Late Maya factionalism and alliances: The case of contact-period central Petén, Guatemala

Abstract

An understanding of events and processes during the Late Postclassic and Contact periods (c. CE 1200–1700) in the Maya lowlands of central Petén, Guatemala, was slow to develop through archaeology alone. Ethnohistorical evidence was critical in illuminating the presence of two competing ethnopolities in the region, Itza and Kowoj, especially with respect to marked spatiotemporal differences in material culture. Documentary sources also revealed the existence of factions within these polities, particularly concerning capitulation to the Spaniards. Isolating material signatures of these groupings was difficult archaeologically, given five centuries of hostilities, resettlement, and material culture change. Reconsideration of the archaeology at Canté Island, in Kowoj territory, supports the attested alliance between a Kowoj faction and an Itza faction, as evidenced by architecture, pottery decorative styles and composition, and sources of obsidian. Activities and decisions of the factions and their leaders can be compared to those of modern factions studied by social scientists.