The Inertia of Old Ideas: A Historical Overview of Theoretical and Methodological Challenges in the Study of Classic Maya Political Organization

While it is tempting to assume that empirical advancements inexorably lead to incremental improvement in our understanding of the past, the impact of ideas—even empirically untenable positions—often impede disciplinary progress. This paper examines the intellectual history of changing views of Classic Maya political organization, from the formulation of the “traditional synthesis” to contemporary debates. Although the traditional synthesis did not stand up to empirical evaluation, elements of the model continued to have substantive impact into the 21st century. This historical overview is part of a broader critique of ways we create and evaluate theories about the ancestral Maya past. With a century of archaeological research and the maturation of epigraphic research providing a rich empirical foundation, the successes or failures of the next generation of research will be governed by advancements in theory building and long overdue methodological reforms.