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El Perú-Waka': New Archaeological Perspectives on the Kingdom of the Centipede

Online ISBN:
9780813071206
Print ISBN:
9780813069937
Publisher:
University Press of Florida
Book

El Perú-Waka': New Archaeological Perspectives on the Kingdom of the Centipede

Keith Eppich (ed.),
Keith Eppich
(ed.)

professor of history and archaeology

TJC-The College of East Texas
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Damien B. Marken (ed.),
Damien B. Marken
(ed.)

associate professor of anthropology

Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania
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David Freidel (ed.)
David Freidel
(ed.)

professor of anthropology emeritus 

Washington University in St. Louis
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Published online:
19 September 2024
Published in print:
9 April 2024
Online ISBN:
9780813071206
Print ISBN:
9780813069937
Publisher:
University Press of Florida

Abstract

This volume presents the most current research on the ancient Maya city El Perú-Waka’, or “Kingdom of the Centipede.” Located in the Laguna del Tigre National Park of Guatemala, this city has been a major focus of recent archaeological inquiry, which has uncovered a long occupation at the site spanning from 300 BC to 1000 CE. The chapters in El Perú-Waka’ examine the Maya who lived here and the rainforest city they built, complete with its pyramids, palaces, temples, roads, reservoirs, and residences. Contributors reconstruct urban settlement patterns, look at health and dietary differences between elites and commoners, and analyze epigraphy and art, among other topics. The book includes a detailed discussion of the tomb of the city’s famous queen, Lady K’abel, showing that the queen’s choice to be interred within Waka’s most prominent dynastic monument demonstrates the power of Maya royal women to not only direct political discourse during their lives but also impact the reigns of their successors. The evidence in this volume indicates the city’s importance in the political and ritual landscape of the Maya Lowlands, and with the site’s long record of habitation and dense population, this book offers researchers an unmatched view of ancient life in a tropical urban environment.

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