The first comprehensive study of a Mesoamerican chiefdom based on archaeological findings, this book presents a detailed reconstruction of its social, political, and economic organization. The evolution of a pre-Columbian chiefdom throughout 2,000 years is synthesized from data gathered by the Penn State Kaminaljuyu Project.

Part I explicates the methods archaeologists use to reconstruct sociopolitical organization, social stratification, demographic characteristics, and economic behavior. Part II reconstructs six major eras in the history of the Kaminaljuyu chiefdom from 500 BC to AD 1500, placing historical developments in an evolutionary perspective.