Maya: Preclassic Period Over time, surging population densities and ever more intensive and extensive agriculture and urban construction led to widespread deforestation, worsening soil erosion, and declining soil fertility, in some cases exacerbated by prolonged drought The evidence shows that these processes caused increasing incidences of malnutrition and disease and fundamental ecological bottlenecks that in the end proved insoluble Endemic warfare was both symptom and cause of these deleterious processes By the early 500s warfare was consuming prodigious quantities of material and human resources, and by the late 700s the cycles of violence had begun spinning out of control, with a series of ever more destructive wars overtaxing not only the land and the people but, no less important, commoners’ faith in the moral legitimacy of their kings Since Maya kings ruled by virtue of divine sanction, any prolonged crisis—economic, ecological, political—could set in motion a profound spiritual-religious-moral crisis among the general populace, whose labor and faith were necessary to keep the whole system operating All of these factors, working in dynamic and contingent combination, were most likely responsible for the decline of one of the world’s most creative, original, and sophisticated civilizations See also Maya: Preclassic Period; Mesoamerica: Classic Period Further reading: Canuto, M., and J Yaeger, eds The Archaeology of Communities: A New World Perspective London: Routledge, 2000; Coe, Michael D Breaking the Maya Code New York: Thames and Hudson, 1992; Demarest, Arthur “Maya Carvings Tell of a War of Superpowers.” New York Times (February 19, 2002); Freidel, David, Linda Schele, and Joy Parker Maya Cosmos New York: William Morrow, 1993; Schele, Linda, and Peter Matthews The Code of Kings New York: Scribners, 1998; Sharer, Robert J., and Loa P Traxler The Ancient Maya Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2006; Tedlock, Dennis, trans Popul Vuh New York: Simon and Schuster, 1985 M J Schroeder Maya: Preclassic Period During the Early Preclassic (2000–1000 b.c.e.) the two major archaeological markers of civilization in the Maya zone first emerged in the Pacific and Caribbean coastal regions: permanently settled agricultural and/or maritime villages and pottery 267 The earliest known examples of Mesoamerican pottery have been found along the Pacific coast from Chiapas, in Mexico, south and east to El Salvador Scholars subdivide these ceramic styles into three phases: Barra (c 1850–1650 b.c.e.), which apparently emerged from an earlier tradition of gourd containers; the more sophisticated Locona (c 1650–1500 b.c.e.); and the more elaborate and diverse Ocos (c 1500–1200 b.c.e.) Handcrafted clay-fired figurines, many with highly individualized styles and motifs, also proliferated during this period A wide variety of other goods made from perishable materials, including textiles, baskets, and nets, were also likely common, though they have left few traces in the archaeological record The origins of complex society in the Maya zone have been traced to the Pacific coast Locona phase Evidence includes differential house sizes, part-time craft specialization, and funerary practices Excavations at Paso de la Amada, Chiapas, have unearthed one house considerably larger than others at the site, and renovated at least nine times, suggesting both growing social differentiation and high spiritual and aesthetic value placed on continuity of place and homage to ancestors The superimposition of dwellings and other buildings around a previously sanctified place is characteristic of Maya (and Mesoamerican) construction practices generally A nearby site has revealed a burial of a small child adorned with a mica mirror, indicating the growing importance of hereditary inequality Further east along the coast of contemporary Belize, the Early Preclassic saw the growth of numerous maritime settlements, founded during the late Archaic (c.3000 b.c.e.) that by the Middle Preclassic had expanded west into the interior Similar developments may have been taking place in the highlands as well, though subsequent volcanic activity likely buried these settlements, rendering them inaccessible and thus creating an evidentiary bias in the archaeological record Other important Early Preclassic sites have been excavated in Honduras (Copán Valley, Cuyamel Cave, Puerto Escondido) and El Salvador (Chalchuapa) The inhabitants of these and other Early Preclassic settlements made their living through a combination of swidden agriculture, fishing, hunting, and gathering Bone isotope analyses show that maize constituted less than 30 percent of their diet, far less than the average for many contemporary Maya, which approaches 75 percent Extant pottery from this period indicates the emergence and spread of a shared corpus of religious symbols, beliefs, and concepts that formed the basis for later cultural developments