In this study, we offer a relational approach to theorizing boundaries for the Maya, adapting Mills’ (2018) concept of “boundary objects” as a means of understanding how people and things bridge or cross boundaries and were critical for developing and maintaining allied relations. We trace a network of sites on both sides of the Guatemala–Belize border dating to the Terminal Classic and Postclassic, which are generally characterized as times of increased conflict, movement and migration of people, and disruption in dynastic succession with an emphasis on shared governance. We examine the introduction of northern-style traits in the eastern Maya lowlands during the Terminal Classic and Postclassic periods, including circular and colonnaded buildings and distinctive portable goods such as molded-carved ceramics, phallic and turtle effigies, and other material forms. We suggest that during fractious periods in Maya history, northern traits were implicated in boundary crossing negotiations and entangled relations, which included marriage alliances with “foreigners” as a means of elite legitimation.

中文翻译：

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东玛雅低地的边界事物：谈判从经典终端时代到后经典时代的同盟关系

在这项研究中，我们提供了一种关系方法来理论化玛雅人的边界，采用 Mills (2018) 的“边界对象”概念作为理解人和事物如何桥接或跨越边界的一种手段，并且对于发展和维持同盟关系至关重要. 我们追溯了危地马拉-伯利兹边境两侧的遗址网络，其历史可追溯到经典终端和后经典时代，这些遗址通常被描述为冲突增加、人口流动和迁移以及王朝继承中断的时期，重点是共同治理. 我们研究了在经典末期和后经典时期在玛雅东部低地引入的北方风格特征，包括圆形和柱廊建筑以及独特的便携式商品，如模制雕刻陶瓷、阴茎和龟雕像，和其他物质形式。我们认为，在玛雅历史的动荡时期，北方特征与跨界谈判和纠缠关系有关，其中包括与“外国人”结盟作为精英合法化的手段。