Peru-Waka'

Recent research and discoveries at aprominent Maya rainforest city

This volume presentsthe most current research on the ancient Maya city El Perú-Waka’, or “Kingdomof the Centipede.” Located in the Laguna del Tigre National Park of Guatemala,this city has been a major focus of recent archaeological inquiry, which hasuncovered a long occupation at the site spanning from 300 BC to 1000 CE. Thechapters in El Perú-Waka’ examine the Maya who lived here and the rainforestcity they built, complete with its pyramids, palaces, temples, roads,reservoirs, and residences.

Contributorsreconstruct urban settlement patterns, look at health and dietary differencesbetween elites and commoners, and analyze epigraphs and art, among other topics.The book includes a detailed discussion of the tomb of the city’s famous queen,Lady K’abel, showing that the queen’s choice to be interred within Waka’s mostprominent dynastic monument demonstrates the power of Maya royal women to notonly direct political discourse during their lives but also impact the reignsof their successors.

Theevidence in this volume indicates the city’s importance in the political andritual landscape of the Maya Lowlands, and with the site’s long record ofhabitation and dense population, this book offers researchers an unmatched viewof ancient life in a tropical urban environment.

Contributors:  MatthewC. Ricker | Damien B. Marken | Juan Carlos Pérez | Diana N. Fridberg | OliviaC. Navarro-Farr | Sarah Van Oss | David Freidel | Griselda Pérez Robles | ElsaDamaris Menéndez | Mary Kate Kelly | Erin E. Patterson | Michelle Rich | KeithEppich