In the realm of Nachan Kan: Postclassic Maya archaeology of Laguna de On, Belize.

In the realm of Nachan Kan: Postclassic Maya archaeology of Laguna de On, Belize. MARILYN A. MASSON. In the realm of Nachan Kan: Postclassic Mayaarchaeology of Laguna de On, Belize. xix+322 pages, 72 figures, 43tables. 2000. Boulder (CO): University Press of Colorado The University Press of Colorado is a nonprofit publisher supported partly by Adams State College, Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College, Mesa State College, Metropolitan State College of Denver, the University of Colorado, the University of Northern Colorado, and Western ; 0-87081-567-9hardback 47.99 [pounds sterling] & $65. Laguna de On, `avocado avocado(ä`vəkä`do, ăv`–), tropical American broad-leaved evergreen tree of the genus Persea of the family Lauraceae (laurel family). lake', is a distinctive greenish-whitelagoon at the head of the Freshwater Creek drainage in northern coastalBelize. On an island in its northern part and on the higher ground alongits shores, the prehispanic Maya lived in modest communities in theClassic and Postclassic periods. Dr Masson did her doctoral research anda follow-up project on these sites, and this book is the result. Thesubtitle sub��ti��tle?n.1. A secondary, usually explanatory title, as of a literary work.2. A printed translation of the dialogue of a foreign-language film shown at the bottom of the screen.tr.v. is an accurate summary, while Nachan Kan, a ruler of theChetumal polity within which Laguna de On may have lain at the time ofSpanish contact, has only a walk-on role in the opening and closingpages. The book `offers a perspective on the social development of theLate Postclassic Maya world as observed from a small, rural, inlandlagoon comunity' (p. 1); Dr Masson defines this Late Postclassic onp. 3 (but the entire Postclassic on p. 1) as the period from AD1050-1500, rather than the usual Postclassic span of AD 900-1542, fromthe end of the Classic to the Spanish conquest of Yucatan, with the LatePostclassic beginning around AD 1200. Since most of the evidence fromLaguna de On seemingly postdates AD 1250, this does not much matter. That the Postclassic has been comparatively neglected, incomparison with more than 150 years of emphasis on the great cities ofthe Classic Maya and a concentration on Preclassic sites since 1970, istrue and makes this study welcome; but the dust-jacket blurb blurb?n.A brief publicity notice, as on a book jacket.[Coined by Gelett Burgess (1866-1951), American humorist.]blurb v. that `theprevailing view of the lowland Maya ... Postclassic ... has been one ofan impoverished, "degenerated" society' does the authorno service in ignoring (as she does not) the substantial change ininterpretation of this period that accompanied the work of Sabloff andRathje on Cozumel a generation ago. Bolstered by subsequentarchaeological and ethnohistoric research at Santa Rita Corozal,Lamanai, and Marco Gonzalez within northern Belize alone, as well as byimportant work at Tipu and in the Peten, the Late Postclassic andContact periods in the southeast Maya Lowlands have become rather wellknown. Rather more has been done, and published, on the Postclassic innorthern Belize itself than Dr Masson seems aware of, and the omissionsdistort her distribution maps (figures 2.2-2.3) and thus presumably pre��sum��a��ble?adj.That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. thechanging ratio of `centers' to `villages' which underpins heranalysis of political development. The most useful part of the book is the exposition of thearchaeology of Laguna de On, although an exceptionally dense section onceramic chronology will daunt daunt?tr.v. daunt��ed, daunt��ing, dauntsTo abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay.[Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin all but the most dedicated specialist.Suffice it to say that there seem to be two periods of occupation, earlyfacet Laguna from AD 1050-1250 and 16-30 cm below the surface, and latefrom 1250-1500 and confined to the top 15 cm of deposits. The latter isa stronger and more evident community in almost every way, only some ofthis being due to better preservation. Excavating shallow sites riddledwith tropical roots is a problem, and Dr Masson has done well to recoverthe fragmentary walls and floors of the Postclassic community: the plans(like some other illustrations) have suffered from over-reduction. Shehas used cumulative frequencies of various artefact See artifact. classes to suggestdiscrete areas of upper-status residence and ritual activity, andconcludes that such zones were better defined in the late facet, whilethe early facet displayed negligible interresidential differences inintra-assemblage frequencies. The section on Laguna de On itself is followed by a discussion ofreligious institutions and elite power at the coeval co��e��val?adj.Originating or existing during the same period; lasting through the same era.n.One of the same era or period; a contemporary. YucatecanPostclassic sites of Mayapan and Tulum, one a supraregional capital, theother a walled coastal town still occupied when the Spanish arrived. DrMasson's discussions of chronology at and sculptural types fromMayapan, of correspondences between incense-burners and architecturalsculpture at Tulum, and of possible identities for the individuals onthe Santa Rita murals are illuminating, but barely linked to her work atLaguna de On. Given that the latter was an island refugium re��fu��gi��um?n. pl. re��fu��gi��aAn area that has escaped ecological changes occurring elsewhere and so provides a suitable habitat for relict species.[Latin, refuge; see refuge.] , remarkablylike other water-defended Postclassic communities such as Macanche,Zacpeten and Topoxte, and with lakeshore suburbs reminding us of theItza capital of Noh Peten (Tayasal), it is a pity that Dr Masson did notutilize the abundant results of recent research on these Peten sites. The bibliography is rife with errors -- misspelt authors'names, mistranscribed titles, wrong publishers -- and includes suchcuriosities as personal letters. The main text has oddities ofvocabulary, spelling and diction that should have been caught by thecopy editor; the index is inadequate, failing to include many of thesites mentioned in the text. Both publisher and author are to blame forthese wholly avoidable deficiencies in a generally useful report.NORMAN HAMMONDDepartment of Archaeology, Boston University