Palenque

Damien B. Marken is a member of the mapping team for the Proyecto Arqueol-gico El Pero-WakaO in Guatemala.

Marken has selected essays that not only give the reader an intimate portrait of what Palenque looks like today, but also how it must have looked when it was a bustling metropolis. More important, these essays serve to provide the reader with a detailed analysis of the archaeological work now being done at Palenque, and how this research has added to our understanding of the city, as well as Maya history and culture...Essential reading for anyone with an interest in Palenque, or ancient Maya history or culture. It serves as an excellent reference book on the city, and is well suited for use as a supplemental text in both university level archaeology and anthropology courses dealing with ancient Mesoamerican studies.

• 1 Foreword2 PrefacePart 3 INTRODUCTION4 Palenque Archaeology: An IntroductionPart 5 CHRONOLOGY6 Chronological Chart and Overview of Ceramic Developments at Palenque7 Palenque and Selected Survey Sites in Chiapas and Tabasco: The Preclassic8 The Construction Chronology of Palenque: Seriation Within an Architectural FormPart 9 SETTLEMENT10 The Problem of Political Integration in the Kingdom of Baak11 Indicators of Urbanism at Palenque12 Creating Space through Water Management at the Classic Maya Site of Palenque, ChiapasPart 13 ARCHITECTURE AND EXCAVATION14 Elite Residential Compounds at Late Classic Palenque15 Following the Traces of Temple XX: Proyecto Grupo de las Cruces 2002 Excavations16 A House of Cards: Construction, Proportion and Form at Temple XIX, Palenque, Chiapas, MexicoPart 17 RELIGION AND RITUAL SPACES18 Gods and Histories: Mythology and Dynastic Succession at Temples XIX and XXI at Palenque19 Ritual Purification and the Ancient Maya Sweatbath at Palenque20 CONTEMPORARY CONCERNS AND CONCLUSIONS21 Why Restore Architecture at Palenque?22 Conclusion: Reconceptualizing the Palenque Polity23 Index24 About the Contributors