What is power and how can we detect its spheres of action in the archaeological record? Does the power have various instances of representation? In various past societies, power can be economic (i.e., control of livelihoods, labor, or exchange products), political (over territories and their peoples), or symbolic. This work addresses the issue of the seats of power in Mesoamerica from palatial architecture and its functional sectors, with various examples of the Classic period (Teotihuacan, Monte Albán, Aguateca, Ceibal, Palenque, Uxul, Cancuén), Epiclassic (Xochicalco, Cacaxtla, El Tajín), Postclassic and Colonial (Tzintzuntzan, Yucundaa and several other late Mayan and Aztec examples)

What is power and how can we detect its spheres of action in the archaeological record? Does the power have various instances of representation? In various past societies, power can be economic (i.e., control of livelihoods, labor, or exchange products), political (over territories and their peoples), or symbolic. This work addresses the issue of the seats of power in Mesoamerica from palatial architecture and its functional sectors, with various examples of the Classic period (Teotihuacan, Monte Albán, Aguateca, Ceibal, Palenque, Uxul, Cancuén), Epiclassic (Xochicalco, Cacaxtla, El Tajín), Postclassic and Colonial (Tzintzuntzan, Yucundaa and several other late Mayan and Aztec examples).