This book is concerned with the historical reality recorded on Classic Maya monuments of the first millennium AD, its interpretation in terms of social and political interaction within and between states, and the better understanding of Maya civilization that is emerging from a more accurate perception of the role of its ruling elites.

The book will be of importance for archaeologists and of interest to anthropologists.

The Maya built one of the great ancient civilizations in the New World, between AD 250 and 900. Famed for over 150 years for its cities buried deep in the Central American jungle, the origins of Maya culture have, nevertheless, remained obscure until quite recently. Over the past two decades, the Preclassic origins of complex society in the Maya area have been established by a series of innovative research projects. Among the best known of these is the study of Cuello, the earliest-known ancient Maya settlement. Excavations at Cuello over several seasons from 1975 to 1987 have yielded an...