"The Last Maya Kingdom: Archaeology and Ethnohistory" lecture by Dr. Yuko Shiratori

Event Description:

The Spanish conquistadores conquered the last Maya kingdom in early 1697. This was not only the last Maya kingdom but also the last independent indigenous kingdom in the Americas. The last stronghold was located in the Petén Lakes region, Guatemala. According to the Spanish documents, this region's occupants mainly comprised the Itza, the Kowoj, and the Chak’an Itza. How did they survive for such a long time without being conquered? This talk introduces the last Maya kingdom on the eve of the Spanish conquest. Recent archaeological excavations in the Petén lakes region provide material evidence of the Contact and Conquest periods. The archaeological data materially support the Spanish written documents and ethnohistory of the Maya in this region. The talk discusses the sociopolitical and economic conflicts among the groups during the Late Postclassic period to the Conquest (ca. A.D. 1450-1697) through archaeological and ethnohistorical approaches. In addition, the talk concludes with the introduction of a new project, which is in search of the second to the last Maya kingdom conquered in 1695 directed by Dr. Shiratori and Winthrop’s own Brent Woodfill.