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Sak Tz’i’, a Classic Maya Center: A Locational Model Based on GIS and Epigraphy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Armando Anaya Hernández ,
Stanley P. Guenter  and
Marc U. Zender
Armando Anaya Hernández
Affiliation:
School of Archaeology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia 3083
Stanley P. Guenter
Affiliation:
School of Archaeology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia 3083
Marc U. Zender
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N, 1N4
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Abstract

The ancient Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions of the upper Usumacinta region record an intensive interaction that took place among its regional capitals. The precise geographic locations of some of these sites are presently unknown. Through the application of the Gravity Model within the framework of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), we present the probable locations and possible territorial extents of a few of these: Sak Tz’i’, Hix-Witz, and the “Knot-Site.” On this occasion, however, we concentrate our discussion on the role that the kingdom of Sak Tz’i’ played in the geopolitical scenario of the region. It is our belief that this case study constitutes a good example of how, through a conjunctive approach that integrates the archaeological with the epigraphic data, GIS can represent an excellent analytical tool to approach archaeological issues such as the political organization of the Maya Lowlands during the Late Classic period.

Las inscripciones jeroglíficas Mayas contenidas en los monumentos de la región del Alto Usumacinta dan cuenta de una intensa interacción que se dio entre las capitales regionales, algunas de las cuales aún desconocemos su ubicación geográfica. En este trabajo, a través de la aplicación del Modelo Gravitacional, dentro del marco de los Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG), proponemos la probable ubicación y extensión territorial de algunos de estos centros: Sak Tz’i’, Hix-Witz, y el “Knot-Site.” En esta ocasión, sin embargo, nuestra discusión sobre la organización política de la región se centrará exclusivamente en el importante papel que desempeño el reino de Sak Tz’i’ en el escenario geopolítico. A nuestro juicio este caso constituye un buen ejemplo de cómo, a través de un enfoque conjuntivo que reúne tanto el dato arqueológico con el epigráfico, los SIG representan una importante herramienta analítica para abordar el problema de la organización política durante el periodo Clásico Tardío en las tierras bajas mayas.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , June 2003 , pp. 179 - 191
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 by the Society for American Archaeology.

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