Archaeology and Ethnohistory of Iximché
Reconstructing the history of a highland Maya capital
Conquered by the Spanish in 1524, Iximché was the capital of the Cakchiquel Maya in Highland Guatemala. It is known to Mesoamerican archaeologists through the work of George Guillemin, who excavated the ceremonial center of Iximché from the late 1950s through the early 1970s but produced only summary articles on the site. This book reconstructs the history of Iximché based on analyses of ceramics and human skeletal remains, on Guillemin’s original excavation notes, drawings and photographs, and on the ethnohistorical literature. It contains the first detailed ceramic analysis for a Late Postclassic Cakchiquel site, and the ethnohistorical sketch is the first English-language synthesis of regional Cakchiquel history. It is also the first book in 50 years to include a comprehensive analysis of Highland Maya skeletons.
Contents
1. Introduction, by C. Roger Nance, Stephen L. Whittington, and Barbara E. Borg
2. Iximché and the Cakchiquels, ca. 1450-1540: An Ethnohistorical Sketch, by Barbara E. Borg
3. Cakchiquel Ethnohistory, an Archaeological Perspective, by C. Roger Nance
4. Iximché and Details of the Excavations, by C. Roger Nance
5. Ceramic Variables and Attributes, by C. Roger Nance
6. Typological Descriptions and Extra-Site Relationships, by C. Roger Nance
7. Ceramic Type Distributions, by C. Roger Nance
8. Ceramic Attribute Analysis, by C. Roger Nance
9. Descriptions of Human Remains and Burial Structures, by Stephen L. Whittington
10. Analysis of Human Skeletal Material Excavated by Guillemin, by Stephen L. Whittington
11. Settlement Plan and Architecture, by C. Roger Nance
12. Conclusion, by C. Roger Nance, Stephen L. Whittington, and Barbara E. Borg
Appendix A. Type Distributions by Provenience at Iximché
Appendix B. Ceramic Paste Characteristics by Type
Appendix C. Cranial Bones with Notable Demographic or Paleopathological Features
Appendix D. Dentitions with Notable Demographic or Paleopathological Features
Appendix E. Postcranial Bones with Notable Demographic or Paleopathological Features
"This book presents the long-awaited data from Guillemin’s excavations at the capital of the Cakchiquel Maya. It will be an excellent resource for Maya scholars and students."—Lori Wright, Texas A&M University
C. Roger Nance is a research associate at the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA and the author of The Archaeology of La Calsada: A Rockshelter in the Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexico. Stephen L. Whittington is director of the Museum of Anthropology and adjunct associate professor of anthropology at Wake Forest University. He is the coeditor of Bones of the Ancient Maya: Studies of Ancient Skeletons. Barbara E. Borg is associate professor of anthropology and archaeology at the College of Charleston and the author of several articles on the ethnohistory of the Cakchiquel Maya.
