Robert Carmack's The Quiche Mayas of Utatlan is a major scholarly ethnohistory of the Postclassic Kiche Maya kingdom centered at Utatlan in highland Guatemala, combining archaeological excavation, colonial-era documentary sources and the Kiche's own Popol Vuh and related texts to reconstruct the kingdom's political and religious structure before and through the Spanish conquest. Carmack's standing as a leading Mayanist ethnohistorian and his direct excavation work at the site give the book substantial authority, and it remains a standard reference on Postclassic highland Maya civilization. As a study focused on one specific kingdom, its findings about Kiche political and religious organization should not be assumed to describe Maya civilization generally, which varied considerably in political structure across the many distinct Postclassic Maya polities.
Facts
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
Reliability tier 1: a major scholarly ethnohistory from the University of Oklahoma Press combining excavation, colonial documentary sources and the tradition's own texts, a standard reference for one specific kingdom rather than the civilization generally. NotesScholarly history of the Quiche Maya kingdom of Utatlan and its political evolution.
Citation
AuthorRobert M. Carmack
PublisherUniversity of Oklahoma Press
Publication Year1981
Source Typeacademic monograph
Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Maya, Figures This source names Maya directly: "Robert Carmack's The Quiche Mayas of Utatlan is a major scholarly ethnohistory of the Postclassic Kiche Maya kingdom centered at Utatlan in highland Guatemala, combining archaeological excavation..."
Claims Backed By This Source (18 claims)
This source backs 18 claims across the atlas. As facts: 11 well-attested. As cited relationships: 3 holds, 1 connected. Plus 3 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Sources, 8 claims: 7 well-attested, 1 holds.
- Cities, 6 claims: 2 well-attested, 2 holds, 1 connected, 1 general references.
- Articles, 3 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Cultures, 1 claims: 1 general references.
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