Studying Maya Urbanism in the Age of Lida
From The Observatory
During the Late Classic period, the city of Coba was one of the largest and most powerful cities in the Maya lowlands. While previous research at the site did not uncover much evidence of settlement prior to the sixth century CE, recent data suggest that there was a sizable Terminal Preclassic town around the Coba Lake system prior to Late Classic urbanization processes starting.
This paper will discuss these recent lidar data and how they fit into the broader settlement dynamics across the region. Data suggest that foundational events in the Nohoch Mul group, called Deer Mountain on a recently found monument, were integrally tied into how the sixth-century changing political landscape in northern Quintana Roo impacted the three-century dominance of Coba as an urban center.Key Speaker: Travis Stanton
Participants
Australian National University School of Archaeology & Anthropology
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Our school offers an innovative range of programs at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with particular strengths in archaeological science, biological anthropology, forensic anthropology, Australian Indigenous studies, medical anthropology, visual anthropology, and applied and participatory development.
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