This thesis aims to identify the possible origins of the peoples who immigrated into the archaeological sites of Guajilar and Lagartero, located in the upper Grijalva River Basin region in southern Chiapas, Mexico, during the Late Classic period (AD 650-900). First, I present the Late Classic burial data from both sites according to four basic descriptive criteria: burial location, grave type, burial type, and grave goods. Then, I conduct a comparative analysis of the burial practices found at these two sites based on these criteria so that patterns in burial practices can be identified. Following the comparative analysis between Guajilar and Lagartero, I then compare their burial practices to those from two sites in the southern Maya Lowlands (Altar de Sacrificios and Seibal) and those found at various sites in the Guatemala Highlands (which border the upper Grijalva River Basin region to the north and east, respectively). The analysis reveals greater similarities in burial practices with sites in the Guatemala Highlands than with those in the southern Maya Lowlands. This suggests that peoples from the Guatemala Highlands were more likely to have immigrated into Guajilar and Lagartero during the Late Classic period.

The Late Classic Period at Kaminaljuyú is one of the most poorly understood periods of occupation, possibly because the artifacts and architecture lack the ornate decoration found in earlier periods. One of the largest and best preserved areas of the site is located in the Parque Arqueológico de Kaminaljuyú in Zone 7 of Guatemala City. A major focal point of architecture atKaminaljuyú is the Acropolis, which has been the focus of various excavations, particularly the work of Gustavo Espinoza from 1958 to 1962. Despite this research, much of the important documentation and artifacts recovered from these excavations have been lost. In 2003, Brigham Young University and colleagues from the Universidad Del Valle in Guatemala City conducted excavations near the Acropolis and Palangana in order to collect additional artifacts and create a chronology of the structures found at the park. The team also focused on studying architecture and remapping the area, hoping to recover information vital to interpreting the construction and function of the buildings found there, with a particular focus on the relationship between the occupants of Kaminaljuyú and the people living at Teotihuacán. Using ceramics collected from the Brigham Young University/ Universidad Del Valle excavations, this thesis will focus on the Late Classic period of Kaminaljuyú in order to determine the function of the Acropolis during this period. A discussion of the status of the ancient inhabitants of the Acropolis will also be included. This thesis will provide the reader with a description of Late Classic ceramics and building phases. These findings will be explained in terms of the function of the Acropolis and the status of its residents during that period. The ultimate goal of this work is to illustrate that the Acropolis was used as a residential zone during the Late Classic Period. I will also argue that the people who lived near the Acropolis probably achieved an elevated status compared to residents of other parts of Kaminaljuyú, but lacked many of the luxury goods commonly associated with elites in Mesoamerica.

L’industrie osseuse dans la région maya demeure peu comprise à cause de la mauvaise préservation des os. Les fouilles de la structure J-2 et de la place adjacente au site d’Ucanal, situé dans la province de Petén au Guatemala, ont permis de mettre au jour un dépôt daté Classique récent (700-810 DNÈ) contenant des déchets de production osseux. La concentration de déchets produits à Ucanal est l’une des plus élevées de l’aire maya, précédée seulement du dépôt L4-3 à Dos Pilas au Guatemala. Les débris regroupent une quantité importante de restes humains (~20%) mélangés aux restes d’animaux. Le travail des os humains dans la région maya est peu documenté et est principalement connue à travers les représentations artistiques ainsi que par les objets finis découverts dans les tombes de l’élite. Ce mémoire examine les restes humains retrouvés dans le dépôt de déchets de production d’Ucanal. Dans un premier temps, l’analyse des processus de réduction, utilisant le principe de chaîne opératoire, a documenté peu de différences entre le traitement des os humains et des os de mammifères non humains. Dans un second temps, l’organisation de la production semble indiquer que l’élite prenait part au travail de l’os puisque l’ensemble des stades de production ont été retrouvés au sein de leur résidence. Finalement, les isotopes de strontium et d’oxygène montrent que les individus, dont les os ont possiblement été transformés en outils, présentaient des valeurs locales impliquant qu’ils n’aient pas été originaires d’une région suffisamment éloignée du site contrairement à ce qui pourrait être attendu de captifs ou d’étrangers. / The ancient bone industry in the Maya region is currently not well understood due to the poor preservation of bones in the area. The excavations conducted of Structure J-2 and the plaza nearby at the site of Ucanal in Petén, Guatemala unearthed a large deposit dated to the Late Classic period (700-810 AD) containing primarily bone production debris. The number of bone fragments from the production debris deposit at Ucanal is among the highest recorded in the Maya area, second only to the L4-3 deposit found at Dos Pilas, Guatemala. The bone debris included a large quantity of worked human bones (ca. 20%) that were mixed with animal bones. The crafting of bone objects from human remains in the Maya area is poorly documented and primarily identified through artistic representations and finished objects found in elite tombs. This thesis specifically examined the human remains found in the bone production deposit from Ucanal. Firstly, analysis of the production process, using the principle of la chaîne opératoire, documented only small differences between the treatment of human bone and non-human mammal bone. Secondly, analyses of the organization of production indicated that bone working occurred within an elite residence where all stages of production were undertaken in the same context. Finally, strontium and oxygen isotope analyses of human teeth from the deposit revealed that the individuals whose bones may have been worked into tools possessed isotopic values local to the region, suggesting that they were not born at significant distances from the site as one might expect for war captives or foreigners.