Archaeology and Bioarchaeology of Population Movement among the Prehispanic Maya

The contributions of this volume bring together contributions from archaeology, archaeometry, paleodemography and bioarchaeology. They provide an initial account of the complexity and entangledness behind large scale ancient population dynamics, and at the same time represent a first step towards a multidisciplinary approach aimed at clarifying and reconstructing population affinities and dynamics in the region. The Prehispanic Maya were a complex, highly stratified society. During the Classic period, city-states governed over large regions, establishing complex ties of alliance and commerce with the region s minor centers and their allies, against other city-states within and outside the Maya realm. The Classic Maya collapse is one of the greatest mysteries in archaeology. One of the possible theories as to the cause is an influx (some might even call it an invasion) of immigrants- specifically from other groups from the Gulf of Mexico. However, it is still unclear whether this collapse was already underway when this movement of people started. Archaeological and bioarchaeological evidence is used to differentiate between trade - presence of exogenous (foreign) material objects (pottery, obsidian and so on), while population movement can only be assessed when the biological component of an ancient community is analyzed (i.e. the human skeletal remains). But the exchange of goods or the presence of foreign architectural patterns does not necessarily imply the genetic admixture between groups, while at the same time humans can migrate for reasons may not be related only to trading. Therefore, the whole picture can slowly emerge only when all the pieces of the puzzle are put together in a holistic and multidisciplinary fashion.