AIA Lecture: Long-Term Politics on a Long-Distance Road: The Ancient Maya of Ucí

This talk by Distinguished Lecturer Dr. Scott Hutson presents the results of research conducted over many years at a collection of ancient Maya towns linked by a long-distance road in northern Yucatan, Mexico. These towns tell some unusual stories about ancient politics. For example, Ucí was the largest town but its political authority did not match its dominance in terms of size. Eventually, causeways/roads linked Ucí with smaller towns, but these towns still exerted independence in terms of ritual expression. Linkage of towns by roads did not result in the kinds of economic advantages that sometimes result from new roads today. Leadership at Ucí appears to have rotated between factions. Oddly, the only ballcourt in this area was at a small, rural village. Even more odd was the discovery of a text which improbably links Ucí with much larger Maya kingdoms jockeying for power at distant places like Calakmul and Tikal. Free and open to campus and community. About the speaker: Dr. Scott R...