Perishable Structures and Serial Dwellings from Coastal Chiapas: Implications for the Archaeology of Households

Abstract

AbstractPerishable structures of pole and thatch construction are abundant in both modern and ancient settlements in Mesoamerica. This essay uses archaeological, ethnographic, and historic data from coastal Chiapas, Mexico, to define the features of such elusive buildings and to examine ways of demonstrating sequential occupation. The emphasis throughout is on investigating perishable structures in both their social and environmental settings.