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Energetic Investment in the Acropolis at Yalbac, Belize

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Energetic Investment in the Acropolis at Yalbac, Belize ENERGETIC INVESTMENT IN THE ACROPOLIS AT YALBAC, BELIZE A COMPARATIVE APPROACH BY JOHN M. D. HOOPER, B.A. A thesis submitted to the Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Major Subject: Anthropology New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico August 2004 1 “Energetic Investment in the Acropolis at Yalbac, Belize: A Comparative Approach,” a thesis prepared by John Michael David Hooper in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Master of Arts, has been approved and accepted by the following: _____________________________________________________________________ Linda Lacey Dean of the Graduate School _____________________________________________________________________ Lisa J. Lucero Chair of the Examining Committee _____________________________________________________________________ Date Committee in charge: Dr. Lisa J. Lucero, Chair Dr. Rani T. Alexander Dr. Phillip G. Benson 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis would never have been completed without the help of a number of people, both at New Mexico State University and in Belize. First of all, of course, this research would not have been possible without the help and support of the Belizean Institute of Archaeology and of the Yalbac Lumber and Cattle Company, owners of the extraordinary site of Yalbac. Dr. Lisa J. Lucero provided invaluable assistance and guidance both in the field phase of work in Belize and in the writing of this thesis. Her interest in and enthusiasm for ancient Maya archaeology helped me to focus my own previously vague interest in Mesoamerican prehistory. She has run the Valley of Peace Archaeology Project as a model of cooperation between a university researcher, a national government, a landowner, and local residents. I was privileged to experience how an archaeological project can also be a good and responsible neighbor. Dr. Rani T. Alexander was of incalculable help in the preparation of the final version of this thesis. Without her guidance over these past few months, I would have been tempted to do far less than I am capable of. Finally, of course, I would like to thank three hard workers in Belize. Mr. Zedekiah Scott, Mr. José Ernesto Vasquez, and Mr. Cleofo Choc truly played vital roles in the 2003 work on the Yalbac Acropolis. I could never have done any of this without their help in the field. 3 VITA January 31, 1977 Born at Story City, Iowa 1994 Graduated from the Escuela Americana de El Salvador High School, San Salvador, El Salvador 1998 Bachelor of Arts, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona Professional Societies Society for American Archaeology Lambda Alpha Anthropology Honor Society Publication Hooper, John M. D. 2004 Yalbac’s Royal Acropolis: Looter’s Trench Operations. In Results of the 2003 Valley of Peace Archaeology Project: Yalbac, edited by Lisa J. Lucero, pp. 13-35. Report submitted to the Institute of Archaeology, National Institute of Culture and History, Belize. 4 ABSTRACT ENERGETIC INVESTMENT IN THE ACROPOLIS AT YALBAC, BELIZE A COMPARATIVE APPROACH BY JOHN M. D. HOOPER, B.A Master of Arts New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico, 2004 Dr. Lisa J. Lucero, Chair This thesis presents the results of investigations made into eight looter’s trenches penetrating a monumental structure known as the Acropolis at the Maya site of Yalbac, Belize. The results of these investigations are used to analyze the amount of human labor invested in various aspects of the construction of the structure. The figures generated by this analysis are used to draw comparisons between energetic investment at Yalbac and similar investment at the major Maya sites of Copán and Tikal. Based on this comparison, some possibilities are postulated regarding the differences in political power among the elites of the three sites, and regarding the position of Yalbac in Maya political history. Energetic investment in monumental architecture, in terms of labor consumed in construction, is an important measurement of political power. Private residential structures, in particular, represent the varying abilities of their inhabitants to command the labor of others. The energetic analysis of architecture is a body of methods and experimentally-derived data that can be used to calculate the amount of labor invested in construction projects. 5 The Acropolis at Yalbac, Belize is a good example of a monumental Maya palace, where ancient rulers acquired the labor of others for their own use. The eight major looter’s trenches into the acropolis were cleared and profiled. The profile drawings were used to illuminate the construction history of the Acropolis. Hypothesized construction costs derived from this analysis are discussed in terms of how they reveal differences in the political power of the Yalbac rulers compared to elites at Copán and Tikal, and what that might mean with regard to elite history and changes in political circumstances at Yalbac. Tentative conclusions reached suggest that the political elite at the three sites employed acquired surplus labor in different ways. The emphasis in the construction of the acropolis palace at Yalbac suggests an emphasis on the diversion of acquired labor for private purposes. At Tikal and Copán, construction labor appears to have been divided in a more balanced manner between public and private building projects. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ xi LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 2. ARCHITECTURE, LABOR, AND POWER IN ANCIENT SOCIETY ......................................................................................................................... 4 The Nature of Power ................................................................................................... 4 Power and the Control of Labor ................................................................................. 5 Labor and Power in Monumental Architecture .......................................................... 6 Palaces as an Expression of Social Power .................................................................. 8 Royal and Elite Residence ................................................................................... 8 The Nature and Functions of Palaces .................................................................. 9 Archaeological Detection of Palaces in Ancient States ...................................... 12 Maya Palaces and Acropoli ........................................................................................ 14 Acropoli ............................................................................................................... 14 Palaces ................................................................................................................. 17 Architectural and Functional Characteristics of Some Maya Palaces ....................................................................................................... 20 The Archaeological Identification of Maya Palaces ........................................... 27 Political Implications of Maya Palaces ............................................................... 28 Maya Political Organization ....................................................................................... 29 Ajawob and Sajalob ............................................................................................. 29 Approaches to Site Hierarchy .............................................................................. 30 Maya Polities ....................................................................................................... 31 3. ASSESSING CONSTRUCTION LABOR PROCUREMENT 7 IN THE MAYA AREA .................................................................................................... 34 Background to Energetic Analysis of Maya Architecture .......................................... 34 Abrams’ Formulae for Quantifying Energetic Investment in Maya Architecture ...................................................................................................... 37 4. ENERGETIC INVESTMENT IN MONUMENTAL ARCHITECTURE AT COPÁN AND TIKAL ................................................................ 40 Copán .......................................................................................................................... 40 The Acropolis ...................................................................................................... 41 Structure 10L-22 .................................................................................................. 44 Group 10L-2 ........................................................................................................ 45 The Las Sepulturas Zone ..................................................................................... 46 Tikal ............................................................................................................................ 53 The North Acropolis ............................................................................................ 53 The Central Acropolis ......................................................................................... 58 Group 7F-1 .........................................................................................................
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