Household Archaeology and Reconstructing Social Organization in Ancient Complex Societies: A Consideration of Models and Concepts Based on Study of the Prehispanic Maya

Abstract

Studies of the settlement pattern in the Copan Valley, Honduras, indicate that a House society model provides the best way to understand the social organization of the Late Classic period Maya. The House society model, based on Levi-Strauss\u27s original work but since modified by anthropologists and archaeologists, does not replace household archaeology. Instead, the model allows archaeologists to discuss the continuation of social identity over time