Defensive Barricades of the Maya

Abstract

This overview ofMaya defensive barricades is organized into three sections: generalizations, case studies, and controversies/future directions in the study ofMaya defensive barricades. Before discussing theMaya defensive barricades, I provide the who, where, and when of the Maya culture and history. Maya is a term that is used to define a culture that is primarily concentrated in Guatemala; Belize; the Mexican states of Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Campeche, Chiapas, and Veracruz; and the Western portions of the countries of Honduras and El Salvador. Despite popular narratives for the collapse of the Maya society that resulted in vast empty jungle cities, millions of Maya currently live in various parts of the world and many speak one or several of the 28 different languages that are linguistically classified as Mayan. Scholars of the Maya have long-established affinities among extant Maya groups, the indigenous peoples that Spanish colonizers encountered (e.g., Hernan Cortes, Fray Diego de Landa) and the pre-Columbian peoples of contemporary Guatemala, Belize, Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador (cf. Coe, 2011; Sharer & Traxler, 2006). Based on the closeness of some linguistic, cultural, and material traits, such as the use of a 260-day calendar, evidence for the Maya culture can be found for over 3,000 years and is generally divided into five periods of culture and history: Preclassic (2000 BC–AD 250), Classic (AD 250–900/ 1000), Postclassic (AD 900/1000–1525), Colonial/Historic (AD 1525–1825), and Modern (AD 1825–present). Although the dates for the start and end of each period can vary by scholar and location (site, region), scholars of the Maya generally use the above periods in the order outlined.