Urban Development at Piedras Negras, Guatemala

This monograph examines the relationship between§settlement and population at Piedras Negras,§Guatemala. This Classic Maya center developed from a§small village into a major polity over the course of§a thousand years. Excavations from within the site§conducted by the University of Pennsylvania§(1931-1937) and the Projecto Piedras Negras§(1997-2000, 2004) have greatly expanded our knowledge§of the center and its surrounding areas. §A model of population change and center development§can be derived from the information collected via§excavations. Epicentral Piedras Negras had a very low§population during most of its existence which only§peaked to a maximum of 2600 inhabitants during the§Chacalhaaz ceramic phase (AD 750-825). During this§same period, the polity of Piedras Negras had a§maximum population of 50,000 people with a density of§15 people per square kilometer. Agricultural§practices based on a medium fallow system could have§supported the inhabitants of Piedras Negras (the§center) without the use of any intensive agricultural§features due to its low population. This data driven§approach is ideal for archaeologists working in the§Maya region.