Late Classic Society in the Rio Ulna Drainage, Honduras

Abstract

Reconstructing prehistoric social organization is an important goal of lnuch archaeological research. Consideration of this topic in SE Mesoamerica, along the fringes of the lowland Maya culture-zone, has lagged behind comparable work conducted im1nediately to the west. Both the nature of the archaeological data and paucity of ethnohistorical and ethnographic information relevant to reconstructing ancient behavioral patterns conspire against social research in SE Mesoamerica. These obstacles, though significant, are not insurmountable and must be overcome before Southeastern research can help illuminate changes and variations in social form throughout the area. This article attempts to contribute to this effort by providing a detailed reconstruction of social units and their articulations within the Late Classic (A.C. 600–950) middle Rio Ulua drainage of west central Honduras. The general implications of this specific study are also considered, especially those relating to demographic reconstructions, scales of analysis, and the problems encountered in trying to define archaeological cultures within neatly bounded areas.