Challenging 'commoner': An examination of *status and identity at the ancient Maya village of Chan, Belize

Research at the Northeast Group explores how the malleability of commoner identity is crucial to interpretations of ancient Maya society. The purpose of this dissertation is two-fold: first to demonstrate how residents of the Northeast Group used materials and architecture to distinguish themselves from others in the neighborhood, and second to examine the implications of commoners as agents of history. Fundamental to this is the deconstruction of what archaeologists mean by commoner and the theoretical and methodological assumptions built into these definitions. Regardless of extensive research in settlement and household studies, interpretations of ancient Maya society continued to be framed with reference to elites. As elites are defined as the motor of change within civilization, commoners, in contrast, are characterized as static and passive. As I argue, however, these models do not accurately reflect who commoners were and their impact in the construction of ancient Maya society as a whole.;Evidence from the Northeast Group, one of several neighborhoods identified at the site of Chan, Belize, illustrates how commoners consciously controlled and manipulated their social staus in much the same way that elites did. The use of ritual, the organization of space, and access to certain goods allowed commoners to create social solidarity while differentiating themselves from their neighbors. Because commoners were unable to amass goods in the same way as elites, the majority of artifacts and materials recovered often reflect functional and economic-types of focus. As I demonstrate, detailed examinations of material culture within even the smallest of commoner settings can and do reflect the diversity of people and identities present.;If social identity and status are malleable, then categories such as commoner and elite cannot adequately capture the variability and complexity inherent in such a dynamic structure. Rather than considering rural settlements as redundant units of economic and social behavior, these areas are better contextualized as fluid social milieus. By exploring the relationships, behaviors, and identities of people living in the Northeast Group, we can begin to refine archaeological interpretations of social identity, and give agency to commoners as active and fully cognizant participants of Maya society.