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Continuity and Change in a Royal Maya Residential Complex at Copan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2010

E. Wyllys Andrews V  and
Barbara W. Fash
E. Wyllys Andrews V
Affiliation:
Middle American Research Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
Barbara W. Fash
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
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Abstract

Excavation of the large elite structures around the Structure 10L-32 plaza at the northeast corner of Group 10L-2, at the south edge of the Acropolis at Copan, supports the view that this group was the residence of the royal family during the Late and Terminal Classic Coner phase. During the hundred years of construction at the uppermost plaza level, structure change and growth follows two patterns: (1) a tendency for subsequent buildings in one place to retain a similar form and probably function, and (2) a trend away from domestic structures to ritual or public buildings. As the buildings around the plaza grew, access to the complex was increasingly limited. The largest two, Structures 10L-32 and 10L-30, were built late in the eighth century by a noble named Chac, who was a close associate, relative, or sibling of Yax Pac. The older Structure 10L-29, on the terrace above the plaza, was dedicated to the worship of royal lineage ancestors. The collapse of this group occurred in two stages, a decline of the nobility early in the ninth century, followed by violent destruction of buildings and monuments sometime before that century ended. This sequence of events may apply to the entire Principal Group and adjacent elite residential areas.

Resumen

Las investigaciones arqueológicas recientes de los ediflcios de la élite alrededor de la plaza de la Estructura 10L-32, en la esquina noreste del Grupo 10L-2, que forma la orilla sur de la Acrópolis de Copan, apoya la idea de que este grupo fue la residencia del linaje real durante la fase Coner del clásico tardío y final. En los últimos cien años de constructión sobre el nivel superior de la plaza se observan dos patrones distintos en el proceso de cambio y crecimiento arquiteciónico. El primer patrón fue el de mantener en los edificios nuevos la forma, y probablemente la función, de construciones anteriores; el segundo fue el de construir edificios públicos o ceremoniales sobre los restos de residencias domésticas de épocas anteriores. A través del proceso de crecimiento, el acceso a la plaza y sus edificios circundantes quedo cada vez más restringido. Los edificios mayores, las Estructuras 10L-32 y 10L-30, fueron comisionadas a fines del siglo VIII por un noble llamado Chac, un aliado, pariente, o quizás hermano menor de Yax Pan, el penúltimo gobernante de Copan. La Estructura 10L-29, construida antes que los dos mencionados anteriormente, fue dedicada al culto de los antepasados de la familia real. El colapso de este grupo sucedió en dos etapas: en el primero es evidente el proceso de decadencia de la nobleza en los primeros años del siglo IX; en la segunda etapa, que ocurre en las últimas décadas del siglo, tenemos evidencia de la violenta destrucción de los edificios y monumentos del grupo, Es posible que esta secuencia refleje una situatión análoga a los eventos que tomaron lugar en la Acrópolis y en los barrios residenciales circundantes del elite a finales de período clásico.

Type
Special Section: The Archaeology of Ancient Copan
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 3 , Issue 1 , Spring 1992 , pp. 63 - 88
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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