The Northeast Petén Revisited

Abstract

The role of environmental versus sociopolitical factors in establishing the characteristics of Maya settlement in Petén, Guatemala, has been debated, but evaluations have been hampered by a lack of diachronic data. Archaeological surveys and excavation conducted within a larger historical ecology project focused on the twin lake basins of Yaxhá and Sacnab, in northeast Petén, have provided a diachronic perspective on the settlement debate. In this area early settlement decisions appear to reflect topographic or environmental concerns, but the evolution of civic-ceremonial authority in the region caused deviations from this pattern.