Synopsis of forthcoming book by Dr. Marilyn A. Masson:
In the Realm of Nachan Kan:
Postclassic Maya Archaeology at Laguna de On, Belize
University of Colorado Press, Boulder

The transformation of lowland Maya society during the Postclassic period (A.D. 1000-1500) culminated in the development of an affluent and stable coastal and agrarian network of polities that were integrated into a broad scale mercantile society. This book examines ways in which this society represented a complex, sophisticated, extensive organization of semiautonomous units that were closely integrated, yet embraced a decentralized political economy.

Postclassic Maya patterns of cultural development and organization are reflected in this book from the perspective of the small rural island settlement of Laguna de On, a location that was distant from the governing political centers of the day. The diachronic analysis of regional settlement patterns, the evolution of ceramic traditions, household and ritual features, and artifacts from the site are used to track developmental changes over time during the Postclassic period. These data suggest that affluent patterns of economic production and local and long distance exchange were established at this community by the 11th century, and continue to develop, virtually uninterrupted, until the time of Spanish arrival.

After the mid-13th century, an amplification of long distance trading is observed, along with an increase in ritual and elite activities. Contemporary political and religious artistic traditions at the temples of Mayapán, Tulum, and Santa Rita are analyzed to provide regional context for the changes in community patterns at Laguna de On.  A Late Postclassic Maya cultural florescence is documented in the archaeological data, ethnohistorical accounts, and artistic programs examined in this book, which are closely correlated with the rise of Mayapán to power and the efforts of this site’s leaders to integrate the Maya lowlands.

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