We are pleased to announce the fifth session of our 2025-2026 M.A.R.I. Lunch Talk Series. This Friday, October 24, at noon, we will have the talk "Calakmul’s Urban and Agrarian Landscapes before, during, and after Kanu'l rule" by Kathryn Reese-Taylor, Armando Anaya Hernández, Felix Kupprat, Debra Walker, and Nick Dunning.
Abstract: The city of Calakmul is best known for being a geopolitical capital during a brief period between 626 and 750, when it was the seat of the Kanu'l dynasty. Yet, Calakmul had a rich history both before and after their rule. In this talk, we explore how this ancient Maya city changed over time by analyzing its settlement patterns. Drawing on data from recent excavations, lidar imagery, paleoenvironmental research, and geoarchaeological studies, we reconstruct a timeline of urban and agricultural development. We focus on how people shaped and reshaped their surroundings, including their residential spaces, agricultural zones, and water-management systems, across the broader Calakmul landscape. Our evidence reveals clear phases of growth and change, from early settlement in the Preclassic period to the city’s height as a major urban center and its later decline in the Terminal Classic. By integrating multiple methods and datasets, we provide a clearer picture of how Maya communities organized and transformed their landscapes over the centuries.
The Proyecto Arqueológico Bajo El Laberinto was initiated in 2019 through the collaboration of the of the University of Calgary, the Universidad Autónoma de Campeche, the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the University of Cincinnati, and the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH), Campeche. Goals include examining the social, economic, and political organization of the population in an area centered on the geopolitical center of Calakmul. The project is directed by Drs. Armando Anaya Hernández, Felix A. Kupprat, and Kathryn Reese-Taylor.
Bio:: Kathryn Reese-Taylor is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology at the University of Calgary. Her principal research focuses on remote sensing, landscape archaeology, urbanism, and the development of complexity in the Maya lowlands. Reese-Taylor has directed archaeological projects in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico and published numerous articles, chapters, and reports, often with collaborators and students. Her current project is a multidisciplinary program of research located in southern Campeche centered on the broader Calakmul region.
M.A.R.I. Lunch Talks invite guest speakers to host seminars at M.A.R.I. on a wide variety of topics related to the archaeology, history, and ethnography of Mesoamerica and other world areas. The events typically take place on Fridays around noon and can be delivered in English and Spanish.