Maya E Groups: Calendars, Astronomy, and Urbanism in the Early Lowlands. By David Freidel, Anne S. Dowd, and Jerry Murdock

Maya E Groups: Calendars, Astronomy, and Urbanism in the Early Lowlands. By David Freidel, Anne S. Dowd, and Jerry Murdock https://www.academia.edu/30952580/Maya_E_Groups_Calendars_Astronomy_and_Urbanism_in_the_Early_Lowlands?rhid=38301938363&swp=rr-rw-wc-37156159&nav_from=ba555994-ee5e-4288-9b6f-1d758ebe1518 In ancient Maya cities, "E Groups" are sets of buildings aligned with the movements of the sun. This volume presents new archaeological data to reveal that E Groups were constructed earlier than previously thought. In fact, they are the earliest identifiable architectural plan at many Maya settlements. More than just astronomical observatories or calendars, E Groups were gathering places for emerging communities and centers of ritual--the very first civic-religious public architecture in the Maya lowlands. Investigating a wide variety of E Group sites in different contexts, this volume pieces together the development of social and political complexity in the ancient Maya civilization. ...