2013 Tulane Maya Symposium, Kaanal: The Snake Kingdom of the Classic Maya

 The Snake Kingdom of the Classic Maya

February 22-24, 2013

Recent archaeological and epigraphic research in Quintana Roo, Campeche, and the Peten have outlined the development of a political behemoth during the Classic period that extended its influence from Honduras to Chiapas to the northern Yucatan. Ruled by a long-lived dynasty---known as Kaanal---from first Dzibanche and then Calakmul, this kingdom was at its apex in the mid-7th century. This symposium will explore the rise, rule, and fall of Kaanal kings, posing the important question: was the Kaanal kingdom a unique experiment in Maya political integration?

Now that many of the Kaanal dynasty's allies, such as La Corona, Uxul, Palmar, El Perú-Waka', and Cancuen, have come under more prolonged investigation, the impact of the Kaanal dynasty in the central Maya lowlands during the Classic period is becoming clearer. Since the epigraphic record from Calakmul is so poorly preserved, the texts of these smaller sites now provide a crucial counterpoint to the political history of the Classic period as viewed through the lens of Tikal.

To celebrate the completion of the Symposium's first LAHUNTUN, we will focus on the development of the Kaanal dynasty's hegemony and explore how its kings were so successful in their pursuit of regional control and why they were not able to sustain their political order far beyond the early 8th century. The Symposium talks, the Forum discussion, and the Workshops will all present new data and allow participants to learn about the latest fascinating developments in the study of Classic Maya political organization.

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Speakers

"Introduction to LARC and the Tulane Maya Symposium 2013" -- Denise Woltering Vargas

"Inside the Maya Calendar: An Introduction to the 2012 Excavations of the La Corona Archaeological Project in Guatemala" -- David Chatelain

"Signs of Change: A Glimpse of Past and Present Cultural Landscapes of Guatemala" -- Ellen Cohen, Sarah Donovan, Denise Tullier Holly

"Finding the lost jungle city of 'Site Q' : Detective Work among the Ancient Maya" -- Peter Mathews