The Terminal Classic In The Maya Lowlands: Collapse, Transition, And Transformation

The Terminal Classic in the Maya Lowlands revisits one of the great problems in Mayan archaeology?the apparent collapse of Classic Maya civilization from roughly A.D. 830 to 950. During this period the Maya abandoned their power centers in the southern lowlands and rather abruptly ceased the distinctive cultural practices that marked their apogee in the Classic period. Archaeological fieldwork during the past three decades, however, has uncovered enormous regional variability in the ways the Maya experienced the shift from Classic to Postclassic society, revealing a period of cultural change more complex than acknowledged by catastrophic models. Featuring an impressive roster of scholars, The Terminal Classic, now available in paperback, presents the most recent data and interpretations pertaining to this perplexing period of cultural transformation in the Maya lowlands. New in paperback; the hardcover edition was selected as a 2004 Choice Outstanding Academic Title.