Bradley E. Ensor provides a new theoretical contribution to Maya ethnographic, ethnohistoric, and archaeological research. Rather than operating solely as a symbolic order unobservable to archaeologists, kinship, according to Ensor, forms concrete social relations that structure daily life and can be reflected in the material remains of a society. Ensor argues that the use of cross-culturally identified and confirmed material indicators of postmarital residence and descent group organization enable archaeologists—those with the most direct material evidence on prehispanic Maya social organization—to overturn a traditional reliance on competing and problematic ethnohistorical models.

 

Using recent data from an arch aeological project within the Chontalpa Maya region of Tabasco, Mexico, Ensor illustrates how archaeologists can interpret and explain the diversity of kinship behavior and its influence on gender within any given Maya social formation.

Bradley E. Ensor is an associate professor of anthropology at Eastern Michigan University.
 

“Ensor has undertaken a formidable task, merging archaeological and ethnological theory to explore more fully the ethnohistory and sociopolitical structure of the prehispanic Mayans. This book is a huge contribution both to Mayan studies and to the idea of taking an approach that combines archaeology and ethnology.”—John H. Moore, author of The Cheyenne and editor of Political Economy of North American Indians

“In my opinion, kinship and social organization are the new frontier in archaeology. This book is on the cutting edge, is an excellent study, and appeals to a broad audience.”—William F. Keegan, author of The People Who Discovered Columbus: The Prehistory of the Bahamas