Charles Golden holds a degree in history and anthropology
from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and is currently a
doctoral candidate in the Department of Anthropology of the University
of Pennsylvania. He has recently completed four seasons of excavations
in the Acropolis of Piedras Negras, Guatemala. His research
is focused on understanding the nature of the cultural shift at Piedras
Negras that took place between the Early Classic and Late Classic periods,
roughly between AD 500 - 600.
Recent research conducted by the Piedras Negras
Archaeological Project, a bi-national undertaking directed by Drs. Stephen
Houston (Brigham Young University) and Hector Escobedo (Universidad del
Valle), has shed new light on the history of this ancient Maya city.
In particular, excavations in the Acropolis, the royal palace of Piedras
Negras, have opened up important new insights into the nature of royal
governance among the ancient Maya and the socio-political development of
Piedras Negras over the course of four centuries (AD 450 - 850).
In conducting these recent investigations, it has also been possible to
bring to light much of the important and unpublished data uncovered by
the University of Pennsylvania project at Piedras Negras between 1931 -
1939. This talk focused on these new discoveries, and how current
information has been integrated with archival materials from the
30's to produce a more complete picture of Piedras Negras.