10 Wealth Inequality and Market Exchange: A Household-Based Approach to the Economy of Late Classic Uxul, Campeche

Abstract

In this article, I discuss the economic system of the Classic Maya Lowlands secondary urban center of Uxul, Campeche. In particular, I aim to understand Uxul's economy by taking a household-based approach, focusing on the distribution of artifacts and wealth in domestic contexts. I integrate a distributional approach with an analysis of wealth inequality using the Gini index, and insights from the field of modern economics into the mechanisms responsible for the observed economic patterns. This allows for the identification and characterization of market exchange in a case study where physical marketplaces have not yet been identified.