Safronov A. V. Ancient Maya Territorial and Political Organization in the Lacanha Valley in the Late Classic. A GIS Reconstruction

Alexander V. Safronov
Candidate of Historical Sciences, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia, Moscow)
ORCID: 0000-0002-2121-1136
E-mail: alexsafronov@bk.ru

 Download | Back to the Content № 2. 2026

UDC 94(399.7): 004.94
DOI: 10.58529/2782-6511-2026-5-2-54-77

ABSTRACT. The article examines the territorial and political organization of the аncient Maya of the Late Classic period based on the GIS approach. The main object of the study is the Xukalnaah Kingdom, which developed in the 6th century in Lacanha Valley (Chiapas, Mexico) with centers in the archaeological sites of Bonampak and Lacanha. The reconstruction of the kingdom’s territory and the identification of the elements of its internal organizational structure are based on epigraphic sources and an analysis of the distribution of archaeological sites in the Lakanha Valley. The study employs 4-level settlement patterns model adopted in contemporary historiography and characteristic of the early Maya state, but combined with physical geography data. A particular focus of this work is the analysis of the role of community associations within the Maya polity’s structure. The research concluded that, at the height of its power in the 7th–8th centuries, the Xukalnaah Kingdom covered an area of around 700–800 km². Its territory was formed around a core comprising two densely populated urban centers with 12 local community associations. From the 6th century onwards, a periphery began to take shape within the kingdom, comprising eight small regions covering an area of around 50–100 km², which were governed by local lords and later by sajals (governors). Thus, Xukalnaah was a mid-level kingdom with a complex organizational structure, largely dependent on its powerful neighbors (Pachan, Saktz’i, Yokib), but which also had its own sphere of influence in the Lakanha Valley.

KEYWORDS: ancient Maya, Lacanha Valley, Lacandon selva, early state, settlement archaeology, epigraphy, GIS

For citation: Safronov A. V. [Ancient Maya Territorial and Political Organization in the Lacanha Valley in the Late Classic. A GIS Reconstruction]. Istoriko-geograficheskiy zhurnal [Historical Geography Journal], 2026, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 54–77. DOI: 10.58529/2782-6511-2026-5-2-54-77 (In Russian).

Received 8 May 2026
Accepted 6 July 2026

© 2026 The Author

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