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.

Contributors: JAMES AIMERS - ANTHONY F. AVENI - JAMIE J. AWE - BORIS BELTRAN - M. KATHRYN BROWN - ARLEN F. CHASE - DIANE Z. CHASE - ANNE S. DOWD - JAMES DOYLE - FRANCISCO ESTRADA-BELLI - DAVID A. FREIDEL - JULIE A. HOGGARTH - TAKESHI INOMATA - PATRICIA A. McANANY - SUSAN MILBRATH - JERRY MURDOCK - KATHRYN REESE-TAYLOR - PRUDENCE M. RICE - CYNTHIA ROBIN - FRANCO D. ROSSI - JEREMY A. SABLOFF - WILLIAM A. SATURNO - TRAVIS W. STANTON A volume in the series Maya Studies, edited by Diane Z. Chase and Arlen F. Chase