Port, polity, and polical economy: The archaeology of Trinidad de Nosotros, El Peten, Guatemala

Although the largest Classic Maya political capitals are frequently assumed to have served as key nodes in long-distance trade networks, empirical data supporting this contention are surprisingly limited. This study was designed to assess the role of a Late Classic Maya political capital, Motul de San José, in long-distance trade through the examination of its principal secondary center, Trinidad de Nosotros. Located on the north shore of Guatemala's Lake Petén Itzá, 2.6 km south of Motul, and at the natural gateway to the area, Trinidad was well-positioned to serve as a port and intermediary between the inland capital and long-distance trade routes.;Research at Trinidad included survey; household, midden, and stratigraphic excavations; and ceramic and obsidian analyses. These investigations defined Trinidad as a moderate-sized center with an occupation extending from the Middle Preclassic to the Historical period. A complex harbor was identified, as was public plaza space more extensive than required by Trinidad's inhabitants. Midden excavations documented spectacular deposits behind Trinidad's ballcourt, indicating that it was a major locus for feasting and ritual throughout the Late Classic period. Cumulatively, these and other data support the proposition that Trinidad was a port.;This study also highlights continuities at Trinidad during the latter half of the Late Classic period when Motul emerged as a political power and its sustaining area underwent demographic expansion. These developments enhanced Trinidad's port role, as indicated by additions to the harbor and greater access to obsidian. Comparison of obsidian assemblages from Trinidad and other nearby sites also indicates that Trinidad maintained its function as a distribution center for obsidian. Elements of Trinidad's ritual economy also demonstrate continuity; lavish ballgame-related feasting, initiated prior to Motul's local ascendancy, continued under its auspices.;The high level of continuity in Trinidad's port role suggests that Motul's emergent elites may have had, at most, only indirect control over long-distance trade in the Motul area. This may have resulted from the new Motul dynasts choosing to co-opt existing economic structures, rather than establish new ones. Alternatively, it may simply indicate that long-distance trade in the Maya lowlands was less centralized than previously thought.