Ancient Maya Cities of the Eastern Lowlands - (Ancient Cities of the New World) by Brett a Houk (Paperback)

About the Book

Using field reports, data sets and -grey- literature on the many excavated sites, Houk provides a synthesis of archaeological data on the ancient cities of modern Belize for the Classical period and explores their urban planning and built environment. By examining the lowland cities, Houk's work offers balance to the literature on the entire Classic Maya polity.

Book Synopsis

"Brings together for the first time all the major sites of this part of the Maya world and helps us understand how the ancient Maya planned and built their beautiful cities. It will become both a handbook and a source of ideas for other archaeologists for years to come."--George J. Bey III, coeditor of Pottery Economics in Mesoamerica "Skillfully integrates the social histories of urban development."--Vernon L. Scarborough, author of The Flow of Power: Ancient Water Systems and Landscapes "Any scholar interested in urban planning and the built environment will find this book engaging and useful."--Lisa J. Lucero, author of Water and Ritual

For more than a century researchers have studied Maya ruins, and sites like Tikal, Palenque, Copán, and Chichén Itzá have shaped our understanding of the Maya. Yet cities of the eastern lowlands of Belize, an area that was home to a rich urban tradition that persisted and evolved for almost 2,000 years, are treated as peripheral to these great Classic period sites. The hot and humid climate and dense forests are inhospitable and make preservation of the ruins difficult, but this oft-ignored area reveals much about Maya urbanism and culture.

Using data collected from different sites throughout the lowlands, including the Vaca Plateau and the Belize River Valley, Brett Houk presents the first synthesis of these unique ruins and discusses methods for mapping and excavating them. Considering the sites through the analytical lenses of the built environment and ancient urban planning, Houk vividly reconstructs their political history, considers how they fit into the larger political landscape of the Classic Maya, and examines what they tell us about Maya city building.

Review Quotes

"A useful synthesis and analysis of Maya architecture in Belize. . . . Constantly returns to the builders of these cities and details how their social world is reflected in their permanent structures. . . . Houk writes clearly, with an approachable style."--Journal of Anthropological Research


"A solid, workmanlike and badly needed general account of Belize's under-valued sites."--Antiquity


"A tremendous book, intellectually rich, detailed, ambitious, and articulate."--Latin American Antiquity


"The standardized comparative approach used in this work is unique in Maya studies and will be a useful starting point for site-planning studies outside Belize as well. . . . Highly recommended."--Choice

About the Author

Brett A. Houk is associate professor of archaeology and chair of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work at Texas Tech University.