The Low-Density Urban Systems of the Classic Period Maya and Izapa: Insights from Settlement Scaling Theory
Por:
Smith, Michael E., Ortman, Scott G., Lobo, Jose, Ebert, Claire E., Thompson, Amy E., Prufer, Keith M., Liendo Stuardo R., Rosenswig, Robert M.
Publicada:
1 mar 2021
Resumen:
The peoples of southern Mesoamerica, including the Classic period Maya,
are often claimed to exhibit a distinct type of spatial organization
relative to contemporary urban systems. Here, we use the settlement
scaling framework and properties of settlements recorded in systematic,
full-coverage surveys to examine ways in which southern Mesoamerican
settlement systems were both similar to and different from contemporary
systems. We find that the population-area relationship in these
settlements differs greatly from that reported for other agrarian
settlement systems, but that more typical patterns emerge when one
considers a site epicenter as the relevant social interaction area, and
the population administered from a given center as the relevant
interacting population. Our results imply that southern Mesoamerican
populations mixed socially at a slower temporal rhythm than is typical
of contemporary systems. Residential locations reflected the need to
balance energetic and transport costs of farming with lower-frequency
costs of commuting to central places. Nevertheless, increasing returns
in activities such as civic construction were still realized through
lower-frequency social mixing. These findings suggest that the primary
difference between low-density urbanism and contemporary urban systems
lies in the spatial and temporal rhythms of social mixing.
Filiaciones:
Smith, Michael E.:
School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States
Ortman, Scott G.:
Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, United States
Lobo, Jose:
School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States
Ebert, Claire E.:
Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15238, United States
Thompson, Amy E.:
Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, United States
Department of Geography and the Environment, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, United States
Prufer, Keith M.:
Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, United States
Liendo Stuardo R.:
Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
Rosenswig, Robert M.:
Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, United States
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