The Izapa Kingdom and Its Neighbors
Robert M. Rosenswig
Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology
and
Director, Institute of Institute for Mesoamerican Studies
University at Albany–SUNY
Lidar Image of Kingdom of Izapa, 2018 (photograph courtesy of Izapa Regional Settlement Project)
The largest of a network of early kingdoms on the Pacific coast of southern Mesoamerica, Izapa provides insight into the origins of urban life and hierarchical political relations. Izapa’s impressive architecture and carved monuments have led to speculation about the nature of the power of the site’s elite. Until now, however, the political organization and territorial extent of Izapa’s associated polity were completely unknown. New lidar (light-detection and -ranging) and pedestrian survey data document the internal structure of the Izapa kingdom from its emergence at 700 BCE through its collapse after 100 BCE. At its peak, the kingdom covered 450 square kilometers, with its largest centers defending the polity’s perimeter to maintain its sovereignty from neighboring kingdoms in Guatemala.
Thursday, March 14, 2019
6 PM in the Lecture Hall
The Institute of Fine Arts
1 East 78th Street
Followed by a reception with wine and cheese in the Loeb Room
