Interpreting the tangible results of prehistoric settlements is a major goal of settlement archaeology. While most studies of large, complex archaeological sites have employed morphological/stylistic attributes of architecture and data from architecturally targeted excavations to interpret ancient communitiies, they often cannot account for two major conditions: the formal aspects of architecture do not always reflect the variable ways buildings were used, or the fact that important activities also occurred away from architecture in so-called vacant areas. At prehispanic Maya centers, where great architectural variation and large settlement areas without architecture are common, the sampling of all settlement settings is essential for interpretation centering on fundamental aspects of community organization. In this manner, large-scale, intensive surface survey at Terminal Classic Sayil in the Yucatan, Mexico, has emphasized the dynamic properties of past Maya settlement systems. In addition to assessing the utility of the traditional concentric zone model of Maya community organization at Sayil, site-scale patterns of surface artifacts, soils, and architecture suggest that an understanding of architectural variation and site organization can only be achieved if settlement pattern studies are conducted at a scale and intensity congruent with the spatial and activity dimensions of the urban phenomena under investigation.