolitical economyBelize
Type
Research
Information
Antiquity , Volume 79 , Issue 305 , September 2005 , pp. 573 - 585
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2005

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