91快色

A new archaeological research project in the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, at the ancient site of Tenam Puente, is providing new insights into the state of government surveillance, security and economic control in Mayan societies. 

The U91快色 led excavation, headed by Dr. Elizabeth Paris, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, is currently focused on the Late Classic period, around 800 to 900 A.D. 

Built on a mountaintop which overlooks the Comitan Plateau, Tenam Puente was strategically built along a historically significant transportation artery between the region鈥檚 highlands and lowlands, cutting across numerous Mayan language groups. This made the site an important point of trade and cultural contact. 

鈥淭enam Puente was truly dynamic and it really came to power during the Late Classic period,鈥� says Paris. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a kingdom that probably controlled a good portion of the southern plateau region.鈥� 

A prominent feature of Tenam Puente was a large Acropolis, built into the side of the mountain, which overlooked the site鈥檚 Main Plaza, with its partially enclosed marketplace. The Acropolis was the home of Tenam Puente鈥檚 rulers and elites and it included four large terraces, supporting temples, palaces, ballcourts and other elite ritual and residential spaces. 

Paris asserts that the site鈥檚 distinct layout was strategic. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very clear in the architecture of Tenam Puente, with the marketplace built right under the elite鈥檚 Acropolis, that this was no accident,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou have a perfect sight line view into the marketplace, the centre of commerce, from atop one of Tenam Puente鈥檚 biggest temples. The acoustics of the site are perfect too, and if you鈥檙e standing in the temple you can hear everything that鈥檚 happening down in the marketplace.鈥� 

At a time of commercial expansion in Tenam Puente, when the site was emerging as the economic epicenter of the region, Paris believes that this architectural layout provided the elites with a means of monitoring and controlling the marketplace.

鈥淲e know that the Aztecs had marketplace spies 鈥� a pretty intense network of them,鈥� Paris notes. 鈥淭he Mayans might have had something similar.鈥� 

Paris also found that Tenan Puente鈥檚 marketplace was surrounded by long, low structures that created restrictive access points. This would would have made it easier to keep track of people coming and going. Furthermore, Paris and her team discovered a hidden staircase leading from the rear of the marketplace to a restricted area of the Acropolis. 鈥淲e think the rulers might have been using this to take taxes or goods up the back staircase,鈥� she says. 

The issues of political rulers seeking to control or monitor economic spaces, potentially compromising urban privacy, is a matter that remains relevant today, Paris notes. 

鈥淚n the modern era we struggle with our smart cities and the ways in which our governments collect data, partnering with these large tech corporations to monitor how people move through our urban spaces,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e often assume that our ancient civilizations were not so sophisticated. And, certainly, they didn鈥檛 have the same technology. But I think they had similar concerns about monitoring and controlling their commercial spaces. This really is a timeless tension.鈥� 

As the excavation continues, Paris and her team hope to gain a clearer picture as to the political surveillance over Tenam Puente鈥檚 marketplace. 鈥淭he elites could have had a light hand or a heavy touch,鈥� she says. 鈥淢aybe they kept things at the level of surveillance or maybe they were intervening directly in the commercial markets.鈥� 

She adds: 鈥淲e鈥檙e interested in how the political forces of the site were shaping the economics. How much of an impact did the elites have? Did they simply have their finger on the pulse, or, was it more of a thumb on the scale?鈥� 

The project is co-directed with Dr. Roberto L贸pez Bravo of the Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas in Mexico, and Maestro Gabriel Lalo Jacinto of INAH-Chiapas, and represents an important international collaboration that involves researchers and students from both universities, along with members of the local Maya community. Next year鈥檚 excavations will target the structures surrounding the marketplace, as well as the site鈥檚 residential zone.

This ongoing project is funded by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant, along with a URGC Faculty Seed Grant Award from U91快色 and by the Annual Budget for Archaeology Funding from the Escuela de Arqueologia, Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas. (UNICACH)