[Aztlan] origin of the notion that the Maya were non-urban

[J. L. Baker]

I am pretty sure that the idea that the Maya were non-urban predates Willey. I think Morley and J.E.S. Thompson were probably the first to suggest this idea, although I'm not sure which references to look at for explicit statements in this regard, possibly the 1946 edition of Morley's The Ancient Maya, and Thompson's 1930 ethnograpy (Ethnology of the Maya of Southern and Central British Honduras.  Anthropology Series, vol. 17(2).  Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago). Another possible source for an e description of the Maya as non-urban is Gann and Thompson's 1931 book:

Gann, Thomas and J.E.S. Thompson, 1931, The History of the Maya from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. C. Scribner's Sons, New York.

I also seem to recall reading something by Michael Smyth that discusses the history of ideas about Maya urbanism (possibly his dissertation or the U of Pittsburgh volume: 

Smyth, Michael P., 1991, Modern Maya Storage Behavior: Ethnoarchaeological Case Examples From the Puuc Region of Yucatan. University of Pittsburgh Memoirs in Latin American Archaeology No. 3. University of Pittsburgh.

In regard to Willey, you might want to look at his 1956 American Anthropologist article: (The Structure of Ancient Maya Society: Evidence from the Southern Lowlands. American Anthropologist 58: 777-782).

In the article on pg. 780, Willey notes "At places like Mayapan and Tulum, there are no large, densely packed population concentrations known for the lowlands. Yet lacking this, the Maya achieved city life in the broader sense..."


Not sure if any of this helps. . .

Thanks,

Jeff Baker