Nohmul: A Prehistoric Maya Community in Belize: Excavations 1973-1983 9781407391199, 9781407391205, 9780860543213, 9781407340968
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English Pages [800] Year 1985
Polecaj historie
Table of contents :
PART I
Cover Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PERSONNEL
CHAPTER 1: THE ENVIRONMENT OF NORTHERN BELIZE
CHAPTER 2: THE SITE OF NOHMUL
CHAPTER 3: METHODS
CHAPTER 4: EXCAVATIONS IN THE PL. 137 GROUP, 1973-1974
PART II
Cover Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 5: SETTLEMENT EXCAVATIONS AT NOHMUL
CHAPTER 6: AN EARLY CEREMONIAL BUILDING AT NOHMUL: STR. 277
CHAPTER 7: INVESTIGATION OF A POSSIBLE RIVER PORT AT NOHMUL
CHAPTER 8: EXCAVATIONS IN THE EAST GROUP OF THE NOHMUL CEREMONIAL CENTRE
CONCLUSION AND PROSPECT
REFERENCES
Citation preview
Nohmul: A Prehistoric Maya Community in Belize Excavations 1973 -1983.
Norman Hammond Part i
BAR International Series 250(i) 1·985
·B.A.R.
5, Centremead, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0ES, England.
GENERAL EDITORS A.R Hands, B.Sc., M.A., D.Phil. D.R Walker, M.A.
BAR -S250, 1985: 'Nohmul: A Prehistoric Maya Community in Belize. Excavations 1973 - 1983 1 Part i © Norman Hammond, 1985.
The author's moral rights under the 1988 UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act are hereby expressly asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be copied, reproduced, stored, sold, distributed, scanned, saved in any form of digital format or transmitted in any form digitally, without the written permission of the Publisher. ISBN 9781407391199 (Volume I) paperback ISBN 9781407391205 (Volume II) paperback ISBN 9780860543213 (Volume set) paperback ISBN 9781407340968 (Volume set) e-format DOI https://doi.org/10.30861/9780860543213 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
T his
s tudy i s d edicated
t o
A urora M endez o ur c ook f or a ll s easons
a nd
t o t he m emory o f H al C . a p rofessional
T he d esign o n t he c over a nd a ppliqué N ohmul.
r oundel,
B all a mong a mateurs
t itle p age
i s t aken f rom a T erminal C lassic
mould-made i n unslipped p ottery, f rom S tr.
1 39 a t
C ONTENTS
P art i )
P reface:
T he
b ackground t o w ork a t N ohmul
1 973-1983
1
N orman H ammond A cknowledgments P ersonnel o f C hapter 1 :
9
t he C orozal a nd N ohmul P rojects
T he Environment o f
1 1
n orthern B elize
1 3
R oy C harles McDonald a nd N orman H ammond C hapter 2 :
T he S ite o f N ohmul N orman H ammond,
4 5
w ith a ppendices
b y Thomas G ann
a nd T homas a nd M ary G ann C hapter 3 :
1 67
M ethods N orman Hammond,
R ichard B ryant,
L ogan McNatt a nd L aura J . C hapter 4 :
E xcavations 1 973-1974
K osakowsky
i i)
C hapter 5 :
2 35
i n t he P latform 1 37 G roup,
C arolyn H eighway, I ris B arry, G raham a nd N orman Hammond P art
M ark H odges,
S ettlement E xcavations R ichard W ilk, S usan C ohen,
3 87
a t N ohmul
Anne P yburn, L aura J .
E lizabeth
D uncan P ring,
K osakowsky a nd
N orman Hammond C hapter 6 :
An E arly C eremonial B uilding a t N ohmul:
5 01
S tr. 2 77 I ris B arry a nd N orman Hammond C hapter 7 :
I nvestigation o f a p ossible r iver p ort a t
5 27
N ohmul D uncan P ring a nd N orman H ammond C hapter 8 :
E xcavations
i n t he E ast G roup o f
C eremonial C entre N orman H ammond, C atherine C lark, A nne P yburn,
L aura J .
G ary C layton, a nd C arl P .
K osakowsky,
T ony L acamera,
t he N ohmul
5 67
M ark H orton J an S eymour,
D iane Z .
C hase
B eetz
C onclusion a nd P rospect
7 63
N orman H ammond R eferences
7 67
111
L IST O F I LLUSTRATIONS F ig. 1 .1
P age T he o f
l ocation o f B elize t he
1 973-1974
i n M esoamerica,
C orozal
P roject
a nd t he r esearch a rea
d efined
a s
2 9
' northern
B elize'. 1 .2
Major g eomorphological
a nd
t opographic
f eatures
o f
n orthern
3 1
B elize. 1 .3
G eology o f n orthern B elize.
3 3
1 .4
3 0 m etre h igh s ection i n t he q uarry n ear S an A ntonio , A lbion
3 5
I sland. 1 .5
C limate
i n n orthern B elize.
1 .6
S oil c atena o f
1 .7
D istribution o f
1 .8
T he d istribution o f a ncient
2 .1
G ann's
2 .2
C ontour m ap o f
2 .3
M aler c onvention m ap o f
2 .4
T he
2 .5
T he G reat P laza o f N ohmul.
2 .6
S tr.
1 1,
2 .7
S tr.
8 ,
2 .8
I ntrusive
2 .9
T he E ast P laza f rom
t he w est.
6 9
2 .10
T he W est P laza f rom
t he e ast.
7 1
2 .11
T he
2 .12
S tr.
2 .13
S tr . 8 f rom
s oil
s ets o n t he S an P ablo r idge s ettlement
3 9 a t N ohmul.
i n n orthern B elize.
t he E ast G roup a t N ohmul.
t he E ast
a nd W est G roups
a t N ohmul.
t he E ast a nd W est G roups
a t N ohmul.
t he G reat P laza.
f rom t he n ortheast.
c ourt, i n
S trs.
i n
w est,
6 1 6 3 6 5
6 7 6 7
t he E ast G roup.
2 8-29,
f rom t he n orth.
t he W est G roup a t N ohmul. t he
4 1
6 5
s ide o f
c onstructions
3 9
5 9
i n t he E ast G roup a t N ohmul.
o n t he w est
b all 6 6
t he S an P ablo r idge a t N ohmul.
1 936 p lan o f
' acropolis'
3 7
s howing
t he
1 936 e xcavation b y G ann o n
6 9
7 3 7 3 7 3
t op. 2 .14
A rtefacts
f rom G ann's
2 .15
P ottery f rom G ann's
" Mound
1 ".
" Mound 2 ".
7 5 7 7
2 .16
O bjects
2 .17
S ection a nd
2 .18
P lan a nd
2 .19
G ann's p lan a nd s ection o f
2 .20
P ottery f rom
2 .21
F inds
f rom t he
2 .22
F inds
f rom " Mound 2 1" a nd o ther l ocations.
2 .23
V essels
3 .1
f rom G ann's
" Mound 8 ".
7 9
p ottery f rom G ann's
v essel
f rom
" Mound 9 " a t
S an L uis.
8 1
" Mound 2 2". t he
8 3
" Mound 2 2"
c hultun.
8 5
" Mound 2 2". c hultun i n
f rom t he
C onventions
8 7 " Mound
2 2".
1 940 d iscoveries
u sed
i n
C orozal
8 9
i n S tr.
P roject
9 1 2 77.
a nd
9 3
Nohmul
P roject
1 87
e xcavation p lans a nd s ections. 3 .2
S urvey m ap o f N ohmul,
1 973-1983.
3 .3
S ketch m ap o f
3 .4
P osthole t est d ata f rom t he a rea e ast
3 .5
T he E ast G roup a t N ohmul,
t he S an L uis
m inor
1 89 c eremonial p recinct. o f
1 91
t he N orth S ector.
s een f rom t he a ir a nd f rom
t he
1 93 1 95
s outheast. 3 .6
A c hultun o pening,
3 .7
D etail
map
S ector o f 3 .8
o f
a djacent
s tructures
t he N ohmul
t o a h ouse-platform g roup. mapped
i n
1 983
i n
t he
C entral
1 97 1 99
s ettlement.
A erial v iew f rom t he e ast o f t he S an V ictor
m inor c eremonial
2 01
p recinct. 3 .9
D rained
f ields
a t N ohmul:
g rid p attern.
2 03
3 .10
D rained
f ields
a t N ohmul:
i sland f ields.
2 05
3 .11
D rained f ields a t N ohmul: g rid p attern i ncluding U-shaped
2 07
f ields. 3 .12
D rained
3 .13
D rained
f ields f ields
a t N ohmul: a t
c losely-packed f ields.
N ohmul:
v ertical
v iew
o f
c hannelised
2 08 2 11
f ields. 3 .14
D rained f ields
a t N ohmul:
3 .15
D rained f ields
n ear N ohmul:
3 .16
L ate
b iface a xe f rom t he C olha f actories.
3 .17
C loseup f rom F ig.
F ormative
m osaic p attern f ields. c hannelised a nd
r aised f ields.
3 .16 t o s how p olish f rom u se.
2 13 2 15 2 17 2 19
3 .18
" Orange
p eel"
t ranchet
r esharpening o f
t ranchet
f rom
t he
manufacture
o r
2 21
3 .19
G reenstone s tatue
3 .20
S tatue o f
t he s un g od,
f ront v iew.
2 25
3 .21
S tatue o t
t he s un g od,
s ide v iew.
2 27
3 .22
B owl
3 .23
B owl w ith o range o n b lack
3 .24
H eavy b owl
3 .25
M arine s hell p endants
4 .1
T he N orth S ector o f
o f
1 973, 4 .2 4 .3
t he s un g od,
C onsejo R ed
s howing t he
K inich A hau.
2 23
t ype.
2 29 r esist
o f u nknown d ate,
C ontour m ap o f Maler
o f
f lakes a dzes.
d ecoration.
2 31
f rom S an V ictor.
2 33
o r b lanks
f or o rnament
t he Nohmul s ettlement
l ocation o f
t he P l.
t he P l.
1 37
m anufacture.
2 33
a rea mapped i n
2 63
G roup.
1 37 G roup.
c onvention p lan o f
t he P l .
2 65 1 37
G roup s howing s tructure
2 67
d esignations. 4 .4
T rench l ayout
4 .5
S tratigraphic l ayer c hart f or O p.
4 .6
P lan o f
4 .7
S outh-north s ection o f
4 .8
S tr.
3 .
1 973-1974.
t he P hase Z b uilding o f
1 39,
r emoval
f or O p.
o f
P hase
Z ,
i nternal
S tr.
S tr.
1 39,
g eneral
3 .
2 69 1 973-1974.
2 71
1 39.
2 73 2 75
1 973-1974.
v iew
f rom
t he
west
a fter
t he
2 77
f eatures.
4 .9
S tr.
1 39 f rom t he w est
a s
i nitially e xcavated.
2 77
4 .10
S outh w all
o f
S tr.
4 .11
I nner f ace
o f
t he s outh w all
4 .12
N orth wall o f S tr. 1 39 P hase Z 1 o verlying t he f orebench o f
1 39 P hase Z l. o f
2 79 S tr.
1 39.
2 79 2 79
P hase Y . 4 .13
C ollapsed o f
S tr.
a nd
e roded
4 .14
D etail o f
4 .15
T he s outh wall t hrough
4 .16
o f
t he
t he n orth w all a nd s tep o f
P hase
Z n orthern
s tair
2 81
o f
S tr.
S tr.
1 39 Phase Z l,
1 39 P hase
with post
Z l.
h oles
2 81 c ut
2 81
with
2 83
t he w all.
C omposite v iew o f b urials
r emains
1 39.
S tr.
1 39 P hase Z l
1 -6 f ully e xcavated.
f rom
t he s outh,
4 .17
4 .18
T he western e nd o f S tr . 1 39 P hase Z l, with a ll f loors a nd f eatures r emoved a nd b urials e xcavated. T he
l ate
i nternal
p artition ( or b ench) w all F 6 ,
i nternal
a butting
t he
2 85
2 85
s outh w all. 4 .19
T he n orthern d oorway o f
4 .20
T he o f
p laster-surfaced S tr.
P hase Z l.
w indow
2 85
a perture
F 7,
i n
t he
n orth
w all
2 87
1 39 P hase Z l.
4 .21
T he
f ront
s tep o f P hase Z l
4 .22
A nother v iew o f
4 .23
T he
4 .24
T he f ront
4 .25
D etail o f t he s outh wall o f p laster s urface o f P hase Y .
4 .26
P art
4 .27
A butment
f ront
o f
t he
f ront
f rom t he n orth.
2 87
s tep f rom t he n orthwest.
s tep o f P hase Z l p artly
2 89
r emoved.
2 89
s tep o f P hase Z l w ith F 17 t otally r emoved.
t he n orthwest o f P hase Z l
P hase
Z l,
s tanding o n
t he
2 89 c lean
c orner o f P hase Z l. e xternal f loor a gainst
2 91
2 91 t he f orebench o f
2 91
P hase Y . 4 .28
T he w estern e nd o f
4 .29
T he w est e nd o f P hase Z l w ith p art
4 .30
B urial
4 .31
C lose-up o f
4 .32
V essel
4 .33
B urials
4 .34
W est
4 .35
S lateware
4 .36
B urials
4 .37
B urial
9 f rom t he e ast.
2 99
4 .38
B urial
9 ,
v essel
1 ,
2 99
4 .39
B urial
9 ,
v essel
1 .
3 01
4 .40
B urial 9 ,
v essel
2 .
3 03
4 .41
B urial
2 ( F26)
S tr.
1 39 P hase Z l,
d uring e xcavation.
o f
l ooking w est.
2 93
t he w all F 8.
2 93 2 95
B urial
2 .
2 95
f rom B urial
2 .
2 95
3 ,
4 a nd 5 .
e nd o f
B urial
b owl
2 97 3 .
f rom B urial
2 97 7 .
8 a nd 9 .
1 0.
2 97 2 99
i n s itu.
3 05
3 05
4 .42
B urial
4 .43
G rave g oods f rom B urial
4 .44
B urial
1 0,
v essel
1 .
3 07
4 .45
B urial
1 0,
v essel 2 .
3 07
4 .46
S hell p endants
4 .47
P lan o f
4 .48
A erial
4 .49
T he p hase Y s tructure e xposed,
4 .50
T he P hase Y b ench a nd f orebench f rom t he w est.
3 13
4 .51
O ne
3 13
4 .52
o f
1 0 p artly e xcavated.
3 05
1 0.
f rom B urial
3 05
1 0.
t he P hase Y b uilding o f S tr. v iew o f
S tr.
1 39 i n
3 09
1 39.
3 11
1 973.
t he P hase Y p ost h oles.
The l arge p ost h ole(?) F 51,
r eused f or t he d eposition o f a
v ery s mall
c ache v essel.
4 .53
T he v essel
f rom F 51.
4 .54
B urial
1 1,
t he o nly p hase Y b urial f ound i n S tr.
B urial
1 1,
c lose-up
4 .55
3 11
f rom t he n ortheast.
3 15
3 15
o f
t he
v essel
i nverted a t
1 39.
3 15
t he e astern
3 17
e nd. 4 .56
C lose-up
o f
t he w estern s etback i n t he b ench f ace.
4 .57
P hase Y a fter r emoval
o f
t he
b ench F 30 a nd
3 13
t he u pper f ore-
3 17
b ench. 4 .58
V erticalcomposite o f
S tr.
s ection
4 .59
T he w estern f ace o f
4 .60
P lan o f 1 973 a nd
t hrough
t he
l imestone
b lock
f ill
3 19
1 39 P hase Y .
t he P l. 1 974
t he P hase Y s ubstructure.
1 37 G roup,
( Op.
s howing
t he
l ocations o f
3 17 b oth
3 21
3 01) e xcavations.
4 .61
W est
s ection t hrough S tr.
1 41,
4 .62
E ast
s ection,
4 .63
P lan o f O p.
4 .64
O p.
3 01B a fter r emoval
o f
t opsoil.
3 29
4 .65
O p.
3 01B a fter r emoval
o f
c ollapsed m asonry.
3 29
4 .66
T he w all F l
t errace
3 29
n orthern e nd,
3 01B,
O p.
3 01B,
o f O p.
3 01B.
1 974.
f ront
3 25 3 27
P hase E 2.
a nd i ts
3 23
f rom t he s outh.
4 .67
T he w est
4 .68
D etail o f
t he c ollapsed
4 .69
D etail
t he n orth r ear w all o f S tr.
4 .70
B urials o f P hase E 2.
3 31
4 .71
V essel
3 33
4 .72
S outh s ide o f S tr.
4 .73
B urial 4 a t
4 .74
P lan o f B urial 4 .
4 .75
B urial 4 ,
4 .76
V essel
4 .77
T he n orth s ide o f
4 .78
C lose-up o f t he n orth s ide o f
4 .79
P lan o f
4 .80
C entral p ortion o f O p.
4 .81
P lan o f
4 .82
F 26 e xposed
4 .83
W est
4 .84
C lose-up o f
4 .85
F loor F 26 a nd p art o f
4 .86
F loor F 26 w ith F IO p artly r emoved.
3 47
4 .87
F loor F 26 f rom t he w est.
3 47
4 .88
F loor F 26 a t
4 .89
P lan o f O p.
4 .90
O p.
4 .91
s ection o f O p.
o f
3 29
u pper c ourses o f F l
3 31
1 41.
3 31
f rom B urial 5 .
t he
1 41.
3 33
b ase o f S tr.
s howing
1 41.
3 35 3 35
t he
b owl
a nd
s lumped c apstone.
3 37
f rom B urial 4 ( half s ize).
t he
S tr.
c entral
t he
1 41
s howing S tr.
p ortion o f O p. 3 01B,
t he e xterior
f acing.
3 39
1 41. 3 01B,
3 39 P hase E l.
3 41
f rom t he w est.
3 41
3 01B.
3 43
f rom t he n ortheast.
t he
3 43
3 01B.
3 45
o verlap o f F 10 o n F 26. t he w est
s ection o f O p.
t he n orthern e nd o f 3 01B a t
t he
3 01B w ith f loor F 37 o f
3 37
c entral p ortion o f O p.
s ection o f O p.
D etail
3 01B s howing c ollapsed m asonry.
t he
e ast
l evel
o f
i ts s urviving
3 45 3 01B.
3 47
p ortion.
3 51
f loor F 37.
3 49
e xposed.
s ection
o f
3 51 O p.
3 01B a nd
p ost
h oles
o f
3 53
P hases B 2, C 2 and D . 4 .92
F loor F 37
4 .93
B urial
f rom t he n orthwest.
7 f rom t he n orth.
3 51 3 55
4 .94
V essel f rom B urial 7 .
3 55
4 .95
B urial 8 .
3 55
4 .96
V essel f rom B urial 8 .
3 57
4 .97
V essel f rom B urial 8 .
3 57
4 .98
N orth s ection o f O p.
4 .99
O p.
3 01C,
4 .100 O p.301C, 4 .101
O p.
4 .102 O p.
3 01C,
1 38.
3 59
p lan o f P hase N 2-3.
3 61
p lan o f P hase N i a nd M .
3 01C,
3 61
P hase N 2-3.
3 63
3 01C f rom t he w est.
4 .103 B lock c onstruction F 2,
3 63 t he f ront
4 .104 T he w estern b ase o f S tr. 4 .105 O p.
S tr.
t errace o f S tr.
1 38.
1 38.
3 65
3 01C f rom t he e ast.
4 .106 T he w est e nd o f O p.
3 65
3 01C.
3 65
4 .107 F 21 s tripped o f p laster. 4 .108 S outh s ection o f 4 .109 P lan o f
3 67
t he w estern e nd o f O p.
3 01C.
B urial 2 .
V essels
4 .114 O p.
P lan o f
1 a nd 2 f rom B urial 2 .
P hase L .
4 .115 B lock c onstruction o f
4 .117
2 .
1a nd 2 f rom B urial 2 .
3 01C,
4 .116 T he m arl
3 71
1a nd 2 f rom B urial
4 .112 P rofile v iews o f v essels 4 .113 V essels
3 69 3 67
4 .110 B urial 2 f rom t he s outh. 4 .111
3 63
3 71 3 73 3 73 3 75
t he P hase L p latform .
t op s urface o f
t he P hase K p latform.
t he c ache F 23.
3 75 3 77
4 .118 F 23,
v essels
4 .119 F 23,
v essel 2 i nverted o ver v essel 3 .
3 79
4 .120 F 23,
v essels
1-14 i n s itu.
3 79
4 .121
v essels
1 -14 a fter e xcavation a nd c onservation.
3 79
F 23,
1 -4.
3 75
3 77
4 .122 F our v essels 4 .123 P lan o f O p. 4 .124 V essel
f rom F 23. 3 01C,
3 81
P hase J .
3 83
f rom c ache/?Burial F 25.
3 83 3 83
4 .125 V essel f rom F 25. 4 .126 W est
a nd
n orth s ections
4 .127 W est
s ections o f O p.
o f O p.
3 85
M ap o f
5 .2
S outhwest a nd n orthwest
5 .3
S lab-lined h earth i n O p.
3 02B
5 .4
S outhwest
s ection o f O p.
3 02B.
5 .5
O p.
p lans a nd
5 .6
D etail
t h, N orth S ector o f
o f
t he
3 85
3 01E.
5 .1
3 03B,
3 01D.
s ettlement
4 15
a t N ohmul.
s ections o f O p.
3 02B.
4 17 4 19
( 4).
4 19
s ections.
l imestone
4 21
b lock
c onstruction
F l
f rom
t he
4 23
n orthwest. 5 .7
O p.
3 03B,
l ooking i nto
5 .8
O p.
3 03B
5 .9
T he
c ache w ith t he
5 .10
C lose-up o f p art o f
5 .11
The t wo v alves o f t he S pondylus
( 6):
t hc e xcavation f rom t he s outh e dge.
t he c ache v essels a s
4 23
f ound.
t wo u pper v essels t he c ontents o f
4 25
r emoved.
4 25
t he d eep b owl.
4 25
americanus s hell f ound i n
4 27
t he c ache. 5 .12
T he
t hree
l imestone
m etates
a nd
t he
l imestone d isc f ound
i n
4 27
t he c ache. 5 .13
T he c ontents
5 .14
T he d eep b owl a nd
5 .15
T he j ades
5 .16
F ront
5 .17
O p.
5 .18
S tr.
o f
t he
f rom t he
c ache
i ts
9 4 a t
c ache
i n O p.
b eginning o f
a nd
( 6).
4 27
c ache i n O p.
3 03B
t he j ades
P lan o f F l a nd F 2, t he
3 03B
l id f rom t he
a nd r ear v iews o f
3 05B.
i n O p.
3 03B.
4 29
( 6).
f rom
4 31
t he c ache.
s outh a nd w est
e xcavating O p.
4 33 s ections.
' n5B
f rom
t he
4 35 4 37
n orth. 5 .19
O p.
3 05B f rom t he e ast.
5 .20
O p.
3 06B,
v essels a ccompanying B urial
4 37 1F l.
4 39
4 41
5 .21
O p.
3 06B:
p lan.
5 .22
O p.
3 07C:
e ast
5 .23
O p.
3 08C:
p lans a t
5 .24
O p.
3 08C,
F I-F5,
5 .25
O p.
3 08C,
F I-F5 f rom
5 .26
O p.
3 08C,
F 7,
5 .27
O p.
3 08C,
d etail.
5 .28
O p.
3 08C,
t he p ossible e arliest
5 .29
O p . 3 10B: p lan o f f eatures a t t he u pper wall F 1, n orth s ection, a nd p lan o f F 4.
5 .30
O p.
3 10B:
w all F l a nd
5 .31
O p.
3 10B:
p it F 4 w ith B urial
5 .32
O p.
3 10B:
B urial
5 .33
O p.
3 10B:
p it F 4 a fter e xcavation.
4 53
5 .34
O p.
3 11B,
s outh s ection.
4 55
5 .35
N orth
S ector
4 43
s ection. t wo
l evels
o f
t he
t he l ast s urviving t he
4 45
s tairs.
4 47
s tair.
4 47
s outh.
4 47
F 9 a nd F 10 f rom t he n orth.
4 49 4 49
s tair F 11. l evel,
e levation o f
f loor F 2.
4 51
4 53
1 .
4 53
I i n c lose-up.
4 53
t est
excavations,
1 974:
c eramic
c omplexes
4 55
p resent. 5 .36
N orth S ector
t est e xcavations,
1 974 :
d istribution o f
c eramic
4 57
m aterial. 5 .37
N orth
S ector
t est
e xcavations,
1 974:
c onstruction
d ates
o f
4 59
v isible s urface f eatures. 5 .38
O p.
T 01:
T erminal C lassic
c onstruction.
5 .39
O p.
T OI:
T he f oundation o f
5 .40
O p.
T 01
5 .41
O p.
T 01:
c omposite v iew o f
5 .42
O p.
T 01:
c lose-up o f
5 .43
P art o f
4 61
t he T erminal C lassic
b uilding.
f rom t he e ast.
4 63 4 65
t he w est
s ection.
4 67
t he f oundation t rench.
a L ate F ormative ( Chicanel
s phere) d ish f rom
4 69 c ontext
4 71
( Mamom
4 73
T O163. 5 .44
Three
a djoining
s phere) 5 .45
O p.
T 03:
s herds
f rom
r estricted-orifice s outheast
c orner.
b owl
a Middle
F ormative
f rom c ontext T O156. 4 75
5 .46
O p. T 03, with f oundation.
t he
l ine
o f
t he
5 .47
O p.
T 03,
f rom a bove.
4 79
5 .48
O p.
T 04,
n orth s ection.
4 81
5 .49
O p.
T 04,
b ench a nd
5 .50
O p.
T O4
5 .51
O p.
T 04,
s howing
5 .52
O p.
T 04,
e ast
5 .53
O p.
T 04,
p art o f
5 .54
O p.
T O6
5 .55
O p.
5 .56
f orebench o f
a nd
f inal p hase
t o s how t he c onstruction l imestone
s tep
t he
l imestone
s tructure.
t echnique.
4 77
4 83 4 85
b lock c onstruction.
4 87
s ection.
4 89
t he s outh s ection.
4 91
f rom t he n orth.
4 93
1 06,
n orth s ection.
4 95
O p.
T 07,
f rom t he n orth.
4 97
5 .57
O p.
T 08:
t he P l.
5 .58
O p.
T 09:
S tr.
6 .1
P lan,
s outh
2 79 G roup
4 99
2 50.
4 99
e levation,
e levation o f
f rom t he a ir.
S tr.
n orth-south
s ection
a nd
e astern
5 07
2 77.
6 .2
T he e xposed
6 .3
S tr.
2 77:
t he r ounded p lastered e dge o f F l.
5 11
6 .4
S tr.
2 77:
t he e dge o f a s econd
5 11
6 .5
S tr.
2 77:
F 3,
6 .6
S tr.
2 77:
t he n orthwest
6 .7
S tr.
2 77:
t he e astern l imit
6 .8
S tr.
2 77:
t he n ortheast w all
6 .9
S tr.
2 77:
d etail
6 .10
S tr.
2 77:
t he w estern e nd
o f F 8.
S tr .
2 77:
g eneral v iew o f
t he
6 .11
s ection,
s outh c ross-section o f
t he e arliest
P hases
p latform,
2 77.
5 09
c oeval w ith F l.
s tanding c onstruction.
w all
s howing
S tr.
5 13
o f F 3. o f
5 13
t he P hase I I
o f
t he P hase I a
p latform. b uildng F 3.
t he P hase I -III c onstructions.
c entral
5 13 5 15 5 15 5 15
p ortion o f
t he e xposed
5 17
I -1V.
6 .12
S tr.
2 77:
d etail
o f
t he P hase I -1V s equence.
6 .13
S tr.
2 77:
t he a rea o f O p.
3 09C b efore e xcavation.
5 17 5 19
6 .14
S tr.
2 77:
O p.309C a fter e xcavation
5 19
6 .15
S tr.
2 77:
d etail
5 19
6 .16
S tr.
2 77:
p lan a nd
6 .17
S tr.
2 77
i n
1 976,
a fter p artial d emolition.
5 23
6 .18
S tr.
2 77 i n
1 976:
b ulldozer
5 23
6 .19
S tr.
2 77:
p arts
6 .20
S tr.
2 77:
S ierra R ed:Sierra v ariety b owl.
7 .1
T he
" Port M ound"
7 .2
T he
" Port M ound" w ith t he
7 .3
3 04B,
t he
l imestone b lock c onstruction.
s ection o f O p.
o f
S ketch p lan o f O ps.
o f
3 09C.
5 21
c ut.
t he P hase I a nd P hase I II c onstruction.
f rom t he w est a nd
t he " Port
5 23 5 25
t he R io H ondo.
l ow s ubstructure
t o
t he
Mound" s howing
t he
5 35 l eft.
l ocations o f
5 35 5 37
C a nd D .
7 .4
P lan o f O p.
3 04B.
5 37
7 .5
N orth a nd
7 .6
T he
" Port M ound"
7 .7
O p.
3 04B F l
7 .8
O p.
3 04B F 2,
7 .9
O p.
3 04B,
e ast
7 .10
O p.
3 04C,
s ketch p lan o f
7 .11
P lan o f
7 .12
O p.
3 04C,
n orth a nd e ast
7 .13
O p.
3 04C,
F 3 c airn b urial p artially c leared.
5 47
7 .14
O p.
3 040,
c airn b urials
5 47
7 .15
O p.
3 04C,
F 4,
7 .16
O p.
3 04C,
w all F 8 e xposed.
7 .17
O p.
3 04C,
b urial F 15,
g rave
7 .18
O p.
3 040,
b urial F 17,
s keleton e xposed.
5 51
7 .19
O p.
3 04C,
F 20,
b eneath c over s lab.
5 53
7 .20
O p.
3 040 w ith F 23 a nd F 24.
s outh s ections o f O p.
3 04B.
s een f rom g round
5 37
l evel.
5 39
a s e xcavated.
5 39
t he b urial
5 39
b elow F l.
5 41
s ection.
s econdary b urial
t he
f eatures
f eatures
r esting o n
r esting o n
( 9).
s ections.
F 4 a nd F 5 e xposed.
v essel e xposed d uring e xcavation.
v essel
( 9).
5 41 5 43 5 45
5 49 5 49
p artly e xcavated.
5 51
5 53
7 .21
O p.
3 04C s howing
7 .22
O p.
3 04C,
w est
7 .23
O p.
3 04D,
p lan o f
7 .24
O p.
3 04D,
e xposed r emains o f p ossible j etty.
5 55
7 .25
O p.
3 04A,
f ragmentary L ate C lassic b owl.
5 57
7 .26
O p.
3 04A,
l imestone m ano.
5 57
7 .27
O p.
3 04B F 2,
b owl
7 .28
O p.
3 04C F l,
d ish f rom c airn b urial.
5 59
7 .29
O p.
3 04C F 4,
b owl
f rom c airn b urial.
5 59
7 .30
O p.
3 04C F 6,
b owl
f rom c airn b urial.
5 61
7 .31
O p.
3 04C F 7,
b owl
f rom c airn b urial.
5 61
7 .32
O p.
3 04C
7 .33
O p.
3 04C F 15,
f ragment
7 .34
O p.
3 04C F 20,
b owl
f rom b urial.
7 .35
O p.
3 04C F 21,
b owl
f rom ? burial o r
7 .36
O p.
3 04C,
f ragmentary b owl f rom f ill
7 .37
O p.
3 04C:
t wo g roups
8 .1
C ontour
( 16)
map
l ocations o f
t he n orth f ront
o f F 23.
5 53
s ection. e xposed u nderwater
o f
f eatures.
5 55
f rom b urial.
F 15,
t he
5 53
f ragment o f
o f
t he
5 59
o f n ecked j ar.
b asal-flanged
' net
E ast
5 61
b owl.
5 63 5 63
? cache.
s inkers' Group
a t
5 63 5 65
l ayer. m ade
5 65
f rom s herds.
N ohmul
s howing
t he
5 99
1 982-1983 e xcavations.
8 .2
S outh s ection a nd
s tratigraphic m atrix f or O p.
8 .3
S outh s ection a nd s tratigraphic m atrix o f O p.
8 .4
S outh s ection a nd s tratigraphic m atrix f or O p.
C 04.
6 05
8 .5
S outh s ection a nd
s tratigraphic m atrix f or O p.
C 05.
6 07
8 .6
S outh s ection a nd
s tratigraphic m atrix f or O p.
C 06.
6 09
8 .7
W est
8 .8
S tratigraphic m atrices
8 .9
O p.
C O9
8 .10
O p.
C O9,
s ection o f O p.
f rom t he s howing
C 01. C O3.
C 09.
6 03
6 11
f or O p.
C O9 a nd O p.
C 11.
s outheast. t he c ore o f
6 01
6 13 6 15
t he E arly C lassic.
6 17
8 .11
O p. C O9 f rom t he i nnermost s tair.
s outheast
8 .12
O p.
C O9,
c lose-up o f h eavy b urning o n t he p laza f loor.
6 21
8 .13
O p.
C 10,
n orth s ection.
6 23
8 .14
O p.
C 10,
p lans o f c onstructions e xposed.
6 25
8 .15
O p.
C 10,
s tratigraphic m atrix.
6 27
8 .16
O p.
C IO f rom t he s outhwest.
6 29
8 .17
O p.
C 10 f rom t he w est.
6 31
8 .18
O p . C 10, s urface p laza f loor.
8 .19
O p.
C 10, w ith F 010 e xposed.
6 35
8 .20
O p.
C 11,
n orth s ection.
6 37
8 .21
O p.
C ll,
p lan o f c onstructions e xposed.
6 39
8 .22
O p.
C 11
f rom t he e ast.
6 41
8 .2i
O p.
C 11
f rom t he e ast.
6 43
8 .24
O p.
C 11
f rom t he s outh.
6 45
8 .25
O p.
C ll
f rom t he s outheast.
6 47
8 .26
O p.
3 13
( 1978):
6 49
8 .27
O p.
3 13:
S tr.
8 .28
O p.
3 13:
s outhwestern p ortion o f S tr.
8 .29
O p.
3 13:
r estored p edestalled b owl.
6 51
8 .30
O p.
3 13:
s ketch p lan o f e xcavation l ayout.
6 53
8 .31
O p.
3 13,
p lan o f e xcavated f eatures.
6 55
8 .32
O p.
C O8,
p lan .
6 57
8 .33
O p.
C 05,
s ection.
6 59
8 .34
O p.
C 08,
s tratigraphic m atrix.
6 61
8 .35
O p.
C O8 f rom t he w est.
6 63
8 .36
O p.
C 08:
S tr.
6 65
8 .37
O p.
C 08:
t he a rea b etween S tr.
o f
S tr.
t he
2 0,
s howing
T erminal
t he
r emains
C lassic/Early
a erial v iew.
2 0 f rom t he s outheast.
o f
t he
P ostclassic
6 19
6 33
6 49 2 0.
6 51
3 00 i n c loseup. 2 0 a nd S tr.
3 00.
6 67
8 .38
O p.
C 08:
s herd w ith g ouged-incised d ecoration.
8 .39
O p .
B ( 1982):
t he
1 979
t rench
showing
S tr.
9 a fter e xposure.
6 69
p ost-excavation
6 71
c ollapse. 8 .40
O p.
B :
P lan o f
8 .41
O p.
B :
S chematic s ections a nd e levations.
6 75
8 .42
O p.
B :
S tr.
6 77
8 .43
O p.
B :
s outh s ide w all o f
8 .44
O p.
B :
m asonry o n
8 .45
O p .
B :
m asonry i n t he
B :
i nterior o f
6 73
9 a fter e xposure a nd b ackfilling. t he s tair p latform.
t he n orth s ide o f b asal
S tr.
6 79
9 .
6 81
moulding a nd l ower d rum
o f
S tr .
6 83
9 . 8 .46 8 .47
O p.
t he
s uperstructure o f
S tr.
9 .
6 85
O p. B : i nterior o f S tr. 9 , w ith t he wall f ace and
i nterior
6 87
f loor. 8 .48
O p.
B :
s uperstructure w all o f
8 .49
O p.
A :
C ontour p lan o f
8 .50
O p.
A :
1 982
8 .51
S tratigraphic m atrix f or O p.
8 .52
O p.
A :
O p .
A :
8 .53
S tr.
S tr.
9 .
6 89
1 .
6 91
t rench l ayout.
6 93 A .
6 95
s ections. west
6 97
s ide
o f
S tr.
1 a fter
r emoval
o f
e rosion
7 01
d eposits. 8 .54
O p.
A :
c entral
8 .55
O p.
A :
P osthole 0 038.
7 05
8 .56
O p.
A :
f loor 0 015/0017.
7 07
8 .57
O p.
A :
1 982 s outh e xtensio4 t rench.
7 09
8 .58
O p. A :
p ortion o f
f ragments
o f
t he
modelled
1 982 t rench.
7 03
p laster p ainted
i n s pecular
7 11
h aematite. 8 .59
O p.
C 07:
w alls
r ecorded
w ithin t he
l ooters'
8 .60
O p.
A :
P lan o f P hase V I a nd P hase V c ontexts.
7 15
8 .61
O p.
A :
S outh e xtension t rench.
7 17
8 .62
O p.
A :
P lan o f c ontexts
7 19
o f P hase I V a nd I VA.
t unnel.
7 13
8 .63
O p.
A :
F 008.
7 21
8 .64
O p.
A :
C ache F 009.
7 23
8 .65
O p.
A :
E xposed p ortion o f
8 .66
O p.
A :
F 014
8 .67
O p.
A :
C ache F 003.
7 29
8 .68
O p.
A :
V essels
7 31
8 .69
O p.
A :
C ache F 011.
7 33
8 .70
O p.
A :
V essel
7 33
8 .71
O p.
A :
C ache F 007.
7 35
8 .72
O p.
A :
V essel f rom C ache F 007.
7 37
8 .73
O p.
A :
C ache F 015.
7 39
8 .74
o p.
A :
t he m ain t rench s een f rom t he e ast.
7 41
8 .75
O p.
A :
e astern end o f
7 43
8 .76
O p.
A :
P ost
h ole
( 0063).
7 45
8 .77
O p.
A :
P ost
h ole
( 0063).
7 47
8 .78
O p.
A :
P lan o f P hases
8 .79
O p.
A :
P art o f
8 .80
O p.
A :
i ntermediate s ection d uring e xcavation.
7 53
8 .81
O p.
A :
e ast
7 55
8 .82
O p.
A :
s ection t hrough a " task".
7 57
8 .83
O p.
A :
B locks
7 59
8 .84
O p.
A :
M arl-puddling p its
t he e arly c onstruction F 014.
f rom t he n orthwest.
7 27
f rom C ache F 003.
f rom c ache F 011.
t he
t he m ain t rench.
I II,
I I,
7 25
a nd I .
t op s urface o f F 002.
s ection.
f rom F 006. o f P hase I .
7 49 7 51
7 61
P REFACE
T he b ackground t o w ork a t N ohmul
1 973-1983
T his r eport d raws t ogether t he work d one a t t he major Maya s ite o f N ohmul i n n orthern B elize b y t wo p rojects, t he C orozal P roject i n 1 9734 and 1 978 and t he Nohmul P roject i n 1 982-83, a nd a lso b rings i n work a t
t he s ite b y o thers.
T he C orozal P roject:
a s ummary o f o bjectives a nd a ctivities
T he C orozal P roject was o rganised a nd h uman e cology o f l ying
n orth
o f
t o
i nvestigate
t he p rehistory
t he a rea o f B elize ( formerly B ritish Honduras)
l atitude
1 8
°
00'N,
a nd
bounded
o therwise
b y
t he
Caribbean c oast a nd t he Mexican b order a long t he R io Hondo ( Fig .1.1). T here h ad b een l ittle work i n t he r egion p reviously a part
f rom s poradic
e xploration b y Dr . Thomas Gann b etween 1 896 and 1 936, a s ingle s hort s eason o f e xcavations i n t he s outh p laza o f c entre i n 1 962 b y D r . William R . B ullard, s eason o f s urvey a nd t est-pitting a t G reen
( Green ,
1 973) .
1
t he S an E stevan c eremonial Jr . ( Bullard, 1 965), and a
s everal s ites
b y Dr .
E rnestene
1 973
s eason There
were
r econnaissance ,
four
a spects
m apping ,
t o
t he
e xcavation a nd
Project's
r esource
work
s urvey.
i n
1 973:
These
were
a pplied a t b oth t he r egional a nd t he s ite l evel i n t he c ourse o f pursuing t he P roject's objective o f e stablishing " the d istribution, v ariety
a nd
a ntiquity
o f
p rehistoric
o ccupation
i n
n orthern
B elize
. .
t o s ee h ow f ar t hese w ere e xplicable i n t erms o f e nvironmental f actors, r esource a vailability a nd c ommunications, a nd h ow f ar t he s ettlement pattern and h ierarchy were d etermined b y their own internal r elationships" ( Hammond, 1 974, 1 80). The P roject's a pproach was explicitly
r egional
in
s cope,
and
embraced
s ites
o f
a ll
p eriods,
a lthough one major c oncern was t hat o f " elucidating t he f actors t hat had governed t he emergence o f C lassic Maya c ivilization in t his a nd a djacent a reas i n t he f irst T o e xamine accurate
b oth
and
t he
t hree c enturies A D"
g eneral
extensive
a nd
basic
t he
( ibid.).
p articular
information,
p roblem
w e
n eeded
e specially
on
t he
d istribution o f a ncient s ettlement a nd o n r egional c hronology, a nd t he f irst s eason was t hus d evoted t o t he l ocation o f s ites, t he i nstrument m apping o f a t l east o ne s ite a t e ach l evel o f o ur p roposed s ettlement hierarchy a s t he c omplexity o f t his b ecame a pparent, a nd t he d etermination b y t est e xcavation o f t he l ength , s trength a nd c ontinuity o f
o ccupation a t
s oil
s urvey
was
s everal k ey c arried
e nvironmental z ones a nd
A t
s urvey
o f
s ites,
t he
s ize
while and
t o
we
t ime a g eological a nd
c ould
d efine
a r ange
o f
t he a ncient s ettlement p attern ,
t he ways
i n
w hich t he
p resent
Maya
l evel r econnaissance was c oncerned w ith r elocating
o ften v aguely r eported
n ew
t he s ame
t hat
t heir e nvironment.
t he r egional
t he s ites
A t
s o
a nd r elate t hese
a lso a n e thnographic
i nhabitants e xploit
s ites .
o ut
a t
t he
l imits
s ite
o f
b y G ann a nd
l evel
each
i t
s ite.
was
o thers,
a nd
w ith l ocating
c oncerned w ith e stablishing
Mapping
a t
t he
r egional
l evel
c onsisted o f p lotting t he d istribution o f s ettlement r elative t o l andforms, t opography and l ines o f c ommunication, a nd i ts s trategic s iting with r eference c ompetition e ngendered
t o t he d istribution o f r esources b etween s ites. At t he s ite l evel,
c onsisted
s urvey
c leared
o f
t heodolite
f rom
E xcavation
b ush)
w as
a t
a nd
t heir
r egional
o f
v isible
s tructures
r elationship
l evel
c oncerned
t o
t he
a nd t he mapping
( including
t hose
microtopography.
w ith t he c onstruction o f
a n
o verall c eramic s equence l inked t o a rchitectural s tratigraphy , a nd w ith t he c hanges i n s ite o ccupation t hrough t ime; a t s ite l evel i t i nvolved e stablishing in t he
t he
d ates
o f
f oundation ,
l ocation and n ature
R esource
s urvey a t
e nvironmental exploited,
t he
z ones
o f
r egional p resent
l evel
a nd
a vailability
o f
u se
a nd a bandonment,
a nd
c hanges
c eremonial a nd r esidential a ctivity. was
t he ways a rable
c oncerned
with
t he
r ange
o f
i n which t hey c ould h ave b een
l and ,
p rotein
r esources,
u seful
minerals, e tc ., a nd e stablishing which r esources were o f r egionally l ocal o rigin a nd which w ere s ite
l evel
r esource
t actical
s iting o f
a vailable
within e asy
s upported
b y
t hem;
imported f rom o utside
s urvey
was
s ettlement, r each i t
was
a nd
c oncerned t he t he
a lso
2
with
amount
n orthern t he
B elize .
r easons
a nd nature
o f
with
t he
A t t he
r esources
e stimated p opulation t hat c oncerned
f or
c ould b e
d ifferential
d istribution o f
s carce
r esources,
s ections o f t he p opulation t ype a nd m ode o f b urial.
a nd
imported a nd s umptuary g oods
t he
c orrelation
o f
t his
w ith
b etween
r esidence
T hese o bjectives w ere , o f c ourse , o nly p artly f ulfilled i n 1 973 : a f ew n ew s ites w ere d iscovered, a f ew m apped , s ome e xcavation c arried o ut
a nd
t he
a ssessment o f
r esources b egun ;
b ut f rom t he work a g eneral
p icture o f s ite t ypes and t heir d istribution a nd o ccupation h istory, a nd t he r elationship b etween s ettlement and e nvironment, b egan t o emerge. 1 .
R econnaissance
S ome
o f
t he
s ites
r eported
b y G ann w ere
a lready n oted o n t he f ile
maps i n t he Department o f Archaeology i n B elmopan, i ncluding c eremonial c entres o f S anta R ita , S an E stevan , L ouisville, N ohmul, Aventura ,
t ogether
w ith s ites
n ot
i nvestigated
b y G ann s uch a s
K ate's Lagoon ( Kichpanha) and Rancho C reek ( Colha). n ot
b een
r elocated
s ince Gann 's
d ay,
a nd
o f
t he a nd
C erros,
O ther s ites had
t hese
we
were
a ble
t o
p inpoint B enque V iejo ( Santa C ruz) o n t he g round a nd Pueblo Nuevo and S altillo f rom a erial p hotographs . A n umber o f n ew s ites w ere f ound b y s urface s urvey, t he u se o f l ocal i nformants, a nd a erial photographs. Among t he m ost important o f t hese w ere t he c eremonial c entre o f C olha ( of which o nly o utlying r esidential s tructures a long t he h ighway had b een p reviously n oted) ; t he m inor c eremonial c entre o f K ichpanha , o nly a pproximately l ocated o n t he f ile maps; t he m inor c eremonial c entre o f C howacol s outh o f S an E stevan, p reviously known only t o t he l ocal I ndians; t he minor c eremonial c entre a nd extensive s ettlement o f C uello; t he m inor c eremonial c entre o f S an Antonio on Albion I sland, n ot
p recisely
Luis,
l ocated
within t he
b efore ;
o verall
t he
m inor
s ettlement
c entres
z one
o f
S an V ictor
o f Nohmul,
not
l ocated a lthough t he l atter had b een d ug into b y Gann ;
a nd S an
p recisely
a nd t he major
c entre o f E l Pozito o n t he s outhern l imit o f t he r esearch a rea . Most o f t hese s ites were i nspected a nd c ollections a nd/or e xcavations m ade a t many;
much o f C olha a nd C howacol were mapped also.
S everal o ther
s ites, i ncluding t hose i dentified i n H ammond ( 1974, F ig. 2 ) a s P rogresso I I, B arklog a nd C hunox, were p recisely l ocated on a erial p hotographs
a nd
n amed ,
b ut
n ot
v isited
( the
B arklog
b een i nvestigated b y t he P ulltrouser S wamp P roject,
s ite
h as
r ecently
a nd r enamed
b y t hem
K axob). A l arge n umber o f h ouse mound c lusters a nd s ingle mounds were r ecorded, mainly f rom v ehicle t raverses a long t he r oads a nd f rom a erial p hotographs ;
o nly
a h elicopter t raverse was
m ade o ver t he a rea e ast o f
F reshwater C reek. S ite R ita ,
r econnaissance
L ouisville ,
was
C aledonia ,
c arried o ut a t S an E stevan , C olha ,
K ichpanha ,
i n
t he
N ohmul,
T ower
S anta
H ill-Chan
P ine R idge N uevo, and
area, t he O range Walk-San E stevan r idge east o f t he R io t he a rea west o f P rogresso Lagoon . At S an E stevan and
N ohmul
r esult
t he
was
t he
d iscovery
t hat
b oth
t han Bullard ( 1965) o r G ann & G ann ( 1939) had h aving
s even
p lazas
s tructures b eyond r esidential z ones .
r ather
t han f our ,
N ohmul
s ites
w ere
i ndicated, h aving
m uch
l arger
S an E stevan
a n umber
o f
major
t he a rea s ketch-mapped b y G ann a s well a s l arge L ouisville was u nder h eavy b ush, a nd o nly t he t wo
3
m ajor p yramids w ere l ocated : G ann 's main e xcavations l ay j ust e ast t he western p yramid . C aledonia , p reviously u npublished , was f ound
o f t o
h ave o ne v ery l arge multiphase s tructure, n ow t wo-thirds d emolished , s urrounded b y p loughed-out r esidential g roups a nd a p ossible b allcourt . C olha , n oted b y t he D epartment o f A rchaeology a s a h ousemound c luster o n t he s outh s ide o f t he N orthern H ighway , was f ound t o e xtend o n b oth s ides o f t he r oad f or s ome d istance, with a small major c eremonial p recinct
1 km n orth
o f
t he
r oad ,
a nd
n umerous
c hert-tool
f actories
a s
well a s n arrow s acbeob l inking p arts o f t he s ite a cross m arshy g round . K ichpanha was f ound t o h ave b een b ulldozed , b ut a s ingle small p yramid, a s ingle
l arge
p latform
were noted south o f The
presence
o f
a nd a n umber o f s cattered m ounds
chert
d eb itage
and
P omacea f lagellata) o n t he s urface s howed o ut,
a nd
t hat
t he
a nd p lazuelas
t he h ighway o n t he t errace a bove Kate's Lagoon .
p rotein r esources
o f
mollusc t hat
t he
shells
t ool-making
l ake
margin
( mainly
was
w ere
c arried
e xploited .
A n important s urface f ind o n a b ulldozed m ound c lose t o t he p yramid w as a r ed
m onochrome e ffigy v essel i n t he f orm o f a g ross,
g rotesque s eated
humanoid f igure with o bese l egs a nd l ower b ody, t apering a rms a nd a f ace modelled and a ppliqué o n t he n eck o f t he v essel just b elow t he r im . T he f abric ( now i dentified a s J oventud R ed : V ariety u nspecified) , t he double-punched e yes, b owls
a nd t he p resence o n s ite o f l abial-flanged
o f t he s ame f abric i ndicate a d ate i n t he
l ate
M iddle F ormative,
c a 5 00-400 b c ( and n ot o ne i n t he L ate F ormative a s o riginally c ited b y Hammond, 1 974, 1 82, a nd P ring, 1 977a, 2 69). I n t he T ower H ill-Chan P ine R idge a rea a n umber o f s cattered h ouse mounds, p lazuela g roups a nd o ther s tructures were n oted o n B SI p lantations, and we were t old o f o thers t hat had b een d estroyed when t he l ow
l and
was
mound
c leared
north
o f
c eremonial
c entre.
B elize
t he
i n
f or
m echanised
c ane-farming
C han P ine R idge Material
C .C.Price
f rom
c ould have t his
c ollection
i n
i n
g eneral t he
1 960s .
O ne
l arge
b een p art o f a m inor s ector
B ristol
o f
n orthern
Museum,
U .K .,
i ncludes o bjects l abelled a s b eing f rom G uinea G rass, Yo C reek, S an Lazaro, August P ine R idge, and Tower H ill: s ites a re known a t most o f t hese l ocations a lthough l ittle
o r n o
i nvestigation h as
b een c arried
o ut. A long
t he
O range
Walk-San E stevan
r oad
t wo
well-preserved g roups
o f mounds, t he M artinez G roup a nd H ipolito G roup , w ere n oted, w ith a m ound j ust s outh o f S an E stevan v illage f rom t he f ill p art
o f
a Late
P ostclassic
e ffigy
i ncensario
O ther Late P ostclassic m aterial w as f ound a t I n
t he
P rogesso
a rea ,
while
had
t ogether o f which
r eportedly
c ome.
t he H ipolito G roup.
s earching f or G ann 's
P rogesso s ite
we
were t aken t o a nother, 0 .5 km west o f t he l agoon o n t he r idge a bove where a n umber o f p lazuela g roups s tood i n p asture ( Progresso I ) . O ne h ad
h ad
e xcavations
made
i nto
t wo
o f
i ts
s tructures,
b ut
i n
1 973
t hey
were t oo f resh t o h ave b een d one b y G ann, a nd t oo t idy t o b e t he u sual l ooters' h oles. Another mound h ad b een f lattened and a P ostclassic walled
b uilding e rected o n i t.
A erial p hotographs
o f
t he
d istrict
s howed what a ppeared t o b e a c eremonial c entre with o ne s ubstantial p yramid ( ca. 1 5m h igh) and a l ong ' palace' mound: r each t his s ite ( Progresso I I) o verland w e f ound c lusters o f h ouse mounds o n e itker t rail;
s ide
o f
t he
while a ttempting t o t wo m ore s ubstantial
P rogresso-Copper
( the s ite c entre was e ventually v isited i n 1 974,
4
B ank
b ut n either
P rogresso I n or I I h as y et b een f urther i nvestigated). The o verall r esult o f s uggest
t hat
s ome k nown
t he
1 973 s ite r econnaissance was
t hat s ettlement a round t hem was t hat n ew s ites s ome
s ites
w ere f airly
w ere
b eing
t hus
t o
s ites w ere m uch l arger t han h ad b een r eported, more w idespread t han p reviously k nown ,
c ommon wherever a s earch w as made,
r apidly d estroyed
r eported f or S anta R ita b y G ann a s
f or
r oad
l ong a go a s
f ill .
1 897,
a nd t hat
T his
a nd was
h ad
b een
i n 1 973 i n
a ctive p rogress a t S an E stevan ( where B ullard's e xcavated T emple I I h ad g one - a nd where T emples I a nd I II h ave s ubsequently b een d emolished), C aledonia a nd Cuello ( where d emolition was s topped i n 1 973) . C asual d emolition , m ainly o f h ouse m ounds, h ad t aken p lace a ll o ver B SI c ane l and
a t
N ohmul
K ichpanha,
a nd
i n
t he
Tower
H ill-Chan
P ine
Ridge
a rea,
a t
a nd a t C olha while we were working t here, when a Mr K irk,
owner o f p art o f t he s ite, b ulldozed a l arge and exceptionally wellp reserved p lazuela g roup. The
v alue
o f
t hese
r econnaissance
a ctivities
t o
t he
s tudy
o f
N ohmul was t o s how h ow d ense t he r egional s ettlement p attern was, a nd t o b ring s everal m inor c eremonial p recincts w ithin t he o verall N ohmul z one
t o n otice .
R econnaissance a lso s howed
o f Nohmul t o the l andscape, r oad-building,
t hat
b oth t he
w ere s hared b y t he s ite w ith m any o thers
2 .
M apping
A t
t he
r egional
l evel
r elationship
a nd t he p resent t hreat f rom farming and
m ore
i n t he r egion.
t han 3 0 s ites were l isted ,
b ut o nly i n
t he O range W alk-San E stevan a rea was t he c ompilation o f
a t rue r egional
map
t he
b egun .
A t
t he s ite
l evel,
s urveys were
made o f
c eremonial
c entres o f Nohmul, S an E stevan, S anta R ita, Chowacol and C olha, t ogether with extensive z ones o f s ettlement a t S an E stevan, Nohmul, C olha ,
a nd S anta R ita ,
s eparate
s mall
a nd a s mall a rea o f s ettlement a t C howacol .
s ites,
a nd t hese s ites
t he
T he C olha , a reas
c entres
a nd
G roups,
o f N ohmul,
H ipolito
o f s ettlement,
w ere
were
Two
m apped,
i ntegrated
f irst p hase.
c ontour s urveys, t he
a nd H ipolito
t ogether with S an E stevan a nd C howacol
i nto t he r egional m ap's
p lotted a s
Martinez
S an E stevan , a nd
S anta R ita a nd C howacol
c onventionalised
a nd Martinez
G roups,
p lans
made
f rom
t ogether w ith
t he
w ere p lotted a s d irect c onvention maps,
were t hem .
l arger
w ith s pot
e levations. 3 .
E xcavation
A r egional
e xcavation
s trategy
c ould
n ot
b e
i mplemented
s ince i t was f irst n ecessary t o a ssemble t he skeleton o f
i n
1 973,
a r egional
c eramic s equence a nd s tudy t he s urface c ollections f rom a ll s ites i n o rder t o e stablish where excavation m ight b est b e undertaken, and t o i dentify f ar .
t he
m ajor
T he f irst
w eaknesses
s teps
a nd
l acune
i n
t owards s uch a s trategy
t he
e vidence
w ere
t aken
c ollected b y
B ullard
s o a t
S an E stevan i n 1 962, a nd w ere a ugmented b y t he C orozal P roject work i n 1 973, while a t t he e nd o f t he 1 973 s eason i t was c lear t hat i ts f ull implementation would
d epend
on
t he
c ollaboration o f
p rojects which w ere p lanning t o b egin work a t a s ite B elize
i n 1 974.
5
s everal o ther
l evel
i n n orthern
The C orozal P roject's o wn work a t s ite l evel i ncluded e xcavations a t S an E stevan ( Op. 1 ), C howacol ( Op. 2 ), Nohmul ( Op. 3 ), C olha ( Op. 4 ) and S anta R ita ( Op. 8 ). ' Most o f t he work was t est-excavation t o e stablish t he s pan o f o ccupation a nd c onstruction: d etailed r eports were
p ublished
i n t he
1 973 I nterim R eport
r eported i n f inal f orm e lsewhere . a t N ohmul t o n ote s ome r esults o f
( Hammond ,
1 973),
a nd w ill
b e
I t i s, h owever , r elevant t o t he work t he e xcavations a t o ther s ites.
A t S an E stevan two excavations i n t he n ewly-discovered P laza D ( Op.
1 C
a nd
s everal c losest
I D)
l ocated F ormative p eriod o ccupation d eposits
metres t o
o f
l ater
c onstruction .
t he M iddle/Late F ormative
T he
p ottery
f rom
b elow
t hese
i s
t ransitional T zec C eramic C omplex
d efined a t Tikal, and i n 1 973 i t p ushed t he r egional c hronology b ack b efore t he L ate F ormative C hicanel C eramic S phere f or t he f irst t ime. A t C olha t he d etailed s tudy o f mound ,
d emonstrated t hat
a t C olha, s harpening
1 00,
a c hert-workshop
m ade i n l arge n umbers
i ncluding b ifacial a xes a nd t ranchet a dzes; n umerous f lakes f rom t hese a dzes, w ith t heir c haracteristic ' orange
p eel' s egment
f orm,
c hert was n oted. b uilding o n t hat p rovided
S tructure
c ertain t ool t ypes w ere
a m ap
w ere c ollected ,
a nd
t he d istinctive n ature o f C olha
S ubsequent work a t t he s ite b y t he C olha P roject, o f t he 1 973 and 1 975 Corozal P roject work which
a nd
a M iddle
F ormative
t hrough
P ostclassic
o ccupation
s equence f or t he s ite, h as s hown t hat t hese c hert t ools were widely d istributed t hroughout northern B elize, i ncluding N ohmul, a nd t he analysis
o f
k nowledge
t he
t hat
f inished g oods,
Nohmul much
o f
c hert t he
t ool
r aw
a ssemblage
material,
c an
b e
made
a nd p robably
i n
t he
most o f
t he
c ame f rom C olha.
A t Santa R ita t he r ecovery o f al arge s ample o f well-stratified L ate F ormative p ottery Nohmul,
a nd
i n
impressive ( and p erhaps S phere. Detailed g iven i n t his 4 .
was
r elevant
i n d efining
t he
c oeval
c omplex
a t
d emonstrating i ntra-regional d istinctions w ithin t he
r esults
e xaggerated) u niformity o f
o f
t he
1 973
excavations
t he C hicanel C eramic
a t Nohmul i tself
are
r eport.
R esource s urvey
S urvey o n t he b asis o f
Wright e r
a l's ( 1959) Land U se s tudy was
b egun , a nd p reliminary i dentifications o f environmental z ones w ithin n orthern B elize were l isted b y H ammond ( 1973 , 4 -6) . T hose r elevant t o t he s tudy o f N ohmul a re n oted i n C hapter l evel a nd
i n
1 973 s oil
C howacol
Colha,
( the
a nd r idge
and a t Nohmul,
g eological f rom
t he
o f t his r eport.
s urveys w ere R io N uevo
t o
A t a s ite
m ade a round S an E stevan t he
L ong
Swamp) ,
a round
a nd t he e thnographic s tudy o f c urrent l and u se
w as b egun a t S an E stevan.
S ummary T he
o verall
r esult
o f
t he
1 973 C orozal P roject
was
t o e stablish a
r egional s ettlement p attern a nd s tratigraphic s equence, extending f rom t he l ate Middle F ormative,
6
c a . 5 00 b c,
t he l atter
t hrough t o t he
Late P ostclassic i n t he 1 5th a nd 1 6th c enturies AD. T he work a lso i ndicated t hat c ertain s ites i n t he r egion , n otably N ohmul a nd C olha, were o f p rime importance f or b oth r egional a nd w ider Maya s tudies . The
1 973
s eason
was
r eported
i n
d etail
i n
an
I nterim
R eport
( Hammond , 1 973) a nd t ogether w ith t he 1 974 s eason s ummarised i n j ournal a rticles a nd s ymposium c ontributions ( Hammond, 1 974, 1 977) . I n t his p resent r eport o nly t he work a t N ohmul i s p resented . 1 974 S eason I n 1 974 the C orozal P roject work c oncentrated o n N ohmul, f urther
d etailed
s alvage work
i nvestigations
o n S tr .277,
i nvestigated.
c arried
a nd s ampling o f
s ector mapped in 1 973. a lso
were
o ut
i n
t he
t he s ettlement
where
P 1.137
G roup,
i n t he n orthern
A possible p ort f acility on t he R io Hondo was
All
o f
t his
work
i s
d escribed
i n
t he
p resent
r eport. S everal o ther s ites were i nvestigated : P ozito
P roject,
d irected
b y
Mary
a t t he i nvitation o f
N eivens,
t he
C orozal
c eramicist, D uncan P ring, i nitiated e xcavations i n t he t he e ast g roup o f t he c eremonial p recinct a t E l P ozito . d emonstrated
i nitial E arly
C lassic
c onstruction ,
t he E l
P roject
m ain p laza o f O peration A l
i ncluding P eten-style
a rchitecture with a pron mouldings, a nd s ubsequent b uilding t hrough t he L ate C lassic . T he work was r eported b riefly i n t he C orozal P roject's 1 974-75
I nterim R eport
b e p ublished
f ormally
b y P ring i n
( in Hammond ,
1 975,
1 28-13 0 ,
t he E l P ozito P roject's f inal
b ut
w ill
r eport .
With t he c ooperation o f t he B ritish F orces i n B elize i t b ecame p ossible t o v isit t he i solated s ite o f Shipstern, i n t he e astern p ortion o f d irected
t he C orozal P roject s urvey
m apping
t est p it.
o f
t he
small
a rea,
a nd Duncan P ring
c eremonial p recinct
a nd
t here
e xcavation o f
a
A Late F ormative f oundation was f ollowed b y E arly C lassic
occupation,
and t here was p ilgrimage r euse o f t he r uins i n t he Late
P ostclassic;
Raymond S idrys,
o n a subsequent v isit,
f ound L ate
a nd
T erminal C lassic p ottery a lso. F urther t he
m ost
s urface
s urvey
s ignificant
o f
s ites
d iscovery,
i n
t he
P roject 's
w ith h indsight,
was
a rea
t he
c ontinued :
c ollection
o f
s herds f rom t he b ulldozed m ound a t C uello s ubsequently d ubbed S tr .39 . This sample i ncluded b oth known Late F ormative t ypes a nd p reviously unknown t ypes, t he
No
work
m apping a nd t he
a nd i t was d etermined t hat C uello s hould h e t ested i n
1 975 s eason.
C uello
a t C olha, The
was
d one
t esting
o f
P roject's
a t Nohmul C uello
f inal
i n
( work
r eport)
1 975,
which a nd
which was w ill b e
f urther
d evoted
r eported
mapping
a nd
i n
t o
t he
f ull
i n
e xcavation
a s n oted a bove. 1 976
s eason
was
a gain
d evoted
t o
C uello,
a lthough
with
s ubsidiary o perations a t Y o C reek i n t he s ame v icinity, a t B arton R amie i n t he B elize Valley, a nd a t t he n ewly-discovered c eremonial c entre o f N im i i p unit i n s outhern B elize , u ndertake a nd i ts
t he
i nitial
c learance,
where t he C orozal P roject was a sked t o mapping a nd
c arved m onuments.
7
i nvestigation o f
t he
s ite
i ts
T he C orozal P roject d id n ot w ork i n t he f ield i n 1 977, a nd i n 1 978 f ield s eason, camp a nd p ersonnel were l argely s hared with t he
C uello Project. p artial
Corozal
excavation
o f
Project
S tr.20
b uilding i n
t he East P laza
f lorescence
o f
e lsewhere
n orthern
i n
t he
s ite .
c learly
f urther u nder
i n 1 982,
1 978 a n
was
was
a egis
d one
o f
t he
s upervisors
A fter
t he
e xcavation o f
i n
c lose
o f
l ow
a t
t o
t he
s quare
Nohmul,
C orozal
1 978 s eason a nd
S tr .9 a t N ohmul,
t he
C hase,
o r
P roject;
b eginning o f
l ying j ust west
was i nvestigated independently b y Mrs and Mr A . e xcavation
c onfined
a nomalous
d ated t o a fter t he C lassic
work
t he
i n t he p eriod i ntervening b etween t he t he N ohmul P roject
i n
Nohmul,
t hat No
B elize,
work
a t
o f
S tr .20 ,
who had b een
1 978 o n S tr .20 . t he
t he e arly s ite
1 978-80
C uello
P roject,
a n
i ntensive
l ocated b elow P 1 .34 a t C uello i n 1 975,
l ong-planned i nvestigation o f N ohmul was c ontinued .
t he
S ince t he w ork was
n ow c onfined t o t he a rea o f t he N ohmul s ettlement, s ome 2 4 km 2 , r ather t han b eing r egional, t he n ew p roject was g iven t he name o f t he s ite: t here were a lso major s hifts i n p ersonnel and s ponsorship Acknowledgments) which m ade a n ew p roject n ame a ppropriate . T he
1 982 a nd
1 983
s easons
a re
r eported f ully i n t his
v olume :
( see
b oth
i nvolved m ajor e xcavations i n t he E ast G roup o f t he c eremonial c entre, s ettlement mapping , a nd s urface s urvey . T he t win p opulation m axima i n t he Late F ormative and Late Classic p eriods d etermined i n 1 974 were c onfirmed f or o ther parts o f t he s ite, a nd t he major c onstruction o f t he E ast G roup
was
f ound
t o
d ate
t o
t he T erminal
F ormative ,
i ncluding
t he massive " acropolis", S tr.1, a nd a l arge t imber hall o n t op o f i t. I n t his,
o ne a ssumption l eft
precinct
was
in
i ts
f rom e arlier s easons,
surface
form
o f
Late
t hat
t he
Classic
c eremonial date,
was
c ontroverted, a nd Nohmul was p laced a longside t he B elizean s ites o f Lamanai a nd C erros and t he P eten c entres o f S eibal and El Mirador i n p ossessing
m assive
envisaged
a d ecade
c onstruction
a t
b efore,
when
t ook p lace
i n
a m uch t he
e arlier
C orozal
d ate
Project
t han
h ad
b een
b egan work
a t
N ohmul. N o f ield work 1 985 s eason , a nd
t he
s ettlement
will
t he d rained-field s ystems T his
1 984,
a nd t his
r eport
a nticipates
t he
when f urther i nvestigation o f b oth t he c eremonial p recinct
p reface
h as
t ake
p lace,
t ogether w ith a n a ttempt
t o s tudy
i n t he w etlands s urrounding t he s ite.
s ought
t o p lace
t he work
a t
N ohmul
b etween
1 973
and 1 983 i nto t he c ontext o f t he b roader C orozal P roject u nder which i nvestigations P roject o ut,
u nder
w ere which
i nitiated ,
a nd
t he
work n ow p roceeds :
a nd t he s ignificance o f
i ts
m ore
r esults,
which f ollow.
8
n arrowly
t he d etail
o f
f ocussed t he
work
N ohmul c arried
a re c ontained i n t he c hapters
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS T he C entre
C orozal o f
P roject
Latin
B ritish Museum:
was
American
i nitiated
S tudies
a s
a t
t he f ormer p rovided
a j oint
C ambridge
v enture
b etween
University
t he
and
t he
i nstitutional housing f or
t he
P roject and a F ellowship f or t he Director ( funded b y t he L everhulme T rust F und) , a nd t he l atter p rovided f unds f or f ield work ( through t he T rustees) a nd a cted a s a r epository f or e xcavated m aterial a llocated t o t he P roject a nd
f or e thnographic m aterial c ollected i n B elize.
Additional C ommittee
o f
f unds
f or f ield work were p rovided b y t he R esearch
t he B ritish A cademy
B eynon F und o f
( 1973 ,
1 974,
1 978)
a nd
t he
C rowther-
t he U niversity Museum o f A rchaeology a nd Anthropology a t
C ambridge U niversity. The c amp were
and l aboratory f acilities f or t he 1 978 work a t Nohmul
p rovided
C ommittee S ociety
b y
t he
C uello
P roject,
funded
f or Research a nd Exploration o f
( although f unds
B ritish Museum,
f or
t he
1 978 N ohmul
p rincipally
b y
t he
t he National G eographic e xcavations
c ame
f rom
B ritish Academy and C ambridge University,
t he
a s n oted
a bove). The N ohmul P roject
i n
1 982
a nd
1 983 was p rincipally f unded b y t he
C ommittee f or R esearch a nd Exploration o f t he N ational G eographic S ociety, with a dditional g rants f rom t he Trustees o f t he B ritish Museum,
t he
C rowther-Beynon
University,
t he
B irmingham M useum, P ractical
S ociety
F und,
o f
t he R esearch C ouncil
Antiquaries
o f
London,
o f
R utgers
t he
C ity
o f
l arge
s ums
o f
a nd a nonymous d onors.
a ssistance,
which
s aved
t he
Projects
money, was provided b y B elize S ugar I ndustries Ltd, which f rom 1 973 o nwards h as s upported a rchaeology i n n orthern B elize w ith t he l oan o f h ousing, v ehicles, r epairs, t he u se o f c ompany f acilities, a nd i n 1 973 a g enerous d onation t owards t he p roduction o f t he I nterim R eport . W e a re i ndebted particularly t o F rank C urtis, E sq., 0 .B.E., t he l ate F .F. ( "Polo") O rio, S imilar
J r., M ickey B rowne a nd J ohn M asson f or c onstant h elp.
w illing a ssistance
f or
t he
p ast
d ecade
h as
b een
g iven
b y
t he British Forces i n B elize under s uccessive c ommanders: C ol. J ohn S hipster, C ol. J .I. F raser-Orr, B rig . D uncan Green, and B rig. T ony P ollard .
T his
t he t aking o f
a ssistance
h as
e xtended
a erial p hotographs
a s
f rom
p art
emergency
o f n ormal
m edical
h elp
t o
m ilitary a ctivities,
t o t he p articipation o f s ervice p ersonnel a s v olunteers i n t he f ield w ork. That s hown
b y
P alacio,
work was a ble t o t ake p lace a t a ll i s successive D r .
Elizabeth Graham,
C ommissioners p ermits
h ave
Archaeological
Mr .
b een
J aime Awe g ranted
b y
P ech
t o
t he
and
Ms
Mr .
e xcavations .
Winnel
B ranche.
M inister
Joseph
and The
r esponsible
0 .
t o Acting r elevant e ach y ear ,
( now S ir) A lexander H unter a nd Mr . O ther
m embers
o f
D epartment s taff h ave b een m ost h elpful o ver t he y ears T he B elizean w orkers,
Dr .
Mr. Harriot W . Topsey,
t he H on .
a nd we h ave b een g lad t o welcome G uadelupe
d ue t o t he i nterest
C ommissioners:
t he
A rchaeology
a lso .
m ainly f rom t he v illages o f S an J ose a nd S an
9
Pablo, have b een a v ital part o f t he two P rojects, and a s econd g eneration o f workers f rom t he s ame f amilies i s n ow g aining e xperience . While i t would b e i nvidious t o p ick o ut i ndividuals f rom among o ur workers, s ome o f whom h ave b een w ith u s f or s everal s easons, w e express a s pecial d ebt o f g ratitude t o Don E stevan I tzab, G roup o f N ohmul h ospitality. S everal
a nd
o f
t he N ohmul P roject
c ommercial
a nd i ndustrial
owner o f t he East
c amp
s ite ,
s ponsors
h ave
a nd s ervices which h ave a llowed o ur b udgets
f or h is
g enerous
c ontributed g oods
t o g o f urther :
t hey i nclude
t he Harrison L ine, R ennie Hogg, Rank P recision Industries, BXL L td., R abone C hesterman L td" o f
t hese
c ompanies
h elped u s,
n o
N ig B anda L td" l onger
w e r emain g rateful
I ndividual h elp h as Dr.
G .H.S.
C armichael ;
Bushnell, D r .
F rancis B arker L td .
e xist u nder
t he n ames
t hey
W hile s ome
h ad when
t hey
t o t hem.
c ome f rom t he l ate S ir E ric T hompson , Professor
B rian V an A rkadie,
Gordon
Willey,
Miss
t he l ate
Elizabeth
P rofessor C hristopher P latt
a nd D r .
D avid B rading a s s uccessive D irectors o f t he C entre o f L atin American S tudies a t C ambridge University; t he l ate Dr . David L . C larke; Dr . G eorge S tuart, G riswold
Smith
D r . E dwin W . o f
t he
S nider ,
N ational
M iss Mary A nn H arrell a nd M rs . Mary
G eographic
a nd S r . C oncepcion C ampos o f O range W alk ;
S ociety;
a nd t he
D on R afael
C ampos
d irectors a nd m embers
o f o ther p rojects working b eside u s i n B elize, e specially t he l ate Dennis E . P ules t on; Dr . David M . P endergast a nd Dr. Elizabeth Graham o f t he Lamanai P roject;
Dr . Thomas R . H ester, Dr . Harry J . S hafer, Dr .
R ichard E . W . Adams a nd Mr. Jack D . Eaton o f t he C olha P roject; Mrs. Mary N eivens o f t he E l P ozito P roject; Dr . P eter Harrison a nd Dr . B .L. T urner I I o f
t he P ulltrouser Swamp P roject .
R oy McDonald was
a S enior
S cholar o f H ertford C ollege, O xford U niversity, d uring h is 1 978 f ield work, a nd D iane C hase was s ponsored b y t he D epartment o f Anthropology of the University o f Pennsylvania in that i llustrations f or t his p ublication were r edrawn b y C alifornia A cademy
o f
S ciences
t he e xcavation s upervisors a nd
( Chapter
1 ) ;
i llustrators.
1 0
a ll
year also. M s M ary F ord
o thers
a re
t he
S ome o f t he w ork
P hotographs a re b y N .H.
o f
P ERSONNEL M any
p eople
t ook p art
i n t he C orozal P roject
work a t
N ohmul ,
a nd
i n t hat o f t he s ubsequent N ohmul P roject: s ome r eturned f or s everal s easons, a nd a lso t ook p art i n t he C uello P roject. T he l ist b elow i s d ivided i nto S taff; S taff:
F ield A ssistants a nd V olunteers;
B asilio A h ( Surveyor, I ris B arry
1 973,
1 974,
a nd S tudents.
1 978)
( Assistant D irector a nd E xcavation S upervisor,
1 974)
C arl B eetz ( Assistant D irector a nd E xcavation S upervisor, S ue B ird ( Ceramics I llustrator, 1 974) J ohn B owen ( Draftsman, 1 983)
1 982)
R ichard B ryant ( Surveyor, 1 973) A rlen C hase ( Excavation S upervisor,
1 978)
D iane C hase ( Excavation S upervisor, 1 978) K ate C lark ( Excavation S upervisor, 1 983) M ichael D avenport ( Excavation S upervisor a nd A ssistant D irector 1 982) T om G ovier ( Conservator, 1 973) Elizabeth G raham ( Excavation S upervisor , 1 974 ; a lso v olunteer , 1 973) N orman H ammond ( Project D irector, 1 973, 1 974, 1 978, 1 982, 1 983) J ohn H azelden ( Geologist a nd P edologist, 1 973) C arolyn H eighway ( Excavation S upervisor, 1 973) J ohn H iggins ( Project A dministrator, 1 983; a lso v olunteer, 1 982) M ark H odges ( Surveyor, 1 978, 1 982, 1 983) M ark H orton ( Excavation S upervisor, 1 983) S heena H owarth ( Finds I llustrator, 1 974, 1 978) L aura K osakowsky ( Ceramicist, 1 983) L ogan M cNatt ( Surveyor, 1 982, 1 983) A urora M endez ( Cook, 1 973, 1 974, 1 978, M aria M endez ( Cook, 1 983) G raeme N oble ( Surveyor, 1 973) Duncan P ring ( Excavation S upervisor 1 974)
1 982,
1 973,
1 983)
1 974,
C eramicist,
Anne
P yburn ( Ceramicist, 1 982, S ettlement A rea Excavations S upervisor, 1 983) T hea S mith ( Project A dministrator, 1 982) J im S priggs ( Conservator, 1 974, 1 978, L aboratory D irector, 1 983) R ob T hallon ( Surveyor, 1 973) P riscilla W egars ( Laboratory D irector, L inda W hite ( Conservator, i 973) R ichard Wilk ( Excavation S upervisor, E xcavation S upervisor, 1 974)
F ield A ssistants a nd V olunteers: C harlotte B errill ( 1974) N adia B reed ( 1974) K aren B ruhns ( 1982) J ulia F avell
( 1974)
M ary A nn H arrell
( 1983)
M aureen H azelden ( 1973) Y vonne K east
( 1983)
R od K idman ( 1973) R oswitha M anning ( 1983)
1 1
1 978) 1 973,
S ettlement
Area
J an S eymour
( 1983)
T erry T hallon
( 1973)
G illian T rew ( 1983) I ngrid W uebber ( 1982) S tudents: ( all f rom R utgers U niversity, M ark B omgardner
N .J.
i n 1 983)
G ary C layton S usan C ohen E dward G immi,
J r.
J ay K otliar T ony L acamera A llen L utins E dward S tein G uillermo V eloso J ill M ulholland a lso:
( 1978)
M ichael L eather a nd M ichael P earson,
R oyal E ngineers
( 1983)
A n ote o n t he t ext Much o f
t he d etail i n t he e xcavation s ummaries
p resented h ere was
i nitially c irculated i n t he C orozal P roject's two I nterim R eports ( Hammond, e d., 1 973, 1 975), which were p rinted i n small e ditions f or i ntraprofessional u se, y ears
t o
t hose
and which have b een u navailable f or s everal
r equiring
c opies
f or t hemselves.
The
1 973 a nd 1 975
t exts were written b y N .H. f rom t he excavation s upervisors' r eports, a nd
t hose
a ccounts
h ave
n ow
b een
r ewritten
s lightly
with e rrors c orrected where t hese had b een noted. r eports o n t he 1 978, 1 982 a nd 1 983 e xcavations i nto published a rticles ( Chase a nd Hammond, Hammond
e t
a l.
1 985);
t hey
a lso have
f or
t his
v olume,
T he s upervisors'
were s ubsumed d irectly 1 982, Hammond, 1 983,
b een s lightly r ecast f or t his
v olume . T he o riginal e xcavation s upervisors r emain a s c o-authors o f t he c hapters i n which t heir c ontributions h ave b een p laced, b ut t he f inal t ext i s, f or g ood o r i ll, t he r esponsibility o f N .H ., and e rrors o f
omission ,
c ommission a nd i nterpretation s hould n ot
b e
b lamed o n t he
o ther a uthors. While published
t he in
F ormative
P ring
p eriod
( 1977a),
r emains t o b e s tudied,
t he
p ottery C lassic
f rom a nd
Nohmul
1 973-74
P ostclassic
i s
m aterial
t ogether with p ottery o f a ll p eriods f rom t he
N ohmul P roject i nvestigations a nd c hipped/ground s tone,
s hell a nd o ther '
artefacts,
will
animal,
p lant
s ubsequent N ohmul P roject
and human
r eports.
1 2
r emains.
These
a ppear i n
C HAPTER 1 T HE E NVIRONMENT O F N ORTHERN B ELIZE b y R oy C harles McDonald a nd N orman H ammond I NTRODUCTION T he c ountry o f B elize i s s ituated o n t he e ast
c oast
o f
t he Yucatan
P eninsula, C entral America, n orth a nd e ast o f Guatemala a nd south o f Mexico ( Fig.
1 .1).
T o t he east o f B elize l ie t he Gulf o f Honduras a nd
t he C aribbean S ea .
A pproximately o ne
l evel a nd 1 50 m above s ea l evel.
t hird
o f
B elize
l ies
b etween s ea
The n orthern p art o f t he c ountry i s
e specially l ow-lying, with v ery f ew p laces r eaching more t han 1 50 m a bove s ea l evel, R iver,
maximum i n
o f
1 120
B elize.
Mountains, S ea,
a nd n one r eaching a bove 3 00 m .
i n a bout t he m iddle o f t he c ountry, m a bove
s ea
a rea
which
The
a t V ictoria P eak ,
c oncerns
u s
l ies
a lthough
s ome
m ention
will
b e
made
T he s outhern b oundary
N orthern B oundary F ault, t he Maya M ountains,
s outh o f
o f
which
o f
r ise t o a
h ighest
n orth
o f
r ises
i ncrease s lightly t oward t he w est, o f
t he
g eography
o f
northern
s tudy
p oint
t he
i s
Maya
a djacent
r egion b egins . t he
e ssentially
B elize
n ot
t o
f ormed b y
t he u plifted f ault
r egion a re i s
a reas
r egion
a nd a d ifferent n atural
b oundaries
a djacent a reas
t he
t he
e levations
The
t he
b etween t he G uatemalan a nd Mexican b orders a nd t he C aribbean
n orthern B elize . o f
l evel
S outh o f t he B elize
t he Maya Mountains
t he
b lock
A lthough
western a nd n orthern
p olitical ;
s ignificantly
t he
p hysical
d ifferent
f rom
i n G uatemala a nd M exico.
g eology
o f
n orthern
B elize
i n
g eneral
has
b een
mapped
b y
s everal workers, f rom K arl S apper ( 1899) a nd L eslie Ower ( 1928 , 1 929) t o Wright e t a l ( 1959), with a s pecialist a rticle b y Flores ( 1952) b eing among t he most d etailed t reatments, and t he d iscussion b y B uterlin a nd Bonet ( 1963) among t he most r ecent. J ohnson ( in Turner a nd H arrison , 1 983, F ig .2-4) , p refers t he G uatemalan i nterpretation o f t he l imestone g eology o f n orthern B elize t o t hat g iven b y C .G . a nd i ncorporated i n W right e t a l ( 1959,
F ig .V) .
I n
t his
D ixon
t reatment,
t he
e ntire r idge b etween t he R io H ondo a nd t he R io N uevo c onsists o f U pper T ertiary O ligocene-Pliocene c arbonates, m ainly l imestone , while D ixon d istinguishes b etween f ragmented Eocene l imestone i n t he s outh, a nd n orth f rom Nohmul a P liocene c oral l imestone .
B oth have t he
r iver
v alleys a nd s wamp d epressions f illed w ith Q uaternary a lluvium . The more d etailed a ccount o f t he environment which f ollows b ased o n t he
i s
1 978 f ield w ork b y M cDonald.
G EOMORPHOLOGY General
morphology .
The
most
n orthern B elize i s an orth-northeast
c onspicuous
t rending
r elief
r idge which
f eature r uns
i n
a long
t he r ivers R io B ravo a nd R io Hondo n ear t he Mexican B order ( Fig.1.2). I t
extends
s outhward i nto
t he
P eten S tate
o f
G uatemala ,
a nd
n orthward
i nto Quintana Roo, Mexico, where i t r eaches t he c oast a t P unta Nohku. T his
l inear f eature,
m ore
t han 2 00 m a bove s ea l evel ,
5 0 m above s ea l evel.
r eferred t o h ere a s
t he R io h ondo r idge,
while a djacent
Ten k ilometers
1 3
t o
t he
r ises
l owlands a re l ess e ast
o f
t he
t han
R io H ondo
r idge
i s
a nother
northeast f eature,
p rominent
t rending
r elief
r idge
a s
f eature ,
much
a s
4 0
which
c onsists
m above
s ea
r eferred t o h ere a s t he San Pablo r idge,
i nto G uatemala ,
where
t he
r idge
b ecomes
m ore
o f
a n orth-
l evel.
T his
e xtends s outhward
n orth-easterly .
I t
a lso
e xtends n orthward i nto M exico , a pproximately p arallel t o t he R io H ondo r idge. On b oth s ides o f t he S an Pablo r idge t here a re l ow, swampy areas which a re d rained b y t he R io Hondo o n t he west, and b y t he N ew R iver o n t he e ast s ide o f c oast and
o f
B elize
t roughs.
O ffshore,
C aribbean S ea c onsists B etween t he
r idge,
t hree
t o
o f
t rends o f t he f eatures c oast.
t he r idge.
a re p erhaps
t he
east
o f
B elize,
t rending r idges
t he
f loor
s imilar r idge a nd t rough t opography ,
o f
t he
w ith t he
b ecoming more north-easterly away f rom
B elizean
c oast
t he
a nd t he n ortheast-trending C ayman
t he a pparent s outhern b oundary o f t he North American P late,
t here a re
f our m ajor s ubmarine r idges which a re a pproximately p arallel
t o
t he
o f
t he major s ubmarine r idges,
r idges
f ound
i n n orthern B elize
t rend ( Dillon and V edder, h as
B etween t he New R iver a nd t he
more n orth-northeast
b een
t raced
more
1 973) and a s
t han 5 00 km
t he w estern t ip o f C uba .
( Dillon a nd
V edder ,
1 973) .
O ne
r eferred t o a s t he T urneffe - C hinchorro
A nother
t he o uter r idge
( Bale,
t o t he n ortheast o f B elize, s ubmarine
r idge
i n t he
1 970),
n early t o
s ea n ortheast
o f B elize r uns parallel t o t he o uter r idge ( Bale, 1 970), f rom Punta N ohka o n t he Mexican c oast t o a t l east 2 1 °2 5' N l atitude . T his l inear f eature,
r eferred t o a s t he i nshore r idge b y B ale ( 1970), i s b elieved
b y t he writers t o b e a n o ffshore c ontinuation o f t he R io H ondo r idge o f n orthern B elize . T his i s t he f irst d iscovery o f a d irect r elationship b etween o nshore a nd o ffshore r elief i n t he w estern C aribbean a rea . The
d egrees
t o
which
t he
r idges
i n n orthern
d issected d epends upon t heir e levations.
B elize
h ave
T he R io Hondo r idge,
b een
which
r eaches a maximum o f about 2 50 m a bove s ea l evel i s d issected i nto a k arstic l andscape o f h ills a nd d epressions h aving r elative r elief much a s 1 00 m . B lue
Creek
o f a s
This r idge i s a lso c ut b y a major g orge t hrough which
f lows,
d raining
t he
n orth-northeast
o riented
R io
A zul
Valley, Guatemala, which i s immediately t o t he west o f t he R io Hondo r idge. S ome o f t he most impressive karstic d epressions i n t he R io Hondo r idge a re c enotes; s teep-sided l imestone d epressions which c ontain
p ermanent
d issected. l andscape
l akes.
c an
c haracterized
S an
Pablo
b e
d escribed
a s
a g ently
b y b road c losed d epressions
on t he S an Pablo r idge,
r idge
i s
not
v ery
much
g round surface, s urface
karstic
p lain
I n p laces
and o n well d rained l ands e ast o f
t he r idge,
r ocks s how a m arked h ardening a t o r n ear t he
i n s ome p laces a s l ayers
undulating
a nd r olling h ills .
t he u nlithified c alcareous s uch h ard
T he
The r elative r elief i s g enerally l ess t han 3 0 m , a nd t he
i s
much a s 2 m t hick .
n ot k nown ,
The o rigin o f
a lthough a n umber o f
h ypotheses
have b een o ffered f or t he phenomenon i n g eneral ( Goudie, 1 9-73).
T he
hard
a nd
s urface
l ayers
t end
t o
p rotect
p roduce s tability i n a reas which, c alcareous s ands, B etween t he
t he
g round
f rom
e rosion,
g iven t he erodability o f
marl
o r
l and
i n
m ight o therwise b e s everely d issected. r idges o f h igher,
r easonably well-drained
n orthern B elize a re l ow s wampy a reas which a re g enerally d rained t o t he s ea b y l ow-gradient r ivers, r un a lmost
s uch a s t he N ew R iver .
t he whole l ength o f northern B elize.
T hese
swampy a reas
A p ortion o f t hese
a reas i s m ade u p o f l ands f looded f or a t l east s even m onths while t he r emainder i s c haracterized b y o pen water.
1 4
e ach y ear , B ased o n
o bservations L agoon ,
i t
while
o f
s eries
a ppears
f looded,
s iltation . a reas
o f
t hat
s hore-line
t he a reas
marshy
l ands
T here a ppears
a re
o pen
i n
l agoons,
water
b ecoming
a re
s uch
a s
b ecoming
more
a nd
t his
t rend
S apote
smaller ,
extensive
t o b e a t rend t oward t he i nfilling o f
i n n orthern B elize,
i nfluence;
r idges
o f
d ue
t o
t he l ow
may b e q uickened b y
man's
e vidence o f a ccelerated e rosion i s w idespread i n t he r egion.
T erraces .
T he c oastal a nd f luvial
t erraces o f B elize a re n ot w ell
k nown ,
b ut i t i s u seful h ere
made.
D ixon ( 1956) r eported t he o ccurrence o f t erraces 2 1 m and 1 5 m
t o r ecord t he o bservations which h ave b een
a bove t he B elize R iver i n t he v icinity o f C ayo . 1 5
m h igh
t errace
c omprising
a ppears
a l arge
s ubstantial a reas
a rea
t o
o f
b e
t he
H e a lso n oted t hat
t he
t he most extensive i n t he c ountry; T oledo
D istrict
i n t he N orth S tann C reek V alley,
i n
t he
s outh,
and
a nd o n t he west s ide
o f t he S outhern Lagoon, o pposite t he v illage o f Gales P oint. A b each d eposit o f c onglomerates, c ontaining f lattened l imestone b oulders, was found b y D ixon ( 1956) a t a h eight o f 1 2 m - 1 8 m above s ea l evel n ear O range
Walk
Town
i n
t he
n orth .
H e
f ound
another
e xtensive
b each
d eposit n orth o f Orange Walk Town which c onsists o f marl c ontaining m arine
s hells
a nd
f ragments
o f
c oral,
a nd which o ccurs
a t
a h eight
o f
1 0 .5 m a bove s ea l evel . D ixon ( 1956) r eported t hat t erraces a long t he S ibun R iver o ccur a t h eights b etween 9 m a nd 1 2 m , while t he writer h as measured t erraces i n t he same area b etween 1 4 m and
1 8 m h igh .
The
l owest t erraces i n B elize are f ound i n t he C orozal D istrict i n t he n orth where r aised b eaches 3 .5 m a nd 2 m a bove s ea l evel c an b e s een a long t he c oast. The a ges o f t he t erraces i n B elize a re not known; however, work d one
north
Cozumel,
o f
B elize,
o n
i s o f i nterest.
t he
c oast
o f
Mexico
n ear
t he
i sland
o f
S zabo e t a l. ( 1978) u sed t he uranium-series
d ating m ethod ( 230Th) t o d etermine t he a ges o f c oral d eposited d uring t he l ast h igh s ea l evel s tand i n t he Late P leistocene. These c orals w ere d eposited when t he s ea s tood 3 m - 6 m h igher t han t he p resent s ea l evel, a nd a ccording t o S zabo e t a l. ( 1978) t his o ccurred 1 20,000 t o 1 25,000 y ears l ower
t han
a go .
l owest t erraces D istrict,
S ubsequent s ea
t he p resent
m ay
l evel s tands o ccurred
( Szabo e t a l.
1 978).
r eported i n B elize,
b e a s
m uch a s
a t
This
o nly a t
s uggests
l evels
t hat
t he
3 .5 m a nd 2 m i n t he C orozal
1 25,000 y ears
o ld .
G EOLOGY S tratigraphy .
T he b asement
r ocks
o f n orthern B elize a re P aleozoic
g ranitic , m etamorphic , a nd m arine s edimentary r ocks o f t he S anta R osa Formation, which l ie a t a d epth o f 1 ,000 m - 2 ,100 m b elow s ea l evel ( Viniegra O .,
1 971).
T hese
r ocks a re i ntensely f olded a nd
p robably
c omprise a p ortion o f t he P aleozoic C aribbean - Antillean g eosyncline which h as n orth-northeast t o e ast t rends i n B elize ( Viniegra 0 ., 1 971) . I n t he s ea northeast o f B elize t he g eosynclinal z one o f f olded r ocks a ppears
t o
c urve
metamorphic H ispaniola
t o
r ocks
t he
o n
( Khudoley
t he
a nd
e ast
a nd
I sle
o f P ines,
M eyerhoff,
t o
t he
1 971)
e ast-southeast.
C uba, a ppear
F olded
a nd o n t he i sland o f t o
f orm
a p ortion
o f
t his v ast P aleozoic g eosyncline. ' O verlying
t he
P aleozoic
b asement
r ocks
a re
c ontinental
o r r ed b eds, o f Jurassic t o Early C retaceous age.
1 5
d eposits,
Early C retaceous
c arbonates a nd a nhydrites r ocks
a re
overlain
d olomites
which
p robably
l aid
l imestones,
a re
b y h ard ,
d own
w ith
a re n ext Late
a s
i n t he s tratigraphic s equence ;
C retaceous
g enerally a s ingle
o ccasional
r eef
t o
Eocene
t hick-bedded f acies
o f
l imestones
t o
t hese
l imestones
m assive,
b ackreef
and
i ntermixed
a nd
a nd w ere l agoonal
( Flores ,
1 952) .
T hese s urface o r n ear-surface l imestones h ave b een s ampled a nd e xamined b y R . McD . Twentyseven s amples w ere e xamined u nder t he m icroscope a nd c lassified
into
three
main
g roups:
1 .
original
texture
not
o bliterated ; 2 . h igh d egree o f a lteration ; a nd 3 . c rystalline . O ut o f t he t otal number o f samples, o nly 2 were c lassified i nto g roup 1 , having most o f t heir o riginal t exture p reserved. s amples
a re
f ossil
m ainly
c asts
a nd
c omposed v eins.
o f
m icrite ,
One
o f
B oth o f t hese r ock
w ith o ccasional
t hese
m icrites
c ement-filled
s hows
e vidence
o f
d edolomi ti zat i on, in t hat c haracteristic r hombic v oids f loat i n t he micritic
g roundmass.
E leven
r ock
s amples
( 41%
o f
t he
t otal) were
c lassified i nto g roup 2 , s howing a h igh d egree o f a lteration . S even o f t hese a re micrites i n which a re p reserved a bundant r elics o f f ossil; d egraded f ossils r epresented b y p atches o f f ine-grained s par . A further t hree s amples within g roup 2 show a v ery a dvanced d egree o f a lteration ,
a nd have
b een
t ermed
c rypogenic ;
t hese
a re
s parites
which
s how o nly s cattered n egative r elics o f l argely o bliterated d epositional t extures. O ut o f t he t otal o f 2 7 s amples, 1 4 ( 52%) were c lassified into
g roup
3 ,
s howing
c rystalline
t extures
without
a ny
t races
o f
o bliterated d epositional t extures . T hese r anged f rom e xtremely f ineg rained o r s ilty, t o c oarse-grained s parites, h alf o f which a re d olomites. I n northern B elize t he Late Cretaceous t o Eocene l imestones a re o verlain
b y :
1 .
m arl
c ontaining h ard
f ragmental
l imestone ,
a pparently
d erived f rom t he underlying hard l imestones, and r eferred t o a s t he " Boulder B eds" ( Dixon , 1 956) ; 2 . B oulder B eds i nterbedded w ith G ypsum c lays;
3 .
1 952) ; o f
marl c ontaining Miocene t o P leistocene f ossils ( Flores,
4 .
c alcareous
q uartz.
T he
g enerally
a t
1 5
t hickness.
m
i n
s ands ;
5 .
d istribution
p resent
underlying Late
o f
( Fig .1.3) ; North
C retaceous
s and
t hese
t hey o f
a nd
r ange
t he
g ravel
c omposed
u nlithified
f rom a bout
B elize
t o E ocene
r ocks
r iver
l imestones
i s
p rimarily k nown
o nly
m ore
t han
4 i n t o
exposures and
o f
d olomites
t he. a re
r arely s een o utside q uarries. S tructural g eology . ( 1928, 1 929) and Dixon d ominated
b y
A ccording t o t he g eological r eports o f Ower ( 1956) t he l elief o f n orthern B elize i s
n orth-northeast
t rending
f aults,
which
f orm
a s eries
o f
b lock-faulting r idges a nd t roughs . T he g eological s urveys o f O wer a nd D ixon , h owever , were n ot p rimarily c oncerned w ith n orthern B elize, a n a rea which Ower ( 1929) c onsidered t o b e a t
t he
t ime
o f
h is
n ot c onclusive . a re
writing ,
l ines
o f
n orth
o f
a bout
d islocation" . t he
M aya
g eological
Mountains
b oth s eem
D ixon
( 1956)
a re
p robably
t here
t o t he N ew R iver" .
w rote :
t o f ollow a long " In
s ome
morphology c ase h as
o f
t he
which d oes
b een f ound
r iver
c ourses;
a
I n b oth o f
f eature
i ndicate a s tructural b y R .
McD.
t o
1 6
b e
o f
c ontrol,
r elated
t o
t he
c ountry
p rominent
s urveys t he p robability o f f aulting i n n orthern B elize was s traightness
i nterest"
" The R io Hondo a nd t he New R iver
1 0 m iles a part .
S imilarly,
whose s trikes a re p arallel
l ittle
a nd t he e vidence p resented f or f aulting i s
Ower ( 1928) wrote:
p arallel s treams
" of
f aults
t hese e arlier b ased o n t he
r iver
c hannel
b ut which i n t his
t he
f olding o f
t he
r ocks a nd n ot t o f aulting . U nfortunately, t he f aulting t heory h as b een r epeated i n m any i mportant g eological p ublications o n C entral America a nd t he C aribbean r egion , i ncluding t he m ajor w ork b y S chuchert ( 193 9 . D illon a nd V edder ( 1973) u sed t he a ssumptions o f O wer ( 1928) a nd D ixon ( 1956) o n f aulting i n n orthern B elize a s t he b asis o f t heir i nterpretation o f m ore t han 2 ,100 km o f s eismicreflection p rofiles o f t he C aribbean S ea-floor e ast o f B elize . N ew e vidence .
G eological i nvestigations n orth o f t he B elize R iver
a re h indered b y a s carcity o f s ignificant n atural o r man-made r ock e xposures . N evertheless, t he f ew e xposures which d o e xist a re o f g reat i nterest ; s everal q uarries a nd a n e xposure c ut b y t he B lue R iver w ere e specially v aluable i n o ur o wn i nvestigation . T he f irst o f t he q uarries i s l ocated W alk T own .
n ear t he v illage o f S an A ntonio , 1 4 km n orthwest o f O range I t i s c ut i nto t he e ast-southeast f acing e scarpment o f t he
R io H ondo r idge a nd e xposes a 3 0 m h igh s ection o f l imestones a nd m arl ( Fig . 1 .4). T he o ldest r ocks i n t he s ection a re L ate C retaceous t o E ocene l imestones; massive r eef l imestones i n t he l ower p art o f t he s ection a nd t hick-bedded l imestones i n t he u pper p art . O verlying t hese r ocks i s marl which c ontains m uch f ragmental h ard l imestone . Most s ignificantly , t he r ocks a re f olded i nto a b road a nticlinal s tructure , the f lanks o f which d ip 1 7 ° west-northwest a nd 1 3° e ast-southeast . A f ault s hown o n Ower's ( 1928) g eological map a s o ccurring a long t he f ront o f t he e scarpment n ear t his q uarry c ould n ot b e l ocated i n t he f ield . f ace o f
A n orth-northeast s triking f ault was, h owever, f ound i n t he t he q uarry 2 0 m f rom t he b ase o f t he e scarpment, w here m assive
r eef l imestones o n t he e astern s ide o f t he f ault h ave b een u plifted, a nd n ow l ie a gainst t he y ounger t hick-bedded l imestones o n t he w estern s ide o f t he f ault . T he f ault c uts t hrough t he L ate C retaceous t o E ocene l imestones, b ut i t c ould n ot b e t raced i nto t he o verlying m arl ; t hus t he f aulting p re-dates t he d eposition o f t he m arl a nd t he f olding o f t he l imestones a nd marl . A llowing f or t he t ilting o f t he f aultp lane d ue t o f olding, t he f ault a ppears t o r esult f rom h igh a ngle t hrusting . A lthough t wo 6 0 m - 8 0 m w ide c enotes w hich o ccur a long t he f ault a ttest t o i ts i mportance i n d irecting t he k arstification o f t he l imestones,
i t i s u nlikely t hat t he f aulting p roduced t he R io Hondo
r idge . T he u pfaulted b lock a ctually f orms t he l owland r elief e ast o f t he r idge , a nd t his i s a nother i ndication t hat t he f ault i s a ncient . F urther e vidence o f t he f olding o f t he R io H ondo r idge c an b e s een 3 4 km s outh-southeast o f S an Antonio, where B lue C reek g orge c uts t hrough t he r idge.
H ere t he l imestones have a lso b een f olded i nto a
b road a nticline , a nd t he f ront o f t he e astern e scarpment i s f ormed b y t he l imestones, which d ip 1 4° e ast-southeast . I n t he s ame a rea , i n a s hallow q uarry o n t he t op o f t he r idge , t he l imestones s how a s imilar b road a nticlinal s tructure, with t he e ast-southeast d ipping b eds f orming t he s lope o f t he e astern f lank o f t he R io H ondo r idge . I n t his l ocation t he Late C retaceous t o E ocene l imestones c rop o ut a t t he s urface , a nd a 5 m d eep w eathered l ayer o f g ranular r egolith a nd h ard , c orroded
c ore
s tones
i s
t he B lue C reek g orge,
d eveloped .
c ould f aulting b e p roved A nother
q uarry
o f
N owhere
e ither
i n
t his
q uarry,
i n
o r n ear t he e astern b ase o f t he R io H ondo r idge i n t he
s pecial
f ield . i nterest
O range W alk T own o n t he S an P ablo r idge ,
1 7
i s
l ocated
5 .5
km
s outwest
w hich h ere r eaches a bout 2 6
o f m
above s ea l evel. I n t his q uarry a 1 0 m h igh s ection i s exposed which c onsists o f 4 m o f m arl c ontaining h ard f ragmental l imestone , o verlying t hick-bedded L ate C retaceous t o E ocene l imestones . B oulders o f m assive r eef l imestones a re f ound i n t he quarry amongst t ips o f worked marl. T he m ost s ignificant f eature o f
t he q uarry i s t hat
i t e xposes t he c rest
o f an orth-northeast t rending a nti-cline, t he f lanks o f which d ip a t 3 0 °. o f
T hus
t he S an P ablo r idge,
t he f olding o f
t he
Implications.
The
C aribbean S ea e ast ( 1973,
l ike t he R io H ondo r idge,
i s
t he r esult
l imestones which u nderlie n orthern B elize .
o f
s ubmarine
B elize
was
r idge
a nd
t rough
i nterpreted
b y
r elief
D illon
o f
and
t he
V edder
2 716) b ased o n t he a ssumptions o f Ower ( 1928) and D ixon ( 1956)
c oncerning f eatures
faulting
a re
Freshwater Honduras, o ffshore
i n
n orthern
e ssentially
C reek,
and
B elize:
p arallel
o ther
t o
smaller
" These
t he
R io
r ivers
l inear
H ondo,
i n
s ea-floor N ew
R iver,
n orthern
B ritish
which a re t hought t o b e f ault-controlled d rainages.
b asement
f aulting
a long
" Presumably, o riginally
b locks
t he
t he
p resumably
c ontinental
c ontinental
f ormed
a s
r ifted,
w ere
f ormed a s
margin' :
margins
They
o f
t railing e dge
a r esult went
o n
T he
o f
n ormal
t o
s tate:
t he
northwest
C aribbean
p late
b oundaries
d uring
t he
o pening o f t he Yucatan B asin" ( Dillon a nd V edder, 1 973, 2 727). O ur f indings o n t he o ccurrence o f f olding a nd t hrust-faulting i n n orthern B elize
r un c ontrary
a nd s uggest
t hat
t o t he
i nterpretations
t he r idge a nd
o f D illon a nd V edder
( 1973) ,
t rough r elief o f n orthern B elize a nd
t he
western Caribbean S ea r esults f rom c ompression r ather t han t ension . T his a ppears
t o
m ean t hat
i nstead o f
b ecoming w ider ( Dillon a nd V edder ,
1 973) , t he w estern C aribbean S ea i s b eing r educed i n s ize a s t he N orth American P late and t he C aribbean P late c ollide and t he r ocks o f t he s ea-floor a re c ompressed a nd d eformed . I t
i s
worth
mentioning h ere
t hat
t he
o il
a nd g as p otential o f
f olded c arbonates i s f ar s uperior t o t hat o f s imilar r ocks which h ave b een faulted. This r esearch may have major c onsequences f or t he o il and
g as
p otential
C aribbean r egion .
o f
o nshore
F urthermore ,
and
o ffshore
t he f indings
a reas
i n
t he
B elize a re s ignificant with r espect t o t he p otential hard s tone
r esources
o f
t he a rea .
N orthern H ighway P roject,
F ollowing
b uilding s tone
r egional
g eology,
r esources a re
a nd
c ompletion o f
p roven hard l imestone
o nly f or o ne m ore m ajor h ighway p roject . t he
t he
s ources
H owever ,
b elieve
t hat
b uilding
t he a re
c urrent a dequate
p resent e stimates o f
b ased upon a f alse
writers
western
o n t he g eology o f n orthern
t he
p icture o f
p otential
i s
t he m uch
g reater t han i s n ow r ecognized. C LIMATE Y early r ainfall i n B elize
r anges
B elize t o more t han 4 06
cm i n
c ountry
s eason
e xperience
b eginning
i n
b eginning o f 1 959) ,
b ut
f rom o ne month . month
a d ry
F ebruary
t o
amounts
t he
experience
s eason, t he
l asting
l asting d uring
n ext,
R ainfall amounts a re wet
f rom l ess
t han 1 52 c m i n n orthern
extreme s outh . t hree
t hrough
t o
A ll
f our
March
p arts
m onths, a nd
o f
t he
u sually
April.
T he
t he d ry s eason i s not v ery p redictable ( Wright e t a l.,
r ainfall y ear
and
t he
and
g reatest
i t
t he
d ry
s eason
i n n orthern B elize l ess
p redictable
a ppears
d epartures
1 8
t hat f rom
d o
d uring t he
t he wettest t he
n ot
v ary
g reatly
averagi ng 8 .8 cm p er e ight
a reas
m ean a nnual
t o n ine
i n B elize
r ainfall .
A ll
o f t he c ountry, a part f rom t he e xtreme s outh, i n t he v icinity o f P unta G orda, experiences a d ouble r ainfall p eak; t he more p ronounced p eak o ccurs i n October, July.
while t he l ess p ronounced p eak o ccurs i n J une o r
T ropical r evolving s torms
s ometimes
c ontribute
s ubstantial
amounts o f r ainfall o ver s hort p eriods o f t ime; May, J une, July, a nd O ctober a re
m onths
when s uch s torms
a re
m ost
l ikely
t o d evelop
i n t he
r egion. T emperatures
r ange f rom a m ean a nnual m inimum o f
m ean annual maximum o f 3 1.1 l ies s ome T he
1 8 .1 °C± 9 .1
f or t he Yo C reek s tation,
m aximum
t he p eriod
t emperatures
1 965-1970
a re
( Walker ,
3 7.2 °C ,
t he
l owest
m inima
m onthly
t emperatures
p ronounced d ry s eason . The
annual
W right e t weather
a l .
a bove
p rogression
p attern
1 8 °C ,
a nd i t
o f
weather
may b e
a bove
( Fig .
c ool n ortherly
r eplaced b y s outheast
t o
f rom
b egin
was
a nd
d escribed
Wright
t he e t
d ie
a
o nshore .
o utline
t o
with a ll
1 000mm/yr ,
B elize
1 .5,
winds
t rade winds,
r ainfall d uring t he month .
i n
u seful h ere
i n n orthern B elize
I n J anuary s trong,
r ainfall
P revailing w inds a re f rom t he e ast,
( 1959) ,
4 .4 °C
1 973) .
T he c limate o verall falls within K oeppen's Amw c lass, m ean
t o a
°
which
2 0 km s outh o f Nohmul on t he c rest o f t he S an P ablo r idge.
h ighest
o ver
°C 3 z4.5 °
b y
m onthly
a l.
d own
1 959) .
and
a re
which account f or a bout 5 cm o f
I n s ome y ears
northwesterly
winds
may
r emain s trong d uring J anuary, producing more t han 1 5 cm o f monthly r ainfall . During F ebruary n orthern B elize i s a ffected b y f airly d ry e asterly i n
t he
w inds,
p roducing
extreme
a lthough
t hey
2 .5
cm
northwest. a re
o ver m uch o f
Dry
e asterly
o ccasionally
t he n orth a nd a bout 5 cm
winds
b roken u p
b y
c ontinue
i n
c onvectional
March,
s howers.
T oward t he e nd o f A pril t he e asterly winds a re r eplaced b y
c onvectional
s torms,
May
o ften
a ccompanied
b y
s eason b ecomes e stablished . a nd
i ntense
c onventional
month when t he t his
p art
o f
t he
s torms
I ntertropical
t he C aribbean .
i nfluence
cm
a nd
to
20
cm
o f
c haracterized n orthern Rainfall
o f
t he
t urbulence b y
rain t he
d uring May, t o t he n ext . i s
Z one
o f
o f
t he
t his
i s
( I.T.C.Z.) a rrives
c entimeters
s trongest;
each
t he
wet
o f
t he in
r ainfall m ay
a lthough t he v ariation i s J une a nd J uly a re months when
c haracteristic .
d ying a way
i n
c oming f rom t he s outheast ; C onvergence
d uring
U sually
May a re t owering t hunder c louds
T en t o t welve
I .T .C.Z. a re
winds.
T ypical o f
f all in northern B elize c onsiderable f rom o ne y ear w inds
westerly
s trong,
N orthern these
i nfluence
s teady e asterly
B elize
months. o f
t he
r eceives
1 8
August
i s
I .T .C .Z .
i n t he
p art o f B elize, a nd dry westerly winds o ccur a t t imes. i s higher a long t he c oast, with t he north r eceiving i n a ll
a bout 2 2 cm o f
r ainfall .
S eptember i s
a month o f
l ight, v ariable n orth
a nd west w inds. E vening a nd n ight t ime s howers a re c ommon a long t he c oast , where m oist s ea a ir m eets t he r apidly c ooling a ir c oming f rom l and a reas n orthern
t o
t he n orth and
B elize
west.
R ainfall o f
d uring S eptember.
i ncrease i n f requency, a nd r ainfall d ecreases a bout
1 5 cm .
I n t his m onth s trong n orth w inds
l ight n orth w inds b ring c oastal , r ains. c ontinue t o b e s trong , b egins
t o
dry
d uring
R ainfall a verages
a bout
2 8 cm i s normal f or
During October
t he
f rom S eptember 's
1 3 cm t his
1 9
winds
2 8 cm t o
b ring d ry w eather ,
while
D uring N ovember t he n orth w ind
w ith o ccasional e asterly w inds . November,
north
except m onth .
f or
a n arrow
N orthern B elize c oastal
z one .
C limatic c hange .
V ery
l ittle
work
h as
b een
d one
o n
i n t he c limate o f northern B elize and a djacent a reas. t he
writers
( 1973) .
a re
T his
aware
was
o f
o f
and Holocene l imestones C ontoy,
having
a s tudy
Muyeres,
and
d one
Ward
i n
t he
a rea
c ementation
i n Q uintana R oo,
C ancun .
P leistocene t he c limate i t i s a t p resent, b ut
b een
i ntergranular
Mexioo,
c oncluded
p ast i s
i n
work i s
c limatic
d one
c hange
b y
Ward
P leistocene
o n t he i slands
t hat
d uring
t he
o f
L ate
was c onsiderably d rier a nd m ore s easonal t han t hat a t l east s ince 3 ,000 B .P. c ementation
patterns i ndicate a c limate s imilar t o t he p resent o ne. m ore
c hanges
The o nly work
o n t he
p roblem,
w e
h ave n o e vidence
i n n orthern B elize d uring t he l ast
Thus, until
f or s ignificant
3 ,000 y ears .
S OILS T he work
s oils
b y
o f
n orthern
Wright
i nformation , various
et
s oil t ypes.
findings
o f
d ivided
i nto
m aterials
t wo
a re
which
c oncerning t he
m ainly
et
t he
al.
a rea .
g roups
An which
o r
a nd
partly
o f
n orthern
s oils
n oncalcareous .
c omposed o f a nd
r ocks
t he
c omposed
a re
t hat
o f
o f
o f
t he
o ur
B elize r ocks
own
c an
b e
a nd
t he
c arbonate m inerals
minerals.
Most
o f
t he
which
a s
i n a re
c alcite
t o f orm
a re
weathering
o n
s tyle
r ocks
i nsoluble w eathering p roducts r ocks,
s oil
d eveloped
d ue t o
s oluble
c omprise
B elize,
s oils
B ecause
t han on n oncalcareous
i nsoluble
o f
t hey a re t hin ,
weathered.
b uild-up
much s lower
upon
C alcareous
c haracteristic i s
m ore t han 5 0% o f s uch e ntirely
d olomite ,
s oil i s
g eneral
( carbonate) r ocks
c arbonate
g eneral
d epending u pon whether t he s oil-forming p arent
c alcareous
important
p ublished
i s b ased p artly upon t he
t he majority o f t he parent material i n n orthern f ormation o n t hese r ocks w ill b e d iscussed f irst .
c alcareous
t he
useful
a gricultural p otential
( 1959), T he
f rom
c ontains
This s ection o n s oils
Wright i n
a re k nown
( 1959),
p articularly
investigations
B elize
al.
a
m ainly
p roducts
p roduced i n a reas u nderlain b y c arbonate r ocks a re t ransported o ut o f t he a reas a s d issolved l oad within t he g round a nd s urface waters. T he r esidual
m ineral
s oils
a re
d erived
o nly
f rom
t he
impurities
c ontained
i n t he c arbonate r ocks, which i n n orthern B elize a ppear t o c ompose o nly a small f raction o f t he t otal weight o f t he c alcareous p arent r ocks. The L ate C retaceous t o E ocene l imestones a nd d olomites w ere f ound t o average 9 9.61% c alcite o r d olomite, Thus,
o nly
b y weight,
b ased on 1 9 s amples.
a n average o f 0 .59% o f t he t otal weight o f t hese r ocks i s
available f or
m ineral s oil f ormation .
Analyses o f o ther c arbonate
s equences i n n orthern B elize h ave n ot y et b een c arried o ut, b ut f ield inspection o f t he r ocks in t he a rea i ndicate t hat t hey a re quite pure ( very
h igh
p ercentage
o f
s oluble
minerals),
a nd
t he
t hin
s oils
d eveloped o n t he r ocks a ppear t o c onfirm t his a ssessment. There
a ppear
t o
b e
t hree
main
c alcareous
s oil-forming p arent
materials i n northern B elize: 1 , t he h ard L ate C retaceous t o E ocene l imestones a nd d olomites; 2 . marl c ontaining h ard f ragmental l imestone ( Boulder
b eds) ;
indurated
d istribution o f b est
a nd
layer
a vailable i n
t he
u nconsolidated
the
soi t-rock
t hese p arent d ata a t
C retaceous t o Eocene mainly
3 .
at
t his
m aterials t ime .
l imestones
s outh and
l imestones
c haracterized
interface. i s
S oils
s hown
( Fig .
The 1 .3)
b y
a n
approximate b ased o n
t he
f ormed d irectly u pon t he L ate
a nd d olomites o ccur i n l arge a reas
s outhwest p ortion o f
20
t he s tudy a rea .
T his
i ncludes uplands
t he J olja S et o f o f
s oils which a re d eveloped o n t he well d rained
t he R io Hondo
r idge .
These
r ocks
a re
d eeply
weathered;
l ocations examined b y t he writer were c omprised o f 5 m o f g ranular w eatherned cm
t hick
r egolith ,
a re
c ontaining
d eveloped
t he R io H ondo
r idge ,
o n
i n
t he
g ranular
a l ow
t he Ramgoat S et are f ound;
c orroded
c ore
s tones .
r egolith .
a rea a djacent
t o
B rown
s oils
Immediately
B ooth 's
R iver ,
e ast
o f
s oils
o f
t hese d iffer f rom t he J olja S et mainly i n
t heir p oor d rainage which g ives t hem a d ark y ellow-brown c olor . d rainage
i mproves
t oward
t he
with t he S an Pablo r idge, C hacluum S et,
which a lso
t o E ocene r ocks . o f
T o t he
t he Y axa S et,
e xists
e ast
o n
with a r ise
n orth a nd
a lso d eveloped
( 1959,
A s
e levation a ssociated g ives
way t o t he
t o b e d eveloped o n t he L ate C retaceous s outh o f
o n
t he
t he C hacluum
S an P ablo
t o whether t he
t he Late C retaceous
Wright e t a l.
i n
t he Ramgoat S et o f s oils a ppear
i n t he writers' m ind a s
d eveloped
3 0
r idge .
whole
o f
S et
s oils
q uestion
t he Y axa S et
i s
t o Eocene l imestones a nd d olomites .
6 9) c ited t he exposure i n a s ingle
" blocky and massive" l imestone,
a re
S ome
l ocation o f
" without b edding o r d ipping",
which
a ppears t o d escribe p ortions o f t he Late C retaceous t o Eocene r ocks. H owever , S et t o
t he
writers
b elieve
t hat
t he
n orthernmost
may b e d eveloped o n m arl c ontaining f ragmental a s
t he
B oulder B eds
North o f,
b y
D ixon
a reas
o f
l imestone ,
t he
Y axa
r eferred
( 195 0 .
and i nterfingering with t he Yaxa S et a re s oils o f t he
Lazaro S et, which c over a s ignificant p ortion o f t he S an Pablo r idge. T hese s oils a re f ormed o n s trata r eferred t o a s t he B oulder B eds; m arl with
f ragmental
C retaceous s oils
l imestone ,
t o E ocene
a re l ess
p robably
l imestones
a nd
d erived
f rom
t he
u nderlying L ate
A t
t he
C uello s ite
d olomites .
t han 4 0 cm d eep and h ave a s andy
c lay t exture.
t he They
r ange i n c olor f rom d ark g rey t o d ark b rown , a ccording t o t heir o rganic c ontents, f requently with g rey t o white mottling c lose t o b edrock, where f ragments o f t he parent material a re i ncorporated within t he s oil.
T he d rainage o f t he s oils i s moderate t o p oor d ue t o t he h igh
c lay c ontent, h eavy
and overland r unoff i s c haracteristic d uring t imes o f
r ainfall ,
p roducing
t o about 1 5 cm high.
a m icro-relief
o f n umerous
e rosional
m ounds
During t he d ry s eason t he s oils d evelop c racks
d ue t o t he s hrinkage o f t he c lays, a nd t he " churning" o f t he s oil i s c ommon f or t his r eason . S oils o f t he Lazaro S et also s urround t he N ohmul s ite n ear t he v illage o f S an P ablo. S oils d eveloped o n u nconsolidated l imestones c haracterized b y a s urface h ardening o r i nduration a re f ound o n t he S an P ablo r idge n orth o f
t he Lazaro S et s oils,
a nd a re
f ound extensively
e ast
o f
t he N ew
R iver n early t o t he c oast . T hese a re s oils o f t he R emate, L ouisville, P uluacax, Xaibe, and J obo S ets, which t end t o b e t hin ( 2.5 cm - 5 0 cm) and
p oorly
d rained
d ue
t o
t he
p resence
o f
t he
i ndurated l imestone a t t he s oil-rock i nterface . t hrough t he s oil
t ends
o f
l ayer,
t he i ndurated
o rigin o f
t o f low
l ayer
o f
c ompact,
Water which p ercolates
l aterally within t he s oil o n t he s urface
a nd p onding o ccurs
i n t he
l ow
l ying a reas .
T he
t he sub-soil i ndurated l ayers i n B elize has r eceived v ery
l ittle a ttention ;
f or a g eneral d iscussion o f t he p roblem t he r eader i s
r eferred t o t he w ork b y G oudie In a ddition
t o
t he
( 1973).
major areas underlain
b y
c alcareous
r ocks,
t here a re s izeable a reas underlain b y p redominantly quartz s and a nd g ravel
( Fig .
1 .3) .
T he
P uletan
a nd H aciapina
2 1
S ets
o f
s oils
c over
m ost
o f t hese s and and g ravel a reas, which a re known i n B elize a s " pine r idges" . T hese t hin s oils t ypically s how t he e ffects o f s evere s urface erosion b y o verland r unoff.
The s oils a re mainly r ed a nd y ellow i n
c olor ,
c emented
a nd a re
( laterite);
t ypically
w ell
f requently
t he
i n
l ateritic
s urface d ue t o t he s evere e rosion .
t he
B h orizon
B h orizon
i s
b y
i ron
e xposed
o xide
a t
t he
A s urface l ag o f i ron n odules i s
a lso c ommon a long w ith o ccasional m icro-terraces o f t ransported s and, which a re well s een from t he a ir a s i rregular l inear o r c oncentric f eatures .
W right e t a l .
( 1959,
m icro-terraces a re f ormed:
9 5) g ave a g ood d escription o f h ow s uch " a s heet o f water s everal i nches
a ccumulates o n t he s oil s urface d uring h eavy r ain . u sually v ery g ently t he
t opsoil
p articles
s loping - s o n early
b ecomes
b egin
b owled a long
t o
t he
t horoughly
f low
s urface
s lowly a s
n earest c reek o r swamp. f lows
d ownhill
l ike
t hat
r unoff
i s
with
water
a nd
downhill.
a s heet
o f
I n p laces,
a t hick
f lat
s aturated
S ome
water
e ither
v ery
s low;
s eparate
s oil p articles
a re
s lowly t owards
t he
m oves
t he whole o f
' soup' u ntil
t hick
The l andscape i s
t he
t he
s andy t opsoil
s lope
b ecomes m ore
g entle or until i t r eaches a s pot where s and h as b een d ropped b efore: h ere t he water r uns o ut o f t he ' soup' and d eposits t he s and" . A lso c ommon o n
t hese
c ones
mounds
o r
s treamlined,
s oils
a re
1 0
cm
t he g rasses
The
main
i nterrupted
n umerous, h igh,
g rass-covered
which
a re
i n
e rosional
s ome
p laces
while i n o ther p laces
d etermined l argely b y t he d istribution a nd
a nd s edges w hich a ct a s s tabilizing a gents.
c alcareous
b y areas
c oastal s oils, R iver,
o f
cm
e venly s paced , a nd o f s imilar s izes;
t hey a re more i rregular, n ature o f
f ields - 3 0
a nd noncalcareous s oil t ypes a re f requently
o f p oorly d rained t o waterlogged a lluvial
a s a long t he r ivers R io Hondo a nd R io B ravo,
a nd a long t he w hole
o f
t he e ast
a nd
a nd N ew
c oast o f n orthern B elize.
Hazelden ( 1973) c lassified t he s oils o f t he S an P ablo r idge i nto t hose o n l imestone a nd c olluvium, t hese
b ases,
s andy d rift f ar
s oils
w ith a s ub-class
o n o ld a lluvium,
o f s hallow s oils
r ecent a lluvial s oils,
( derived u ltimately f rom t he e rosion o f
t o t he s outh) o ver l imestone .
1 l ie o n t he
Maya
V ertical a nd h orizontal
t hese s oils a t N ohmul c an b e s een i n
F igs .
margins and d ownslopes o f
P ulltrouser S wamp a rea j ust e ast
t he
a nd s oils
1 .6
- 1 .7:
l ocations
T he
c ompanion s oils
o f
t he
R io H ondo
o f
g roup
The s oils o f
t he
b een s tudied i n d etail
b y Janice Darch and William C . Johnson ( in Turner a nd Harrison, 5 2-9 »
o n
Mountains
a ll e xcept
t he r idge.
o f N ohmul h ave
o n
w etlands
w est
o f
1 983, N ohmul
r emain t o b e e xamined . V EGETATION T he
b est
a vailable
d ata
o n
t he
t ypes
a nd
d istribution
o f
n atural
v egetation i n northern B elize i s c ontained i n t he published work Wright
e t
a l.
g eography o f
t he
( 1959)
w ith
T urner
r egion a ppears
g eology and h ydrology, a ssociated
a nd
t he
t o
a nd t hree
f ollowing :
a nd
Harrison
b e h ighly
( 1983).
c ontrolled
The
b y
t he
b y
p lant
s urface
main v egetational a ssemblages a re
1 .
a reas
u nderlain
2 . a reas underlain b y quartz s and and g ravel; d rained a lluvial and c oastal sediments.
b y
c arbonate
r ocks;
a nd 3 . a reas o f p oorly
E ach o f t hese a reas w ill b e
d iscussed. According
to
Wright
et
al.
22
( 1959,
2 88),
" one
o f
the
main
d ifficulties l imestone
c onfronting
a reas
i n
C entral
t he
e cologist
America
i s
t he
working s trong
with
f orests
l ikelihood
o n
t hat
t he
v egetation was d estroyed i n a p iecemeal b ut f airly c omplete m anner b y t he Ancient Mayan c ivilization ." Furthermore, " two o f t he p resent dominants, B rosimum
s apodilla, b ecause
Ramön
( Tr o phis
a licastrum were
t hey
o r
a lmost
were
r ed
race mosa
b readnut)
c ertainly
v aluable
f ood
o r
and
white
S apote
encouraged
t rees.
T he
b y
b readnut,
Achras
s elective
Cohune
and
z apota
palm
o r
c ulling
( Orbignya
c ohune) may have b een f avoured i n a l ike manner" ( Wright e t a l. 1 959, 2 88) .
T he
v egetation
f ound
o n
t he
a reas
u nderlain
b y
c arbonate
r ocks
i n n orthern B elize i s t hus l ikely t o b e l argely s econdary f orest, h aving a c omposition s trongly a ltered f rom i ts n atural s tate . T here a re t wo m ain a ssemblages o f v egetation d eveloped o n t he l imestones i n n orthern B elize. On t he R io Hondo r idge, where t he s oils a re o f t he J olja S et, t he v egetation c onsists o f f orest 2 0 m - 3 0 m h igh . Wright e t a l. ( 1959) d escribed t hese a s s apote - s ilion f orests, which a re mainly
c omposed
i zabalensis,
o f
A chras
s apote,
a long w ith T rophis
Lucuma
r acemosa
b elizenses,
( ramön),
a nd
B rosimum
Lucuma
a licastrum
( ramön), Swietenia macrophylla ( mahogany), A spidosperma m egalocarpon ( mylady), Crysophila a rgentea ( give-and-take palm), and o ccasional C edrela
mexicana
d eveloped on t he r idge,
r eferred
f orest .
T his
species in m acrophylla , p alms. t he
t o
t ype
having b een a gricultural
( cedar).
A l ower
l ower e levation b y
o f
Wright
f orest
i s
Hondo
r idge,
a nd
a l.
( 1959)
h ighly
a s
o f i ts
m h igh,
t he
a s apote
a ltered f rom
C ohune
i nevitable
p alm f orests r esult
o f
l imestone a reas,
e specially
R io
i s
H ondo
- mahogany
n atural o ver T he
s tate,
a gain b y d ominant
o n
t he
o n t he e astern e dge o f S an
Pablo
r idge,
a re
c omposed mainly o f t he p alm, O rbignya
m ay
g eography i n northern B elize . a n
e t
m - 2 0
this f orest t ype are Achras sapote and Swieteni a a long w ith a t l east 1 2 d ifferent s pecies o f h ard w oods a nd
s izeable c ohune p alm f orests, c ohune .
1 5
e ast
" almost e ntirely d estroyed o ver a nd o perations" ( Wright e t a l. 1 959, 2 88) .
A lso c haracterizing t he
R io
f orest,
l imestones
b e
man-induced
f eatures
o f
t he
p lant
A s s tated b y Wright e t a l. ( 1959, 3 0),
s hifting
c ultivation
would
b e
a t endency
f or
c ohune p alms t o increase i n d ensity until t hey may b ecome a s erious o bstacle t o t he a ncient M ayan f armer" .
C ohune p alm
f orest
c overs
much
o f t he Nohmul a rchaeological s ite where i t has not b een r eplaced b y c rops. T he a reas u nderlain b y q uartz
s and a nd g ravel a re
c haracterized b y
g rasses a nd s edges, w ith P inus c aribaea ( pine) s cattered a nd i n c lumps, and o ccasional Quercus s pp. ( oak), Malpignia g labra ( crabboe), a nd C uratella americana ( sandpaper t ree) . wrightii p ortions
( palmetto) o f
i s
c ommonly
T he
f ound
small f an p alm, i n
t he
most
A coelorraphe
p oorly
d rained
t hese p ine s avanna a reas.
The a reas o f p oorly d rained o r waterlogged a lluvial a nd c oastal s ediments a re c haracterized b y m arsh a nd swamp p lant c ommunities . I t i s n ot worthwhile h ere t o l ist t he n umerous s pecies which m ake u p t hese c ommunities;
t hese a re g iven i n t he work b y Wright e t a l. ( 1959) .
i s e nough h ere t o n ote t hat
I t
t hese a re a reas which a re f looded f or s even
t o twelve months e ach y ear,
and have v egetation a dapted t o s uch wet
c onditions. A n umber o f e nvironmental z ones were d efined b y H ammond ( 1973,
23
4 -
6 ), o n t he b asis o f g eology, s oils, c limate, v egetation, r elief a nd l andform . T hose p resent w ithin t he N ohmul s ettlement a rea a re: 1 . H igher l imestone r idge with u ndulating t o r olling t opography , f ree-draining s oils f ormed u nder c onditions o f c onstant l ime e nrichment f rom d eep weathering o f t he l imestone b edrock i nto s ascab m arl, s ometimes c ontaining s ilica s and d erived f rom t he l imestone, a nd s upporting d eciduous b roadleaf f orest w ith a c anopy a t 1 5-21m ( 50-70 % o f Wright e t a l's C lass 3 2.
( 1959,
V egetation Map) C lass
1 ,
o r
c ohune f orest,
2 . Lower l imestone r idge with f lat t opography, f ree- t o p oord raining s oils, s ome d erived f rom t uffaceous b edrock a nd f ormed u nder c onditions o f b eing
c onstant l ime e nrichment,
f ormed
under
c onditions
o f
o thers h aving c hert n odules a nd
i ntermittent
l ime
e nrichment;
s upporting d eciduous b roadleaf f orest o f C lass 1 with p atches o f c ohune f orest o f C lass 3 2 o r h igh m arsh f orest o f C lass 2 1/21a. 3 .
R iver
v alley,
w ith
h igher
high marsh f orest o f C lasses s oils
s upporting h erbaceous
p atches
2 0-21,
o f
a lluvial
s oils
a nd l ower a reas
s upporing
with c olluvial
m arsh a nd s wamp v egetation o f C lass 2 5,
a nd
p atches o f c alcareous meadow s oils s upporting high marsh f orest o f C lass 2 2. 4 .
I nland s wamp,
s et within s urroundings o f e nvironments 1 -3 ,
c alcareous m eadow s oils s upporting l ow m arsh f orest The ( Achras
b roadleaf
s apote
l ocally
f orest
L .) a s
d ominant
i s
c haracterised
a d ominant,
o n
with
e levations,
( Swietenia m acrophylla K ing) a lso
r amön
b y
s apote
( Brosimum
i ncluding
a l ocal
o f C lass
S apote,
o r a nd
s electively
s ilviculture a s ( e.g . t he
c ulled,
a s taple
a lthough
o f
t he
t he
a ncient
r adical
Maya d iet
1 968) has n ot f ound g eneral a cceptance, t ree
with
r uins
( Miksicek e t a l,
1 981;
i s
a ccepted
a s
e daphic
L ambert a nd A rnason,
S w.)
mahogany
( although
much o f
r amön, and c ohune
p alm ( Orbigyna c ohune L .) a ll have s ome e conomic value, b een
s apodilla
a licastrum
r uins,
d ominant
t his was l ogged o ut i n t he 1 9th c entury).
w ith
2 3.
and may have
a rgument a dvanced
f or
r amön
b y P uleston
a nd t he a ssociation o f r ather
t han
e conomic
1 9b2).
While environments 3 and 4 a re n ot e conomically u seful i n t heir n atural
s tate ,
r iver a nd f ields a uthors, t hem :
a t
swamp
( dubbed
N ohmul
a s
wetlands r idged,
d epending
e lsewhere
w ere
r aised,
p artly
o n
i n n orthern B elize
a reas
c hannelled a nd p artly d rained t he
d rained p recise
a nd
c hannelised
t echnology
u sed
t o
b y t o
o f
t he
c reate
v arious c onstruct
t his r eport f ollows t he d istinction m ade b y t he P ulltrouser S wamp
p roject
b etween
c hannelised
f ields,
where
u pcast p iled o n t he a djacent s wamp s urface ,
a c anal
was
d ug a nd
a nd r aised f ields,
t he
i n which
t he s olum was r emoved, a l ayer o f f ill d erived f rom c anal e xcavation i nto t he s ascab b edrock a dded, mixed with d ark c lays, a nd t he s olum r eplaced . F ields o f b oth k inds w ere f ound a t P ulltrouser S wamp, w ith t he r aised f ields
g enerally
c hannelised f ields e xist a t N ohmul,
b eing s eparated f rom t he m ainland e dge,
f orming a f ringe
b ut h ave n ot y et
t o
t he
m ainland .
t he
S imilar p atterns
b een i nvestigated).
T he s etting o f N ohmul c an t hus
24
b e s ummarised a s
a l imestone
r idge
f lanked b y wetlands,
r iverine o n t he west a nd s wamp o n t he e ast,
f airly g entle r elief b ut a c omplex m icrotopography, w ithin t he
t he
b ase
h umid
o f
t ropical
l owlands
o f
t he
r ainforest
t he Yucatan P eninsula f rom Tabasco
w ith a
t he whole l ying z one
t hrough
t hat
s pans
P eten
i nto
B elize. E NVIRONMENTAL C HANGE N atural p ast
3 ,000
Ward
c hanges
y ears
( 1973),
i n
a re
t he
t he
e nvironment
p robably
c limate
o f
o f
m inor
o f
n orthern
B elize
s ignificance .
n orthern
B elize
A s
i s
p robably
d ifferent f rom t hat which existed 3 ,000 y ears a go . t hat t he hydrological f ramework o f t he r egion, l and-sea r elationship, 1 978) .
Major
c hanges
t he a ctivities T he m an
i s
e nvironment,
b y
l ittle
I t a lso a ppears
p eriod
h owever ,
h ave
( Szabo e t
b een
a l .
c aused
b y
o f m an.
most
t he
t he
t he
a s c ontrolled b y t he
h as b een s table d uring t his i n
d uring
s uggested
i mportant
c utting o f
a lteration o f
t he
f orests .
t he n atural
A s
a lready
e nvironment
m entioned,
f orests i n n orthern B elize a re s econdary a ssemblages; f orests having b een c leared a t y ears
o f
o nce
f orested
i ntensive
l and u se
a re
now
i n
l east o nce d uring t he t he
c leared
r egion . o f
t he
m ade
b y
p resent
t he o riginal
3 ,000 a nd more
E xtensive a reas which w ere
f orest
f or
e ither
s ugar
c ane
p lantation o r c attle g razing. The e ffects o f t he d estruction o f t he f orests a re n ot j ust c hanges i n t he d istribution a nd c omposition o f t he f orest, b ut a lso important c hanges i n t he p attern o f e rosion a nd d eposition w ithin t he r egion. McDonald
c arried o ut
a s tudy
o f
e rosion
r ates
i n t he p ine s avanna
i mmediately n ortheast o f t he Maya M ountains. T he o verall r ange o f e levations
a pproximates
t hat
o n t he S an P ablo
r idge a t N ohmul a nd a round C uello , a lthough t he e nvironments c ourse, i n d etail . Within t he c ontext o f a ccessing t he
d iffer , o f impact o f
f orest c learing i n t he humid t ropics, i t i s important t o c ompare t he r ates
o f
e rosion
d etermined
i n
t he
s avanna
c haracteristic o f f orest-covered l ands.
with
r ates
o f
e rosion
T he r ate o f e rosion i n t he
p ine s avanna o f B elize i s 1 6.4 t imes ( 1,640%) g reater t han t he f igure o f 3 2 cm/1,000 y ears g iven b y C orbel ( 1959) f or similar c limatic c onditions. This s uggests t hat e rosion r ates i n t he humid t ropics, a lready when
h igh
t he
l and
u nder i s
n atural
c leared
r orested
o f
i ts
c onditions,
n atural
m ay
v egetation .
i ncrease S uch
1 6
f old
a ccelerated
e rosion r esults n ot o nly i n t he r emoval o f t he o rganic a nd m ineral s oil h orizons, c ausing a d rastic r eduction i n l and c apacities, b ut a lso r esults i n a n a cceleration o f enormous
quantities
of
s ediment
s edi ment
d eposition are
w ithin
washed
i nto
t he
r egion a s
d epressions.
A ccelerated e rosion d ue t o f orest c learing m ay a ccount f or what a ppears t o b e s ignificant p resent-day s edimentation w ithin t he l ow-lying a reas o f n orthern B elize, and s uggests t hat t he environment o f Nohmul may have
c hanged
drastically
d uring
b oth
t he
p rehispanic
a nd
r ecent
p eriods. S ETTLEMENT P ATTERNS T he
m ost
important
p hysical
i nfluence
25
u pon
a ncient
s ettlement
i n
t he a rea may have c ontinuity o f i n
t he
modern
n orthern i s
f avored
a cross
p attern
B elize
p rovided b y t he
b een t he d rainage
t he w ell-drained l ie
o f
a long t he
whole
o f
o f
i ts
T his
s ettlement;
t he S an P ablo r idge . b ecause
c onditions o f t he l and,
l ands .
c an b e
most
s een
t owns
north-northeast
T he s ettlement o f
n orthern B elize ;
i t
i s
a nd
axis
g ently u ndulating r elief,
t o s ome o f
a nd t he e xtent
v illages h igh
i n
g round
t he S an P ablo r idge a nd
i ts
c ontinuity
v irtually u nbroken f rom t he
Guatemalan b order t o t he Mexican b order and p resents an axis o f e asy t ravel
a nd
r idge ,
which a lthough well-drained i s m uch d issected a nd t ravel i s
d ifficult .
s ettlement S imilarly,
e xpansion .
S uch
c annot
b e
s aid
o f
t he a reas o f h igher g round e ast o f
t he R io H ondo m ore
t he S an P ablo
r idge a re d iscontinuous, b eing i nterrupted i n many p laces b y swampy l ands.
I n
a ttempting
i n n orthern B elize
t o
( Fig .
u nderstand 1 .8),
t he
w e s uggest
p attern t hat
o f
t he
a ncient S an P ablo
s ettlement r idge
m ay
h ave b een t he m ajor a xis o f h uman a ctivity , w ith t he l ess c ontinuous o r more d issected high g round a djacent t o t he S an Pablo r idge b eing s ettled o r e xploited f rom s ettlements a lready e stablished o n t he r idge.
26
F ig.
1 .1
The a rea
l ocation o f B elize i n Mesoamerica, o f
t he
1 973-1974
C orozal
B elize'.
2 8
P roject
a nd t he
d efined
a s
r esearch ' northern
.Mer ida •MAYAPA N
/ , // , -
( 7 T ZIBANCHE A
, -
BECAN •
KOHUNL ICH •
A (1 / A /C HPAATUN -\
NOHMUL A
7 1
C ERaos
S AN E STEVAN CUELLO r . - - •— ! I
. — •—
—
UAXACTUN A T IKAL A
C OL( IA
LA MANA I S AN , I OSE 1 _ • e • HOLN IUL
AALTUN HA I
B e im qpan
•
ARTON RA 7E
BE
, e
IZ E
GU A TE M AL A
T eguc igalpa I
eSan S a lvador F ig.
1 .1
2 9
F ig.
1 .2
M ajor g eomorphological a nd t opographic f eatures o f n orthern B elize.
30
F ig.
1 .2
3 1
F ig.
1 .3
G eology 1 959).
o f
n orthern B elize
3 2
( partly
a fter
Wright
e t
a l. ,
L ate C retaceous t o E ocene l imestones
D Ep os I T S
B ou lder B eds Un l ith if ied c a lcareous r ocks
c r
F ig.
>
CAR ,( 38 EAN
> v
1 .3
3 3
F ig.
1 .4
3 0 metre h igh s ection i n t he q uarry n ear S an Antonio, A lbion I sland , o n t he e astern f lank o f t he R io H ondo r idge .
3 4
E SE e scarpment
Quarry a t S an Anton io
b edded l imestones
B ou lder B eds
z
U J
( r ) w
3 5
F ig.
1 .5
C limate
in
northern
B elize:
g eneralised
r ainfall
d istribution and a nnual r ainfall p atterns f or t he O range Walk a nd C orozal s tations ( after W right e t a l ., 1 959) .
3 6
R a infa ll
S
0
L A
O
N
0 1
F
M
A M y 1u
l y
A g
5
T 1 0-
1
I n te rguar t i le
r ange
Mean
1 5
ORANGE WALK S
O
N D
1
F
M
A M>
I n te rqua r t i le r ange
5
Mean
T
1 0
COROZAL 1 5
F ig.
1 .5
3 7
I
l u
l y A g
F ig.
1 .6
S oil
c atena
H azelden, F ig.
1 .7
o f
t he
S an
P ablo
r idge
a t
N ohmul
( from
1 973) .
D istribution o f ( after H azelden,
s oil
s ets
1 973) .
38
o n
t he
S an P ablo
r idge
a t N ohmul
S oils and
G eology a round
N ohmul
( Diagrammati l. S an
I t io
w e s t e ---
H ondo
M ain
p art
o f
s ite a t
-
N ohmul
--
E ast
->
1 B
I A
I A
i ablo
6 +7
1 B 1 B
V
S andy d eposits o ver l imestone w ith a sh b ands
F ig.
C olluvium o ver l imestone
R iver c ut t erraces i n l imestone — d evoid o f t errace m aterial
A lluvium
L ime,tone
1 .6
A
A
M inor a nd
S oil
M ajor
T ypes
S hallow S oils
o n
S oils
o n
o ld
S oils
1 .7
MEM=
M odern
o n
C eremonial
l imestone o n
C entres
a nd
C olluvium
L imestone
a lluvial
R ecent a llu vial
F ig.
C olluvium o ver l imestone
d eposits
s oils
s andy d rift
s ettlement and
3 9
o ver r oad
l imestone
F ig.
1 .8
T he
d istribution
( from Hammond,
o f
C uello s ite # 6, t he
S an
s ettlement
a nd # 19
V ictor
i n
Nohmul i s s ite # 3,
S an E stevan s ite # 1,
Aventura s ite # 7 a re
a ncient
1 974).
a nd
a rbitrarily d efine t he n orth a nd
L uis
B elize
C olha s ite
# 4,
L ouisville s ite # 5,
i s E l P ozito . S an
n orthern
S ites
m inor
# 9 a nd # 22
c entres
s outh l imits
o f
which
t he N ohmul
s ettlement a rea . P ulltrouser S wamp l ies b etween s ites # 49 ( Indian H ill) a nd 2 9 ( Barklog) - b oth r enamed i n 1 979 b y t he P ulltrouser S wamp P roject a s Y o T umben/Kokeal a nd K axob r espectively . t he
o riginal
f avour o f
t he
S ince
t he
P SP
C orozal P roject m ore
r ecent
40
n ames s ite
h ave
n ames
d esignations .
b een h ave
w idely b een
u sed,
c eded i n
4 1
C HAPTER 2 T HE S ITE O F N OHMUL b y N orman H ammond N ohmul o f
l ies
o n
b etween
t he
p recinct
s ea
a nd
l evel, t he
t he
H ondo
o n
a nd
l ies
u ndulating S an 1 8
O range
1 3'N,
°
Walk
o n
w est,
t o
8 8
a nd
t he
i n
P ablo
3 5'W,
o f
e dge
o f
r idge
r idge
a t
r eaches
o f
s outh
e ast
B elize .
a bout
d own
a bove
t he
b anks
t o
western
m odern v illages
r espectively .
T he
2 0m
P ulltrouser S wamp's
t owards t he
t he n orth a nd
l imestone
s panning t he b oundary
D istricts
t he
s ettlement
t he
a nd a long t he r idge
S an L uis
°
C orozal
c rest
c ircumambient
t he
a rm o n t he e ast, V ictor
l ow
a bout
p resent
c eremonial o f
t he
t he R io H ondo a t
o f S an
T he n orthern
a nd southern l imits o f t he Nohmul s ettlement a rea a re n ot d efinite, s ince a lthough t here i s s ome f all-off i n v isible mound g roups a s one m oves
a way
f rom
t he
c eremonial
p recinct,
t here
i s
n o
c omplete
h iatus
b efore t he minor c entres a t San V ictor a nd S an Luis a re r eached ( Fig. 1 .7) . On t he north t owards S an V ictor a b elt o f swamp and o pen water c rosses
t he r idge f rom west t o e ast,
R io H ondo , c ulverts
l inking P ulltrouser S wamp with t he
a nd s till r eportedly navigable
r un
u nder
t he
r oads:
b y
e ven h ere ,
t o t he water's e dge on b oth s ides,
c anoe e xcept
h owever ,
where
s ettlement
m odern
d escends
s o t hat t he c hannel c annot b e s een
a s a n atural b oundary t o t he N ohmul s ettlement . U ntil s uch b oundaries a re e stablished b y s urvey, we have c onsidered t hat g reater N ohmul e mbraces
b oth
t he
S an L uis
a nd
t he
S an V ictor
m inor
c entres
a nd
t heir
s urrounding s ettlement, and t o have an a rea o f b etween 2 0 and 2 4 km 2 . O ther
minor
s ettlement The f orest,
c entres,
s uch
a s
t he
P l.
1 43
G roup,
l ie
within
t he
a rea a lso .
natural
v egetation
on
t he
r idge
i s
a t ropical
b roadleaf
n ow a lmost e ntirely r emoved b y m odern c ultivation e xcept where
r efugia e xist
o n s ome
f ree-draining s oils a griculture ,
a nd
m any
t he r iver v alley,
h igh
mounds
s uch a s
o n t he r idge w ere a re
u sed t hus
t he
' acropolis' ,
S tr .
1 .
well-suited t o p rehispanic
t oday,
T he m ilpa
while t he a lluvial s oils
i n
i n Pulltrouser Swamp, and i n t he wetlands l inking
t hem h ave y ielded s triking e vidence o f a ncient c analisation a nd f ield c onstruction ( Hammond, 1 973, 6 ; 1 974, 1 88-9; Turner a nd Harrison, 1 983). To
Thomas
s urrounding
Gann,
Nohmul
r ectangular
s paces
f orest t rees whose b ranches,
was o r
" a
c ongeries
p lazas,
t he
o f
b anks
whole
and
c overed
mounds
w ith
t all
d ecorated with a ir p lants a nd r opes o f
l ianas, f ormed a l eafy r oof over o ur c amp, a lmost impervious t o b oth r ain a nd s unlight. " The
main
g roup,
m easuring a pproximately n orth
t o
s outh
( Fig .
h ereafter 5 50 y ards
2 .1) .
T he
c alled
Nohmul,
f rom e ast
g reat
c entral
t o
o ccupies
w est
b y
s tructure
a s pace
5 00 y ards
t owering
f rom
o ver u s
j ust t o t he n orth o f c amp c onsisted o f a r ectangular s uperstructure measuring 5 2 southern
b y
margin
5 0 yards, a s teep
and 2 6 f eet h igh, pyramidal
mound
6 8
which s upported o n i ts f eet
h igh .
F rom
t he
n orthwest a nd s outhwest a ngles o f t he s ubstructure e xtensions p rojected t owards
t he west,
s outh 2 0 y ards,
t hat o n t he n orth b eing 6 y ards
a nd t o t he west o f
43
l ong,
t hat on t he
t hese a l ow b ank o r m ound e nclosed a
r ectangular s pace, l ong
narrow
which w ith t he s ubstructure a nd e xtensions f ormed a
p laza .
West
o f
t his
was
a f urther
s eries
o f
s paces
enclosed b y l ong mounds, o r b anks, b ounded t oward t he s outh b y ab ank 2 00 yards i n l ength r unning a lmost d ue e ast a nd west, which v aried f rom 3 t o 6 f eet .
A s hort
t he h eight o f
d istance s outh o f
t his
t he l and
b ecame l ower , e nding i n a swampy s tretch u pon which n o m ounds o r o ther s tructures had b een e rected . T o t he e ast t he g roup was b ounded b y a s eries
o f
l ong,
l ow
mounds
which v aried a g ood d eal
i n
h eight
and
width, t he a verage h eight b eing a pproximately u f eet a nd t he a verage w idth 2 5 f eet . " The
p laza
i n which o ur
c amp was p itched was
b ounded t o t he n orth
b y t he g reat s ubstructure, t o t he west b y a mound 6 5 y ards l ong b y 2 0 yards b road and 2 2 f eet h igh, t he e ast b y two mounds, a lmost
t o t he s outh b y a s imilar mound, a nd t o
o ne 3 0 yards
l ong and t he o ther smaller a nd
r ound .
" About
a f urlong
t o
t he
s outhwest
o f
t he
g roup
hole, o nly a f ew yards i n d iameter and a bout v ery e vil-tasting water was o btained. a nd c onnecting w ith i t, which
h ad,
moderate
u ntil
s ize
i t
s ilted u p,
which
g ood
a small water f rom which
B y t he s ide o f t his, h owever,
w as a r eed-covered swamp o f
b ecame
f rom
was
1f oot d eep,
p robably
water
c ould
c onsiderable e xtent f ormed
b e
a l agoon o f
obtained .
T o
t he
s outheast o f t he g roup was a f ine d eep water h ole, e xtending o ver s everal a cres, t he g reater p art o f which was n ow c overed b y a s ud-like g rowth o ver probably
w hich r an n umbers
i nfluenced
t he
o f
o ld
l ittle s pur-wings.. . .
Maya
i n
t heir
c hoice
T his
o f
f ine
l agoon
a s ite,
a s
i t
p rovided a n u nlimited s upply o f water ..and may a lso h ave s erved a s a f ish
p ond ,
& Gann ,
o r
1 939,
" The The
l and
supply
s ite i s
o f
p resents
i deal g ood
r easonable & Gann,
r eservoir ,
f or
d id
t hose
e verything t he
o f Angkor
o f
t hat
t he
c ultivation o f
d rinking
d istance
1 939,
G ann's
a s
f or
t he
K hmer ."
( Gann
1 -2).
water
two
i n
r ivers,
t he
i n
M aya
I ndian
m aize,
l agoons,
b oth
o f
c ould
t here a nd
w hich
i s
i t
f ish
d esire .
a n i s
ample within
a bound" ( Gann
5 6).
d escription s tands
u p
well
t oday,
a lthough h is
m ap was
h ighly i naccurate, w ith e ven t he l ocation o f h is c amp m islabelled . T he s tructures which h e s aw w ere t hose o f what i s n ow d ubbed t he E ast G roup o f
t he
p lan
t win-group
( Gann
c eremonial
& Gann,
1 939,
p recinct .
F ig.
1 ,
h ere
T he F ig.
' mounds 2 .1)
a nd
a re
b anks'
i n
o n
r eality
h is much
smaller a nd shorter, and much c loser i n, f orming a s eries o f p lazas c lose t o t he G reat P laza a nd t he m assive ' acropolis' , S tr . 1 . G ann h ad also
m issed
t he
e astern
r ange
o f
t he
b all
c ourt,
a nd
t hereby
a lso
missed i dentifying S trs. 2 8 a nd 2 9 a s s uch .
T he 2 00-yard l ong ' bank'
L s
l inks
t he
s acbe ,
roups, 4-o up
( although
s e arly \m ade,
with
S tr .
2 7/P1 .38/P1 .43/P1.48,
a nd Gann d id a s
i t
n ot
i s
f ollow
q uite
1 908-1909).
l ikely
maps
made
i n
1 973
s hows o ther d iscrepancies The
1 973
s urvey,
which
t he
E ast
f ar e nough t o d iscover
t hat
D etailed
i t m ust b e r emembered , t he
i t
h e
h ad
d ug
c omparison
o f
i n
S tr .
Gann's
a nd
6 5/66
t he
C orozal
P roject
t here
s ketch p lan
w ithout i nstruments a nd u nder h eavy b y
W est
t he West
( Figs.
2 .2,
b ush) 2 .3)
a lso .
u sing
a n
a ssumed
44
l evel
f or
t he
R io
H ondo
a t
D ouglas
v illage
2 8-29m a sl, s trip o f
o f
5 .00m
a sl ,
a nd t he t op o f
p laced t he
t he
s urface
main p yramid,
o f
t he G reat P laza a t
S tr.
2 ,
a t
5 2m a sl.
A
t erritory s ome 8 00 b y 3 50m was c leared a nd mapped i n 1 973,
i ncluding
b oth
E ast
and
West
p latforms were r ecorded.
G roups,
a nd
T he l argest o f
s ome
8 0
t hese was
s tructures
and
t he f lat-topped
' acropolis', S tr. 1 , which i s about 9 4m s quare, with p rojecting wings a t
t he
n orthwest,
pyramid,
S tr.
2 ,
n ortheast
h igher t han t he northern, G reat P laza ( Fig. 2 .5) . o n t he n orth ,
and
s outhwest
a ngles
s tands on i ts s outhern p ortion,
( Fig .
2 .4).
which i s
A
s lightly
and overlooks t he n ortheast c orner o f t he
S tr. 1 i s 8m h igh o n t he P laza s ide,
where i t s lopes
d own t o n atural ,
1 2m h igh
a nd t he d ifference o f 4m
i s t he f ill o f t he huge l ow p latform, P l. 7 ( also P 1.4 a nd P 1.14 i n t he West Court a nd East P laza r espectively) which underlies t he whole c entral p ortion o f t he E ast G roup . elevation o f
i ts
substructure,
S tr .
2 r ises a f urther 1 4m,
a nd
( eroded) s ummit i s n ow known t o b e 4 7m a sl.
S tr. 3 ,
t he
A l ow
l ies a long t he n orth s ide o f t he t op o f S tr.
h igher i n t he n orthwest
t han t he n ortheast
1 ,
c orner.
The Great P laza, s outh o f t he ' acropolis' a nd f lanked b y S trs. 8 , 9 ,
1 0 and 1 1, i s 8 4 b y 5 6m; S tr .
8 0m l ong and high,
S tr .
1 0m h igh
( Fig.
1 1, t he l argest f lanking b uilding,
2 .6).
S tr.
8 i s 4 0m l ong a nd 8m h igh,
1 0 i s
5 2m
l ong
a nd
i s
only
( Fig. 2 .7) a nd S tr. 9 i s
3m
1 6m i n
d iameter ( Gann 's d escription o f i t a s ' almost r ound ' p roved t o b e m ore accurate t han o ur c onventionalisation o f i t a s a s quare s tructure on t he 1 973 m ap) . T he p laza i s n ot a xially s ymmetrical: S trs . 8 a nd 1 1 d o not f ace each o ther o n t he s ame axis, n ortheast
c orner
o f
2 i s axial t o t he
t he
p laza .
a nd S tr .
W e n oticed i n
2 l ooks d own o nto t he
1 973,
h owever,
t hat
S tr .
' giant p laza' c omprised o f t he Great P laza and t he
East P laza which l ies e ast o f S trs. 8 a nd 9 , a nd s uggested t hen " that S trs. 8 a nd 9 a re l ater c onstructions i n t he middle o f ap re-existing l arge p laza, which would have b een a bout 1 25m each way i n maximum d imensions" 1 983 and S tr .
( Hammond ,
1 973, 4 3).
S ubsequent excavation o f S tr. 8 i n
9i n 1 979 and 1 982 p roved t his h ypothesis c orrect,
f urther work i n 1 983 showed t hat t he ' giant p laza' had e xistence f or a t l east s ix c enturies b efore S trs . 8 a nd 9 w ere i t,
t ogether
2 .8)
with
S tr .
2 0 a nd
1 0 a lso ( Fig .
( see C hapter 8 ). T he p resent E ast P laza ,
9 ,
i n a ll p robability S tr.
a nd
b een i n b uilt i n
c reated b y t he
i s 1 28m l ong f rom n orth t o s outh,
c onstruction o f
b ordered b y S trs.
S trs .
8 a nd
1 5-19 a nd 2 1,
a ll l ong r ange-type s tructures u p t o 4m i n h eight, w ith n o e vidence o f having o nce had masonry s uperstructures. While S tr. 1 7 ( Fig. 2 .9) faces S tr . 1 1 a lmost a xially, and s eems l ikely t o d ate t o t he s ame T erminal F ormative/Protoclassic o r i nitial E arly C lassic p eriod a s S tr . 1 1, t he d ates o f S trs. 1 5-16 a nd 1 8-19 c an o nly b e a ssumed t o b e o f t his d ate o r l ater, S tr . 2 0 , t hem
a nd i n t he c ase o f t he l atter p air,
which was b uilt
i n f ront
o f
i n t he T erminal C lassic/Early
t hem a nd p artly
e arlier t han
b locking a ccess
P ostclassic p eriod
c a .
A D
t o
8 00-1000 .
S tr. 2 0 was mapped i n 1 973 a s a hollow s quare with a western d oorway a nd walls a bout 3m w ide . i ncluded
c ollapse
c entral p atio n ot unique
a t Nohmul,
f rom
Excavation i n 1 978 s howed t hat t his width
s omewhat
v isible
o n
t he
n arrower
walls,
s urface .
T he
I t i s
a small S tr .
2 0
s hallow r emains
a lthough t he c onstruction t echniques a re u sed o n
o ther c oeval b uildings s uch a s S trs. s ettlement.
a nd
p lan o f
t he
1 39 a nd 1 41 i n t he North S ector
l atest b uilding k nown i n t he s ite c entre.
45
S tr.
2 1,
c losing
t he
s outh
e nd o f
l ocation a nd u nexcavated
p lan ,
t o
c omplex a s
b e
p art
o f
t he s ame
t he East P laza,
w ith a n a pparent S trs.
8 ,
C -shaped
9 a nd
i s
f rom i ts
b ench ,
l ikely
S outh
o f
2 0 .
t he
small S trs. 1 2, 1 3, 2 2 a nd-23, which l ie b ehind and a ttached t o S trs. 1 0 a nd 2 1, n o b uildings a re v isible ; b ut a m ajor c ane r oad a cross t his a rea o f
r uns
t he
o ver
1 964
t he
f oundations
o f
a erial
p hotographs
s uggests
b een d estroyed b y t he r oad.
a t
l east
o ne
t hat
s tructure .
n o
l arge
I nspection
s tructures
h ave
T he o pen aguada d escribed b y Gann l ies
just n orth o f t he r oad and o n t he s outheastern c orner o f t he b acks o f t he East P laza c onstruction
b uildings:
o f
t he
i t
East
undoubtedly
P laza,
a nd
b egan a s
was
t hen
a quarry f or
u tilised
a s
t he
a water
s ource. On t he west s ide o f t he Court,
( Fig. 2 .4) 6 0 b y 1 5m,
e xtending w est f rom S tr . l ess
t hen 2m h igh .
1 ,
' acropolis' i s t he l ong a nd narrow West
e nding o n t he s outh a t t he s pur o f S tr. 5 a nd b ordered o n t he w est b y
T he f loor o f
t he
W est C ourt,
P l.
t he
4 ,
l ow S tr .
b e c oterminous a nd c oeval with t he b uilding o f S tr.
1 ,
a nd p robably
with P l. 7 underlying t he G reat P laza and E ast P laza a rea a lso . far west o f S tr. 6 P l. 4 extends r emains t o b e a scertained. s ide o f S tr.
1f acing o n t he West Court
i s s teep,
6 ,
i s n ow k nown t o How
T he west
b ut a b ulge i n i ts
f ace s uggests t hat a s tair may have existed l eading u p t o t he s ide o f S tr. 2 .
T he major t rench o f
1 982-1983,
A ,
o p.
( Chapter 8 ) was d riven
i n f rom t he West C ourt ( where t he d ump was made) j ust north o f t his b ulge. A s y et, n o c ertain a pproach u p o n t o S tr. 1 h as b een f ound. West and
o f
S tr.
6 i s
t he West P laza ( Fig .
c ontaining t he v ery
c entral
p ortion
o f
t he
l ow
S trs.
p laza
o f t he b all c ourt, S tr. 2 8 .
2 5-26
t ogether
2 .10),
a nd
with
3 5,
t he
f loored b y P l. which
b ack
o f
e nclose
t he
e ast
2 4 t he
r ange
T he western half o f t he p laza i s o ccupied
b y t he b all c ourt, S tr . 2 8-29 ( Fig. 2 .11), a nd t he p laza i s b ordered on t he north b y t he l ong r ange o f S trs. 3 1-34, o n t he west b y S tr. 3 0, a nd on t he s outh b y t he s acbe, S tr . 2 7.
The West P laza i s 1 05 b y 9 4m,
t he
o pen s pace a vailable a t i ts e astern e nd i s o nly 3 7
P l .
4 8),
The
s acbe, was
a nd W est e nd,
S tr .
2 7 ( and f urther west P l.
i dentified a s
G roups
f rom
c hanges l evel,
b eing a c ontinuous
a erial
3 8,
P l.
4 3 a nd f inally
c auseway b etween t he E ast
p hotographs .
I t
o f S tr .
b oth n arrower a nd l ower ,
a nd w est
3 9 i s
b ut
b y 3 0m.
i s h ighest a t
t he e astern a nd
b adly e roded . I ts p resence was n evertheless c onfirmed s ome 5 0m west o f S tr. 3 9 and r unning westwards when t his a rea was s tripped o f c ane in 1 983. The s acbe o riginates, c uriously, a t t he r ear o f S tr . 1 1, where i t i s o ver l m h igh a nd 7 m w ide o n t op; a fter 1 09m i t b ecomes l ower a nd merges i nto t he b road P l. 3 8 which s upports t he small c omplex o f S tr . 3 9 f acing t he small l ow S trs. 4 0-42. r uns
I t t hen n arrows i nto P l. 4 3 and
west . The
t ermination o f
t he
s acbe
i s
i n
t he
W est G roup,
where P ls.
4 4/51/59/67 f orm a b road b ut l ow e levated a rea which may b e a s ingle c onstruction d ifferent
o r
p eriods,
l and s urface .
a s eries a nd
o f
f ills
p ossibly
a l oosely d e f ined p laza, t he
o ne
a gainst
r aised
T he s acbe e nds u p o n t he e levated a rea ,
o f S tr. 4 7 a nd j ust n orth o f S tr. 4 6. e ast,
b utted
i ncorporating
l ong r ange o f
b ordered S tr.
5 2
a reas a t
a nother o f
t he s outh e nd
S tr. 4 7 i s o n t he south s ide o f
b y
t he small p yramidal S tr .
t o
t he north,
46
a t
n atural
5 3 o n t he
with a b road s hallow
f ront p latform , a nd t he c omplex o f c onstructions o n P l . 5 5 t o t he west T he h ighest o f t hese, S trs. 5 6 and 5 7 a re on t he e astern s ide, g iving t he
i mpression
5 5,
which i s
t hat
t hey
i tself
f ace
a way
f rom
t he p laza o n t o t he t op o f P l .
b ordered o n t he w est
b y t he v ery l ow S tr .
5 8 .
This s et o f s tructures f orms t he S outh P laza o f t he West Group: n orth o f i t i s an o pen expanse o f P l. 5 9, a nd 6 1
o n i ts e ast a nd w est m argins .
with t he v ery small S tr. 6 0
O n t he n orth t his s pace i s
c losed
o ff b y t he massive S tr . ( formerly P l.) 6 5 a nd i ts s uperincumbent S tr. 6 6,
t he
l argest
unknown d ate, e xcavations
f ree-standing a lthough
a nd
i f
s o ,
p yramid a t N ohmul
p ossibly
l ikely
o r E arly C lassic d ate .
t he
object
( Fig .
o f
2 .12) .
o ne
o f
I t
i s
G ann's
o f
e arly
t o b e o f T erminal F ormative/Protoclassic
F ragments
o f L ate P ostclassic e ffigy i ncensario
f ound o n t he s ummit i n 1 982 i ndicate p ilgrimage u se a t a l ater p eriod . West o f
S trs. 6 5-66 a re t he
small S trs. 6 3 a nd 6 4,
t he p yramid a re more s mall s tructures All o f t hese, h ave
b een
S trs. 6 8-74,
r esidential
t o t he p yramid . i s
west, o f
p erhaps
t he P l. 7 5 G roup,
t he p atio ,
a ngles
t o e ach o ther .
t he g roup, S tr.
7 9
a n
e lite
7 7-78
8 0 an
F rom t he
b y
t he
m iddle
o f
t o
a ttached
o pen n atural
g round
s ize
f lanking o n t he e ast a nd
8 1
l ying b ehind S tr .
o f
S tr .
7 6
a nd
t he
t his a lso m ay h ave b een f or e lite r esidence , i n
l ikely
c ompound
with t he l arge S tr. 7 6 on t he
t he small S trs.
and t he e qually small S trs.
r ight l ow
s eem f rom t heir s ize a nd s hape
f unction ,
S eparated f rom t he N orth P laza
a p lazuela g roup,
n orth s ide o f
i n
a nd n orth o f
f orming t he N orth P laza o n P 1 .67 .
t he p atio
may well
7 6 a t
l ocation
a nd t he
c over
a n
t iny
a ncestor
b urial. The
a rea
s tripped
o f
s tructures G roups
o f
p almetto
north
c ane
a nd t he
o f
t he
d uring
v ery
f ew
s acbe
1 983,
small
a nd s outh o f
and
o nes
c eremonial p recinct .
s eems
t o h ave
i t
b ecame
o ccupied O ne
t he
t he P l.
7 5 Group
c lear
that
z one
b etween
l owlying a rea n ow
b een a n a ncient a guada,
no
was
l arge
t he
f illed
t wo w ith
a nd p robably o riginated
a s a q uarry. The a rea s outh o f t he s acbe c ontains t he r eed swamp, a gq .in o nce b oth a quarry a nd a n aguada,
observed
b y G ann .
T his p art o f Nohmul
c ontains a n umber o f l arge, s cattered p lazuela g roups i nterspersed w ith smaller r esidential m ounds . P art o f t his a rea w as m apped i n 1 982 a nd 1 983 a s c ane and m ilpa were c leared, b ut t he overall s ettlement map w ill n ot b e c ompleted u ntil t he e nd o f t he P roject. T he o verall s tructure o f G roups, the
E ast a nd W est,
G reat
s tructures
P laza,
except
l ate
main G roups c ompared
t he
' acropolis'
i n e ither G roup s eem
s tructures, i ntrusive
c entral N ohmul t hus c onsists o f t wo l arge
o f which t he E ast G roup i s t he
t here
w ith ,
f or
t he
b uildings f or
l ikely
f act
t hat
8 ,
i s a d ramatic i nstance ,
Nohmul
t he
b all
9 ,
f alloff
2 0).
t o
Formative/Protoclassic c entre, d rawn with t he c oeval s ite o f
i ncluding
F ew
o f
S trs.
2 a nd 6 6,
t he
s uper-
a nd t he
Immediately o utside t he
i n s tructure s ize a nd d ensity ,
e ither a v ery
s eems
l arger,
c ourt.
t o h ave h ad s tone-walled
major p yramids,
( Strs.
or a small one such a s Lubaantun . t he
and
l arge
c entre
s uch
a s
T ikal
While t his p attern c ould b e d ue t o have
b een
e ssentially
a T erminal
a nd a p arallel m ight j ustifiably b e
C erros,
a s imilar f alloff
i s
s een a t
Baking P ot i n the B elize Valley, where o ccupation s eems t o h ave b een
4 7
mainly Late C lassic i n d ate, same
R io
H ondo
r idge,
and El P ozito,
which
has
a n
f urther s outh a long t he
E arly
through
Late
C lassic
f lorescence. A s
a c eremonial
c omfortably
w ithin
c entre
t he
Nohmul
o verall
d efined b y B ullard ( 1960),
r ange
i s
n ot
o f
' major
l arge,
and g iven a s core o f
r ank-size s cheme o f Adams a nd J ones ( 1981) .
a lthough f alling
c eremonial
c entres'
a s
1 2 c ourtyards i n t he
I t i s o ne o f a n umber o f
twin-Group c entres i n B elize t hat i ncludes B aking P ot and El P ozito. Given t he f latness o f t he r idge t op, were
c reated
b y
must
c onclude
q uarrying , t hat
t he
intentional p lanning,
t he l ack o f water until aguadas
a nd t he l ack o f
l ayout
and
f orm
t opographic c onstraints, o f Nohmul
i s
t he
w e
r esult
o f
and not an a daptation t o t he exigencies o f t he
l andscape. T he N orth S ector. T he t est
a reas
and
o f
major
N ohmul
m apped
excavation,
i n
1 973,
a nd
c omprised
s ubsequently
t he
c entral
e xplored
z one,
with
b y t he
c eremonial c entre a nd a small amount o f a djacent s ettlement, a nd an a rea
o f
s ettlement
b eginning
d esignated t he North S ector . m apping a nd a ccess,
j ust
over
1 km
The North S ector,
n orth
o f
t his
a nd
s elected f or ease o f
r uns r adially o ut f rom i ts o rigin o n a zimuth 3 1
a d istance o f 2 .5 km, a nd i s up t o 1 km wide.
°
f or
The o verall a rea mapped
in 1 973 was a pproximately 1 .50 km 2 , a nd c overs t he c rest o f t he r idge f rom
t he
b reak
o f
s lope
a bove
t he
R io
b eginning o f t he i ntermittent s treams Swamp's
western
a rm.
F urther
a reas
S ector h ave b een m apped i n 1 982 a nd yet
p repared
f or
p ublication:
v isible m ound s tructures d own p ostholing)
o f n on-mound
o n t he g round s urface , T he
most
o n
1 983,
t he
t he
H ondo
v alley
d raining east t he e ast b ut
t he
s urveys
s lope ,
a rchitecture,
b ut
s ide
o f
d etailed
s howed t he
over
t o
t he
i nto Pulltrouser t he North
m aps a re n ot
a d iminution
p resence
t imber b uildings
( detected
e rected
i n b y
d irect
o r o n a v ery l ow p latform .
s triking f eatures
o f
t he N orth S ector s ettlement p attern
a re t he m inor c eremonial p recinct,
t he P l .
1 43 G roup,
which
l ies
o n t he
edge o f t he r idge, t he l arge i solated p yramid, S tr . 1 89, a s hort d istance north o f i t, and t he numerous l arge p lazuelas i nterspersed with s maller s tructures . T he P l.
1 43 G roup has a s ingle p yramid,
S tr .
1 44,
s ome 9m h igh
( and f rom t he e vidence o f l ooters' t renches o f s ingle-phase c onstruction), s tanding on t he north s ide o f a l arge p laza f loored b y P l. 1 43 a nd b ounded b y t he l ong l ow r anges o f S trs . 1 46-149 . A n e levated a rea o ff
t he
northwest
s urrounded
b y
attached
t o
surround
an
c oncentration two p lazas.
S trs. t he
o f
t he
i t
s eems
p laza t o
a rea
small
Most
north
o f
s tructures
f ormed
b y
P l.
1 68
r esidential
a nd
p laza
S everal o ther small s tructures
S tr. j ust
i s
b e a n e lite
c eremonial p recinct.
o pen o f
c orner 1 69-172 :
1 44, o utside
a nd a nd
t here
i s
a
d ownslope
d ense
f rom
a re s ingle p latforms i n c lose j uxtaposition,
there i s o ne g roup o f t hree on a s eparate b asal p latform,
t he b ut
t he P l. 2 67
G roup. A n umber o f p lazuela g roups, within t he
m apped a rea ,
s ome o f t hem o f imposing s ize,
i ncluding t he P l .
48
9 9 G roup ,
t he P l.
l ie
1 05 G roup,
t he P l. G roup,
1 31
G roup,
t he
P l.
t he P l.
2 54
1 37 Group,
G roup
a nd
t he
t he P l.
P l.
2 63
1 80 G roup,
G roup.
t he P l.
T here
a re
1 94 a lso
c omplexes o f r esidential a nd o ther, l arger, s tructures, t he l atter p erhaps o f e lite r esidential o r m inor c eremonial f unction , s uch a s t he P l. 1 09 Group a nd t he P l. 2 29/Pl. 2 33 Group: t hese would p robably f all within
t he
c entres' ,
overall
b ut
r ange
o f
B ullard's
i n c omparison w ith t he P l .
( 1960)
' minor
c eremonial
1 43 G roup a nd t he S an L uis
S an V ictor c entres t hey a re c learly augmented
a nd
r esidential c ompounds.
Numerous s ingle and d ouble mounds l ie b etween a nd a round t he l arger g roups and plazuelas i n a mosaic p attern: whether t his p attern r epresents more and l ess wealthy f amilies l iving i ntermixed, o r t he c lients and s upporters o f e lite families c lustering r ound t he main r esidence a ttempt
( as
The
overall
r elationship a nd
R ichard
Wilk
s uggests)
i s
n ot
t o e xamine t he p roblem w ill b e m ade i n
t o
p attern
t he
r esidential
o f
t he
North
m icrotopography
g roups
a re
well
o f
S ector
t he
s paced ,
c ertain,
r idge
e ven
a lthough
a n
1 985. s ettlement i s
c lear:
a nd
i ts
r esidences
t hough t he s urface o f
t he
r idge i s f lat enough t o a llow c onsiderably c loser p acking, a nd f ull a dvantage i s t aken o f t he microtopography, with mounds l ying on t he c rests
o f
t he
b edrock.
v ery
S ome
l ow h ummocks
o f
t he
p roduced
microrelief
i s
b y
a djacent t o mounds f or c onstruction f ill, r ather
t han
c reated
O ther p arts
s olution o f
undoubtedly
t he
d ue
l imestone
t o q uarrying
b ut t his h as
a ccentuated
t he p attern .
o f N ohmul
c annot y et
b e
d escribed i n d etail,
a lthough
t he 1 982-1983 m apping p rogramme h as s hown t hat t he N orth S ector p attern i s
c haracteristic r ather
t han e xceptional :
a mosaic o f
l arge a nd s mall
s tructures m arks a ll t he a reas s o f ar s urveyed . T his p attern i s s een r ight d own t o t he e dge o f t he R io Hondo, where t he ' Port Mound' i s a s ubstantial c onstruction w ithin 2 0m o f
t he r iver b ank.
P revious W ork a t N ohmul T he u nnamed ,
s ite f irst a ppears i n t he a rchaeological l iterature , a lthough a s o ne o f T homas G ann 's c lass o f ' Signal a nd L ook-out Mounds',
d escribed i n h is 1 897 paper t o t he S ociety o f Antiquaries o f London ( Gann, 1 897, 3 14); t he s ite c an b e i dentified f rom i ts l ocation r elative t o Aventura and S an E stevan, b oth n amed ( and i t i s o f t angential i nterest t o n ote t hat a nother u nnamed s ite c an b e i dentified f rom
i ts
l ocation
r elative
t o Aventura a nd S anta R ita a s
Late F ormative c entre o f C erros) . t he
f irst
a ttempt
t he important
T he p aper i tself i s o f i nterest a s
t o p roduce a f unctional
a nd f ormal
t ypology
o f
Maya
s tructures. Gann d ug i n s everal mounds a t t he s ite, t he n earby v illage o f Douglas,
l isted u nder t he n ame o f
i n 1 908-1909 ( Gann,
1 911,
7 4-77) ( see
A ppendix 1 t o t his C hapter): two o f t he mounds were l arge, o ne b eing s ome 4 0 f eet ( 12 m ) h igh and t he o ther a bout 3 0 f eet ( 9 m ) h igh . T he h igher o f West
t he two may well b e S trs.
Group
o f
s uperstructure
t he
c eremonial
o n i ts
s ummit
6 5-66,
c entre,
t hat
h as
t he l arge p yramid i n t he
which
h as
t he
b een d ug i nto .
r emains
o f
a
I n a n e xcavation
b eneath one o f t he walls G ann r eported a r ecess c ontaining t hree p olychrome v essels, i ncluding a mammiform t etrapod a nd two r ed m onochrome b owls .
T he
d ate
o f
S trs .
49
6 5-66 h as
n ot y et
b een c hecked
b y
e xcavation , s ite
i n
a nd
a nother
c andida te f or t his
o f
a m uch
l arger
1 940
d iscovery
' mound '
o f
m ay b e S tr .
p olychrome
a nd
2 77,
t he
m onochrome
p ottery o f T erminal F ormative/Protoclassic d ate . I n t he l ower o f t he mounds d ug i n 1 908-1909 G ann f ound a c urious r ed v essel w ith a t ripleb ulb p rofile , t o h ave
a nd p art
b een p art
o f
o f
a h uman e ffigy i n p ottery,
t he l atter
l ikely
a L ate P ostclassic i ncensario.
S everal o ther m ounds
were d ug " with i ndifferent
s uccess", a lthough
i n o ne 1 8 f eet ( 5 .4m) h igh , d escribed a s " a t ypical s mall b urial m ound o f t he d istrict", Gann f ound a f ragmentary b urial a ccompanied b y two p ainted
p lates
s ome
3 0
cm
i n
d iameter ,
a b owl,
o bsidian ,
c hert,
s hell
a nd g reenstone o bjects. I n
1 911-1912 Gann c ontinued
without d igging a t N ohmul.
work i n n orthern B elize,
H e d id,
h owever,
r eport
a lthough
f inding e ffigy
i ncensario f ragments o n t op o f a mound s ome 2 0 f eet ( 6.5m) h igh n ear D ouglas v illage
( Gann,
1 914-1916,
3 9).
N one o f t his work a t Nohmul f eatured i n Gann's p opular b ooks o f t he 1 920s,
and Laguna d e On ( Honey C amp) i s t he o nly northern B elize
s ite
m entioned
t o
b e
t he Maya ( Gann , winter
o f
1 939,
( Gann ,
1 927,
2 60-272) ,
1 935-1936
a t
Nohmul
t ogether w ith t he e xcavations, far t o
t he
A ppendix
t ime n early
1 930 .
H is w ife ,
N ohmul,
a nd was
p osthumous 2 t o
c o-author o f
G lories o f
w ork o ver t he
t his
C hapter),
a t L ouisville n ot
7 0 y ears o ld,
Mary,
a ssisted
a nd had w ith t he
t he r esulting m onograph ( Gann a nd
which a lso a ppeared a fter T homas G ann 's
e dited v ersion i s
t he
o therwise u npublished, t his
1 939) ,
was
t he
b y
work a t
h e
( see
i n
h e d escribes
m arried f or t he f irst t ime i n G ann ,
n orth;
5 1-54) ;
h owever ,
d eath .
A s lightly
r eproduced h ere a s A ppendix 3 .
I n t he monograph G ann s ays
t hat
t wo s easons
w ere
s pent
o f which t hat i n 1 935-1936 s eems t o have b een t he f irst.
a t N ohmul, They s et u p
c amp i n what i s now t he Great P laza ( where s ome o f t he p ost h oles o f their h uts t his
may have b een f ound i n 1 983:
v olume),
s ee t he r eport o n O p.
a nd b egan e xcavating i n t he m ost p rominent
C 11 i n
s tructure,
t he
high p yramid S tr . 2 t hat s tands o n t he s outh e nd o f t he ' acropolis', S tr. 1 , and overlooks t he n orth end o f t he p laza . T his pyramid i s t he " Noh
M ul'
E ast
G roup
o r
' great
o f
t he
m ound '
b y
c eremonial
which t he c entre ,
t o t he s ite a s a whole i n t he T he r emains d eep excavation mound f ill , l egs
l ocal i nhabitants
a nd
t he n ame
was
t he p yramid w ere
t hrough t he f loor r evealed a b urial
c ontaining a n extended
a pparently e ncased i n s tucco .
a round
t he G ann
a nd
r obust
m ale
s keleton ,
f ound i n t he
t he m ain p laza w ere
f ound ,
a nd
a
c hamber i n t he
T races o f p alm-leaf
a nd a j ade b ead w as
Two o ther m ounds
t o b y
1 939 r eport.
o f a b uilding o n t op o f
c loth w ere d iscerned,
r efer
a pplied
w ith
t he
m atting a nd r ed b uccal c avity.
t renched,
w ith
l ittle
r esult ( Strs. 8 a nd 1 1) ( Fig. 2 .13), and Gann t hen t urned h is a ttention t o
t he n umerous
m ounds
o utside
t he
c eremonial
p recinct;
many o f
t hese ,
with t he c haracteristic ' Gann hole' i n t he t op, were r elocated i n t he 1 973 s urvey. The
s tructure
( just u nder
d esignated
1 km) e ast o f
t he
' Mound
1 ' was
main p laza,
50
s aid
a nd
2 0
t o
b e
f eet
half
a m ile
( 6m) h igh .
A
small
v aulted
c hamber 3 .5m
c ontaining a n extended
l ong was
s upine
f ound
a t
s keleton
a d epth o f
with
t he
6 f eet
h ead
t o
( 1.8m) ,
t he
e ast.
F orty j ade b eads were f ound i n t he e astern c orners, t en c hert p oints a nd a f ine c hert e ccentric b y t he s kull, t ogether w ith a f ragment f rom a
f ine
f igured
h eaddress
( Fig.
p olychrome
v ase
2 .14
On
a ,b) .
g eometrically-decorated m entary .
M ore
c hert
d epicting
t he
p olychrome
p oints w ere
r ight
d ish
a man
s ide
5 0
cm
i n
o f
i n
a n
t he
a lligator
s kull
d iameter ,
f ound b y t he a rms,
was
a
a lso
f rag-
t he
c hest
a nd o ver
a j ade p endant 1 4 cm l ong ( Fig . 2 .14 c ) r esembling a s tela i n d esign ( by which G ann p resumably m eant t hat i t s howed a s tanding f igure h oldi ng a c eremonial b ar). a nd
b urnt
j ades .
h uman
A t
l ong
B y t he p elvis was a b owl c ontaining c harcoal
b one
f ragments,
t he west e nd o f
a nd
b y
t he
f eet
w ere
f ragmentary
t he t omb w ere n early 2 00 o bsidian b lades a nd
c ores,
t hirteen r ed s hell d isc b eads a nd a t hin j ade e ar f lare .
c herts
a nd o bsidians w ere c overed w ith a r ed p igment,
' ochre' :
i t
o ccurring
m ay have
b een h aematite
f erruginous
m inerals
o r
c innabar ,
s uch a s
o r
g oethite .
o ne
o f
t he
F rom G ann 's
O n t he s outh s ide
o f
t he
mound t hree
a nd a
v essels
w ere
f ound
l ocally d escrip-
t ion , a nd i n p articular f rom t he f igure-painted v ase f ragment, i n t he L ate C lassic p eriod s eems l ikely f or t his t omb .
a n o range j ar with a p ointed b ase,
T he
which G ann c alls
a d ate
t ogether :
an o range a nd b lack mottled b owl,
P omacea s hell-shaped v essel w ith a h uman h ead o n t he u pper p art,
w earing
a p ointed
o rnaments ( Fig. C lassic,
c ap ,
a t wisted b and r ound t he f orehead a nd l arge e ar
2 .14 d ,e) .
Gann a nd Gann ( 1938) d ated i t t o t he Late
a lthough t he f igure a nd f abric a re s imilar t o t hose o f t he
b owl w ith t wo e ffigies
f ound
i n a c hultun
b elow
Mound
2 2 a nd d ated
t o
t he Early C lassic ( Fig. 2 .201 3). M ound
2 ,
s omewhat
o ver
2 0 f eet h igh ( ca 7 m),
l ay e ast o f
t he s ite
c entre n ear t he n ow-vanished I ndian s etclement o f S anta R ita . A f inal l ayer o f f ill 1 .65m t hick l ay o ver a p laster s urface, b elow which a h igh n arrow c hamber w as f ound, d ivided i nto f our s uperimposed c ists b y t hree f lagstone f loors ( Gann , 1 939, 2 69-270, s ays t hat t here w ere f ive c ists) .
I n t he u ppermost
c ist
was
a n E arly
C lassic
b asal-flanged
b owl
( Fig. 2 .15 a ) and i n t he s econd c ist a t ripod b asal-flange b owl w ith two i ntertwined s erpents on t he i nterior ( Fig. 2 .15 b ,c); i n a r ecess o n t he north s ide o f t his c ist was a h igh-necked b owl with r im-spout ( Fig. 2 .15 d ) .
T he t hird c ist c ontained a p olychrome c ylinder v essel
with g eometric d ecoration, t he f ourth a f lat-based p late with a n u npainted e xterior a nd a n i nterior where " on a d ark-brown b ackground were o utlined i n b lack a n umber o f d iffering f rom t he o thers i n s hape" . h uman
b ones
a lso .
T he
b asal-flange
c urious amoeboid o bjects, e ach T he l owest t hree c ists c ontained
b owls,
i ncluding o ne
t etrapod,
a nd
t he s pouted bowl a ll suggest a T erminal F ormative/Protoclassic i nto Early
Classic
date
f or
the
c ists
and
the
construction
o f
t he
p enultimate p hase o f Mound 2 . Mound 3 ,
c lose t o 2 , was 1 5 f eet ( 4.5m) h igh a nd s olidly b uilt o f
l imestone b locks p las
,e r
f loor was
v essels i n t he d ecoration
a nd r ubble .
mound f ill .
( Fig.
E ight
f ound a nd 4 f eet 2 .15
e ),
f eet ( 1.2m)
( 2.4m) b elow b elow
t hat,
t he s urface a t hree p ottery
O ne . was a h igh-necked b owl w ith p olychrome o ne
a
p olychrome
b owl
o f
' composite
s ilhouette' , j e b asal-flange, f orm d ecorated w ith s tylised p arrots a nd g eometric d evices ( Gann a nd Gann, 1 939, F ig . 3 ), and t he t hird a n
5 1
o range p late . C lassic ,
Gann d ates t he s econd v essel t o ' Holmul I II', i e . Early
which s eems
Mound
4 was
a ccompanied
b y
r easonable .
a l ow,
two
small
c urious
s tructure;
v essels,
a b urial
i n
t he
a r estricted-orifice
f ill
r imless
was b owl
o n a p edestal a nd a s hallow b owl o n a h ollow c ylindrical s tem ( Gann a nd Gann, 1 939, F ig. 4 ) . The l atter had a b lack d eposit i nside which l ed Gann
( o
c onclude
t hat
i t
s moke-blackened i nside, Mound
was
5 c ontained
a b urial
p rojectile p oint
( or k nife) ,
G ann
a s
o f
i nterpreted
a mould-made
m ile
t he
a ccompanied
m ust
f ormer v essel was
b y
o f
p ot
o r
t ecomate .
a woman
( Fig.
a c hert
Mound
2 .22
a xe
d )
a nd
6 y ielded p art ( probably
Mounds 4 -6 l ay, with o thers not d ug i nto,
( 1.6 km) f rom t he s ite c entre a nd f orm p art
o f N ohmul. t hey
c enser;
a nd a r ed r imless b owl o n a r ing b ase t hat
a t ortilla
f igurine
C lassic i n d ate).
a h and
a nd b oth w ere o f u nslipped f abric.
L ate
a bout a
o f t he e astern s uburbs
Their l ocation i s n ot c lear f rom Gann's d escription, h ave
b een s omewhere
c lose
t o
t he p resent
S an J ose-San
b ut
P ablo
s ettlement. Mound
7 was
a ccompanied o f
b y
a s imilar
a c opper
small o ne
d epilatory
a Late P ostclassic e ffigy
w as
east
o f
t he
e xcavated
i ncensario f ound
i n
c entre: i t,
a nd
a b urial f ragments
o n t he s urface.
T he
c opper o bject s uggests t hat a t l east p art o f t he u se o f t his s tructure d ateb , t o t he Terminal C lassic/Early P ostclassic f lorescence noted e lsewhere a t N ohmul, Mound
8 was
i f n ot
s aid
t o
t o a l ater p eriod.
b e t hree
m iles
( 4 .8 km) e ast o f
N ohmul,
which
i f c orrect would p lace i t i n t he w estern a rm o f P ulltrouser S wamp;
h ere
a s i n o ther i nstances e ither Gann's o rientation o r h is d istance ( or b oth) would s eem t o b e f aulty, a lthough s ince extensive s ettlement h as b een d etected a round m uch o f t he r im o f P ulltrouser S wamp ( Turner a nd Harrison, 1 983) t his n eed n ot have b een b y much . T he mound was a smallish
p yramid
surprising
3 5
t hat
i t
f eet has
( 10.5m)
not
h igh,
b een
h owever,
l ocated
which
during
the
makes
i t
extensive
Pulltrouser P roject s urveys. I n t he excavation a p laster f loor was f ound j ust b elow t he s urface h umus, a nd b eneath t his i n t he f ill w as a b urial
a ccompanied
b y
f ive
v essels.
F our
w ere
monochrome
b owls,
t he
f ifth a n ecked j ar with t hree p ierced l ugs a t t he b ase o f t he n eck ( Fig. 2 .16 a ). I t had a s cutate l id with p arrot-head h andle, which would s uggest an E arly C lassic d ate . a ccompanied
b y
a f ine
A l ower b urial i n t he f ill was
c hert e ccentric o f
' halberd' f orm c opying a c hert
axe i n i ts wooden haft ( Fig . 2 .16 b ), a l ong t anged s pearhead o r d agger , a l eat-shaped s pearhead o r k nife, a n axe a nd a l ong c hert b lade. Gann's p recinct
Mound
c lose
s outheast)
o f
t o
9 has
b een
S an L uis
t he
c entre
i dentified
v illage, o f
3 km
N ohmul.
a s
t he
s outhwest A t
l east
m inor ( not,
t hree
c onstruction s ucceeded t he i nnermost s tructure d etected; o f two
c eremonial
a s t his
G ann
s ays,
p hases
o f
c onsisted
t iers o f p lastered masonry with a n i nset a t t he b ase
O i
e ach
t ier, n ot unlike t he overhanging a pron mouldings o f P eten-style a rchitecture ( Gann a nd Gann, 1 939, F ig. 5 h ere F ig . 2 .17 a ). O n t op o f t he l ower t ier , t his
p hase
o f
p resumably p laced t here a s a v aledictory
o ffering
t he s tructure was b uried b y i ts s uccessor,
52
w hen
were f our
v essels:
t hree
o f
' chocolate
o r
e arlier
w ere
n ecked
j ars w ith l ooped h andles,
p ot' f orm which
f or
t he
s uggests
i nnermost
a d ate
s tructure
o f
a nd i ts
o ne a s pouted j ar
i nitial
E arly
s uccessor
( Fig .
C lassic 2 .17
b -
d ). Mound 1 0 s tood 1 .25 miles ( 2 km) north o f t he c entre o f Nohmul, a nd was a small p yramid 3 0 f eet t rench
i nto
t he
s ide
( 9
m ) h igh,
r evealed a s tuccoed
8 0 cm t hick a nd 7 .5 f eet ( 2.25m) high, f loor .
Two
f eet
b ehind
h uman f ace t hree f eet
t his
w all
[ 90 cm]
o f
l imestone b locks.
i nner s tructure ,
w ith
A
a w all
s tanding on a n e arlier p laster
a nother
w as
f ound w ith
" a g rotesque
i n h eight" moulded i n s tucco o n i t .
T his
was l ater d estroyed. F rom t he l ocation a nd o ther d etails i t s eems h ighly l ikely t hat t his was S tr. 2 77, t he s ite o f af urther important d iscovery i n 1 940,
o f excavations i n 1 974,
and f inally d estroyed i n
1 977. Mounds 1 1, f loor .
Mound
1 2 a nd 1 3 a ll c ontained b urials o ver a b uried p laster 1 4,
half
c ontained a b urial
a m ile
s tructure o n t op o f t he mound , r oom had a t hin o riginal
( 0.8 km) s outhwest
i n a small s lab-roofed v ault ;
s econdary
f loor G ann found
w ith two r ooms
o f Nohmul
M ound
f illed w ith r ubbish .
f loor part way u p t he f ill, a b roken
c entre,
1 5 h ad a walled
p ottery
f lute,
O ne
while o n t he
and
e lsewhere
a
d eposit including a small c onch t rumpet, a c hert s pearhead o r knife, a nd a s ection o f c onch c ontaining 1 25 small smooth white quartz p ebbles, 2 3 mother-of-pearl d iscs, a nd o ther o bjects . B elow t he f loor w as a s mall b urial c hamber w ith a n e xtended b urial. Mounds
1 6-19 a re c ited b y G ann a s
s outheast o f N ohmul . a re
s ome
b urial
t hree
was
a nother
I n f act
m iles
f ound
w ith
s imilar ,
" of
b eing n ear B uena V ista ,
t he v illage o f t his n ame ,
( 4.8 km) a " dark
a s hape
n ortheast.
b rownish v ery
I n
a c ist
r ed" b owl
u nusual
a nd
m iles
a nd t he m ounds, i n
t he
Mound
1 7
f ragments
a o f
i n Maya p ottery a nd t he o nly
examples o f t heir t ype t aken f rom t his d istrict up t o t he p resent". G ann b y
d oes
n ot,
a g rooved
u nfortunately,
b arkbeater .
i llustrate
Mound
1 8 h ad
t hem .
t hree
T hey
were
s uccessive
a ccompanied
b uried
p laster
f loors, while Mounds 1 6 and 1 7 had o ne e ach a t a d epth o f 4 f eet ( 1.2m), suggesting t hat Mound 1 8 had a more c omplex h istory t han t he o ther s tructures i n t he g roup ( which o n i nspection i n a l arge
p lazuela ;
o n t he s urface a t
r emains
o f
a L ate
t he c entre o f
P ostclassic
1 973 p roved t o b e
i ncensario
were
f ound
t he p atio).
Mounds 2 0-21 w ere two o f a f our-mound p lazuela .
O n t he s urface o f
Mound 2 0 a whistle-figurine was f ound ( Fig . 2 .22 d ), o n t he s ummit o f Mound
2 1
a small
v ase
o n
t hree
l egs
i n
t he
f orm
o f
a human
h ead,
s imilar i n d esign t o t he L ate P ostclassic e ffigy i ncensarios f ound a t t he s ite ( Fig. 2 .22 a ) . I nside t he v ase were a p ottery s pindle whorl a nd
t hree
O ne
o f
f orm
t he
o f
s tone
o nes,
s pindle
a j ar
with
a nd
a v ery
w horls, e verted
o f
small
v essel
l imestone,
r im
a nd
w ith h oles
G ann d escribes
a s crew-threaded
s uggests t hat i t was a t rade p iece o f S panish l athe. O n t he s urface o f Mound 2 1 were a lso i ncensarios,
s ome
i n t he s ides . a s
h aving
p erformation :
t he h e
o rigin, t urned o n a f ragments o f e ffigy
p ainted b lue a nd w hite.
Mound 2 2 was o ne o f a g roup o f t hree , 2 + m iles ( 4 km) s outheast o f N ohmul .
53
a gain a pparently a p lazuela , T his d irection a nd d istance
would a gain
p lace
t he
e xtent e rroneous . v ase
( Fig .
2 .18
g roup
i n P ulltrouser S wamp,
I n t he w estern
a )
a nd
s ide
a b ichrome
o f
t he
' composite
o r
b asal-break)
b owl
w ere
f ound
t ogether .
i s
l ikely.
l imestone
b lock
f ill
o f
a small walled
b een
T he
o f
f illed
i n
w ith
s olid
e arly
m ound
b uilding w ith a d oorway o n
s ystematically
m ust
s ilhouette '
A n
t he
a nd
b e t o s ome
m ound a f igured
t he
L ate
C lassic
c overed
w est
m asonry .
c ylinder
( basal-flange t he
s ide,
T wo
d ate
r emains
which h ad
f lagstones
t he f loor i nside a nd o utside t he n orth wall c overed t he s hafts f our-chambered c hultun c ut i nto t he m arl ,
i n
o f a
which l ay u nder a t hick b lack
b uried t opsoil. C hamber 1 was t he n orthern entrance-shaft ( Gann a nd G ann,
1 939,
F igs. 7 -9 h ere F igs 2 .18 b , 2 .19), with s illed e ntries n orth and s outh d own
i nto
c ontained C lassic bases
c hambers
d ate .
a nd
c arved
2 and
1 0 p ottery
o n
o f
v essels
T hree
t he
l ittle
a nd
t he
( originally)
d ecoration,
p olished
3 ;
v essels
t hree
with
r aised
h ad
l egs,
a b lack
a reas
was
f ound
a v ariety
o f
i n
c hamber
2 ,
b ut
o ther
m aterial
o f
E arly
o utcurving
a nd
o ne
had
s ides,
( Fig
2 .20
a ) .
s played-out
c omplex
s lip a pplied o ver
o nly
T he
3
t he
l ow-relief c arving a nd
f ourth
v essel
w as
a l arge b owl with a n S-shaped p rofile a nd a h uman f igure a pplique a t e ach e nd t hat
o n
( Fig . t he
2 .20 b ) .
T he
s hell-vessel
f aces
f rom
o f o bjects o f b one and marine v essels
were
s hallow
o f
t hese
Mound
1 .
material
b owls,
not
f igures
( Fig.
2 .21
i llustrated
p olychrome, o f ' composite s ilhouette' p rofile . c hamber B elow
3 a n umber
t he
t anged
s econd
s pearheads
o f
o ther
o r k nives
l arge e ccentric c hert
M ounds
2 3-25
d iscs
was
( Fig .
a nd
a p it
2 .21
i n t he
( Fig.
b ),
r eport
N ohmul a nd n earer
t he
2 .21
v ery s imilar
t o
w ere
n ot o f
t wo
were
I n t he s andy f ill o f
t he o f
The o ther s ix
Gann;
o bjects
f loor,
a l eaf-shaped
c ).
m ouths
a ) . b y
c hert
i n
3 5.5 cm in d iameter,
t hree exterior p rojections c hert s pearheads o r k nives.
e ast o f
s hell
e ntrance-shaft
a re
T he v essel c ontained a v ariety
were
f ound .
c ontaining e xample ,
2 0
a nd
p enannular f orm
a
with
C hamber 5 c ontained more
a t N ohmul;
Mounds
t he R io H ondo
2 6-28 were
a nd R io N uevo",
a nd s eem unlikely t o have f ormed part o f t he Nohmul s ettlement a rea, a lthough
t he
p resence
i n
t hem
o f
T erminal
F ormative/Protoclassic
v essels i ncluding a ' chocolate p ot', l arge m ushroom-shaped v essel a nd two smaller ones, a mammiform t etrapodal d ish a nd a p olychrome b owl w ith
a c onch
s hell
p ainted
i nside
o ccupied d uring t he f lorescence F rom
a n
u nknown
americanus
s hell
( Fig .
b ).
( ie,
2 .22
l ocation
a dapted
F rom
a s
" the
d emonstrate
t hat
M ounds
2 3-25
were
o f N ohmul. i n
t he N ohmul
a j ewel-box
p oint
on
a nd
d istrict
c ame
c ontaining
t he R io Nuevo
b etween S an E stevan a nd C aledonia) c ame a s hell
a S pondylus
a j ade
n earest
p laque
t o N ohmul"
d isc e ngraved w ith
a human p rofile h ead, s imilar i n s tyle t o t wo f rom Holmul ( Fig. 2 .22 c ). Gann & Gann c oncluded a s a r esult o f a ll t hese excavations t hat " Nohmul was p robably o ccupied f rom t he P eten Maya P eriod ( ie,
E arly
C lassic) u p t o t he c lose o f t he Maya R eoccupational P eriod ( ie, L ate P ostclassic) ;
i ndeed i t was
i n a ll p robability i nhabited b efore t he o ne
and l ong a fter t he o ther, e ven u p t o t he p resent d ay" ( 1939, 5 6).
The
b asis f or t his s tatement was t he c eramic s equence e stablished b y M erwin a nd p ublished b y V aillant f rom H olmul
54
( Merwin & V aillant,
1 932),
a nd i t
r emains i n many r espects c orrect . T he F ormative o r P reclassic p eriod was o nly j ust emerging t o k nowledge i n t he Uaxactun e xcavations a t t he t ime when Gann was d igging a nd writing. t his
1 939
Maya a nd
r eport, t he
t ogether
d iscoveries
w ith
t he
r eported
On t he o verall e vidence o f
p opular
i n G ann 's
a ccount 1 911
i n
G lories o f
p aper ,
i t
t he
c an h owever
b e d etermined t hat N ohmul had a t l east a Late F ormative o ccupation, w ith
a s trong
T erminal
i nto
t he E arly
C lassic .
the
T erminal
n umber o f
F ormative/Protoclassic
C lassic/Early
i nstances
p resence
L ate C lassic e vidence i s
o f
P ostclassic uncertain,
i ncensario
d eposition ,
a nd
s parse ,
a nd
b ut
s ome
c ontinuity
a nd
t hat
t here
f or
a re
o ccupation ,
a i n
t he L ate P ostclassic. The
major
i naccuracy o f l ack o f
p roblem
m any
o f h is
with
Gann's
d irections
a s ite p lan b eyond a h ighly
i dentified a nd
t he
i n
S ome
t he
o f
t he
s eems
t o
h ave
t he
d emonstrable
t ogether
s ketch o f
w ith
t he
t he E ast G roup
1 939, F ig. 1 ), a nd a paucity o f
objects
d iscovered
I llustrated L ondon N ews
c ollection
i s
d istances,
i naccurate
o f t he c eremonial c entre ( Gann & G ann, i llustrations.
r eport
a nd
b een
a rticle
m ainly
o r
a t
N ohmul
( Gann
c an
& G ann ,
e ntirely
b e
1 938),
d eposited
i n
t he B ritish Museum; d etailed s tudy o f t he 1 938 a ccessions t here may well
enable
u s
t o
match
o bjects
with
d escriptions,
a nd
t o
t heir
r eported f ind-spots. The n ext, 1 970s
was
a nd o nly,
m ade
i n
1 940 ,
important d iscovery a t Nohmul p rior t o t he when a mound
c onfidently
i dentified
w ith
S tr .
2 77 ( and p robably with Gann & Gann's Mound 1 0) was partly d emolished f or r oad f ill during t he D ouglas.
The
i llustrated
b uilding o f
d iscoveries
b y
H .J.
C ook
were
a nd
t he new r oad f rom S an P ablo t o
n oted
b rought
i n t o
a p aper
b y
A .H .
publication
b y
Anderson, J .
E ric
S .
Thompson ( Anderson & C ook, 1 944), i n which t hey c anvassed t he p ossibility t hat t his h ad b een G ann & G ann 's M ound 9 ( which w e n ow k now t o b e a t S an Luis). o ne
with
a n
e ccentrics,
A t l east t hree b urial c hambers were d iscovered,
extended b ut
most
burial o f
t he
acco mpanied material
was
l abourers.
The v essels r ecovered ( Fig.
1 944
i nclude
r eport
1 3
mammiform s upports,
t etrapodal
b owls
3 b asal-flange
b y
a nd
b owls
a v essel with a h igh n eck,
and
o r l ooted
chert b y
t he
2 .23) a nd i llustrated i n t he d ishes,
o n
m ost
r ing-bases,
o ritice b owl and a nother s uch o n ap edestal, p ot-stand,
vessels
smashed
and
o f
t hem
w ith
a r estricted-
as eparate p edestal o r
two L ate
C lassic s herds.
Most o f t he v essels a re o f T erminal F ormative/Protoclassic d ate ( Pring , 1 977 a ,b ; Hammond, 1 984), i ncluding s everal n ot published i n 1 944, while
t he
C lassic
b asal-flanged
d ate .
O ne
o f
b owls
t hem
c ould
h as
i nterpreted a s a n e pisode f rom t he w ith
t he
K ing
F ormative
o r
Vulture
Early
( Hammond,
C lassic
d ate
b e o f
t his
a n arrative
p eriod o r
s cene
( Fig
o f Early 2 .23:
2 5)
m yth o f t he Moon G oddess's e lopement 1 985 i s
a n
) ,
a nd
whether
important
o f
T erminal
i ndication
o f
t he
e xistence o f k nown L ate C lassic m yths a t a n e arlier t ime . The h istory o f i nvestigations a t Nohmul b efore 1 973 may t hus b e c haracterised a s a s ingle e pisode o f r elatively i ntensive, a lbeit r anging
and
unplanned,
t esting
b y
p receded
a nd
f ollowed
s poradic
e xcavations
s pite o f
t his,
t he
b y
work h ad
G ann
& Gann b y
w ide-
i n
t he
m id-1930s,
G ann
a nd
o thers .
b een e nough f or N ohmul
t o b e
I n
r ecognised a s
p erhaps t he most important s ite i n n orthern B elize. T he l ack o f i nscribed s telae , h owever , m eant t hat t he s ite was n ot f urther s tudied
55
b y S ylvanus G . Morley, a nd t he g eneral l ack o f s ystematic i nvestigation i n B ritish Honduras a s a whole l eft i t u ntroubled f or a g eneration . When i t w as a gain s tudied f rom 1 973 o nwards, i t was w ithin t he r egional r esearch d esign o f t he C orozal P roject ( see t he P reface t o t his V olume).
5 6
F ig.
2 .1
Gann's Gann,
1 936 p lan o f t he East Group a t Nohmul ( from Gann & 1 939) .
58
, \
2 rl A
C D
Li rA l
® 7c 5
C
A)
® 0
zH ( A ) 95 4 i i
C- -= 2-- ----) [ i
z
r -
A
1
0 G A
(
A
)
— Rough s ke tch p lan o f Nohmu l . a , Mounds a nd b anks . b , Mound t o t he west o f c amp s how ing e xcavat ion o n i t s e astern s ide . o , L arge s ubstructure o n wh ich s tood t he b ur ia l mound . d , Bur ia l mound . f , C amp . g , L ow ly ing s wa mpy l and . h . , A rrow p o int ing t o western water h o le a nd s wa mp . k , A rrow p o int ing t o l agoon . 1 , P lazas .
F ig.
2 .1
5 9
F ig.
2 .2
C ontour
map o f
t he E ast a nd W est G roups
1 973 b y R ichard B ryant e t a l .
60
a t N ohmul,
( from H ammond,
1 973) .
m ade i n
C N I .
c v
. C O . , 1 4 . ‘
F ig.
2 .3
M aler c onvention m ap o f
t he E ast a nd W est G roups a t N ohmul,
made i n 1 973 b y R ichard Bryant Hammond,
1 973).
Note
a nd Norman Hammond ( from
t hat S tr. 9 has
b een r endered a s
a
s quare, i n s pite o f t he s ubcircular p lan s een i n F ig. 2 .2: excavation
i n
1 979
s howed
b uilding.
6 2
t hat
i t
was
i n
f act
a r ound
F ig.
2 .4
S tr.
1 ,
t he ' acropolis' i n t he E ast Group a t Nohmul,
f rom t he W est P laza F ig.
2 .5
T he G reat P laza
o f
l ooking e ast . N ohmul,
w ith
S tr .
2 a t
c entre
1 metre units) a nd S tr. 8 t o t he r ight o f i t; 1 1
i s o n t he f ar l eft a nd p art o f S tr .
with
S tr .
9 j u t
v isible
64
b ehind
s een
1 973 .
i t .
( scale
i n
p art o f S tr.
1 0 on t he f ar r ight,
1 973 .
C `,4
r z 4
F ig.
2 .6
S tr . m etre
F ig.
2 .7
S tr .
1 1,
o n t he west s ide o f
u nits . 8 ,
f rom
t he Great P laza.
S cale i n 1
1 973 . t he n ortheast.
1 973.
6 6
T he mound i s 8 metres h igh .
6 7
F ig.
2 .8
I ntrusive c onstructions i n t he East G roup: S tr . 8 ( left w ith s cale) , S tr . 9 ( with i solated t ree o n t op) a nd S tr . 1 0 ( right, with 1 metre u nit s cale i n f ront) s een f rom t he n orthwest o f
F ig.
2 .9
t he G reat P laza ,
1 973 .
T he East P laza f rom t he west, 1 973, w ith S tr . a nd S tr . 1 8 a t r ight; s cale i n 1m etre u nits.
5 8
1 7 a t l eft
•
6 9
F ig.
2 .10
T he
W est P laza
f rom
t he
s cale.
7 0
e ast,
1 973,
w ith S tr .
2 8 b ehind
t he
F ig.
2 .11
T he i n
F ig.
2 .12
b all
c ourt,
1 m etre
S tr . 6 6 i n
S trs. 2 8-29, f rom t he n orth,
1 973.
S cale
u nits . t he W est G roup a t N ohmul:
e xposed masonry o n
t he
n orth s ide . F ig.
2 .13
S t/. 8 f rom t he west, s howing t he 1 936 e xcavation b y Gann o n t op.
7 2
. 2 .1 . 3
F ig.
2 .14
" Mound b urial
1 ": a c hert e ccentric f rom b eside t he h ead o f a i n a v aulted c hamber; b L ate C lassic p olychrome
sherd
showing
a
man
( ?Lamanayin) h eadress,
in f rom
a
s aurian
t he
s ame
o r
c rocodilian
b urial;
o nly
s herd was p resent : i t i s i n a s tyle f oreign t o N ohmul, c ould b e f rom Lamanai f urther u p t he New R iver t o s outh;
c Tubular
p ectoral a rea o f p osition o f t he j ade; mound;
j ade
p endant
t he b urial
o f
t he
S un God,
( photograph o f
t he T he t he
e b owl i n t he f orm o f aP omacea f lagellata shell, found with F ig.
Objects a -c are l ikely t o h ave b een b uried i n t he
L ate C lassic , C lassic
a nd t he
t he h ands s uggests a n Early C lassic d ate f or
d b iconical n ecked j ar f rom t he s outh s ide o f
with a human b ust wearing a p ointed c ap, 2 .I4d.
f rom
a c ast) .
t his
d ate .
while d -e a re o f T erminal F ormative N ot
a ll t o t he s ame s cale .
74
o r E arly
a
. 2 .14
7 5
F ig.
2 .15
" Mound 2 ":
a b asal-flanged b owl with b ird a nd g eometric
d ecoration
( the
l atter
matched
a t
b oth
Nohmul
a nd
S an
E stevan) f rom t he u ppermost o f as eries o f s tone c ists; b asal-flanged interior,
t ripod
b owl
with
f rom t he s econd c ist;
twined
s erpents
b asal-flanged a ll
b owl)
f rom
t o t he s ame s cale .
7 6
t he
m ound
f ill,
b
t he
ci nterior d esign o f b ;
s pouted b owl f rom a n ich i n t he s econd c ist; h igh-necked p olychrome b owl ( one o f t hree, N ot
o n
d
e " Mound 3", i ncluding a
p erhaps
a c ache .
a
2 .15
/
F ig.
2 .16
" Mound
8 " :
a n ecked
j ar
w ith
t hree
s uspension
l ugs,
o ne
o f
f ive v essels ( the o ther f our b eing monochrome b owls) f rom a b urial . T he j ar h ad a s cutate l id w ith p arrot k nob , which t ogether with t he f orm o f t he v essel s uggests a n E arly C lassic o r e ven T erminal F ormative d ate . imitating m ound .
N ot
a hafted t o
a xe,
t he s ame
7 8
f rom
s cale .
a n
b c hert
e arlier
e ccentric
b urial
i n
t he
a
F ig.
2 .16
7 9
F ig.
2 .17
" Mound" 9 ( identified a s t he main p yramid i n t he S an Luis m inor c entre s outh o f N ohmul) : a G ann 's s ection t hrough t he i nnermost
o f
overhanging
t hree
s uccessive
mouldings
a nd
b asal
b uildings, r ecessed
s howing s trip,
t he
which
s uggest a r elationship t o n ortheast P eten a rchitecture . b b ridge-spouted ' chocolate p ot' ; c -d t wo n ecked l oop-handled j ars ( note t he l ids); a ll t hree v essels were f ound o n t he t op o f t he l ower t ier o f t he b uilding i n a , i n l ocation
T L ' , and
b uried
s eem t o h ave
b y i ts
b een d eposited w hen t his
s uccessor .
80
N ot a ll t o
t he
s ame
b uilding was s cale .
— Mound 9 . S ect ion t hrough l o wer wal l . o n wh ich v esse ls were f ound . d . S lop ing wa l l . c over ing wa l l .
g ,
Cut s tone
masonry .
h . S tucco t h ,or .
a
F ig.
a , Upper c orn ice . h , Recess . C ,L edge c . Lo wer r ecess . f . Thick s tucco l ayer
2 .17
8 1
k . Mound s tructure .
F ig.
2 .18
" Mound
2 2" :
i n
mound,
t he
a L ate
C lassic
p erhaps
p olychrome
a c ache;
c ylinder
b Gann's
Gann & Gann 1 939) o f t he masonry e ntrances f ound u nder t he m ound .
v ase
f ound
1 936 p lan
( from
s tructure
a nd
c hultun
a
N
A
— Ground p lan o f b u i ld ing a bove s ub terranean c ha mber , Mound 2 2 . a , S tucco c overed wa l ls 1 8 i nches t h ick . b , I rregu lar ly s haped h o le i n t he wa l l measur ing 2 f eet 3i nches b y 2f eet . 0 , C ircu lar o pen ings t o u nderground c ha mbers .
F ig.
2 .18
8 3
F ig.
2 .19
" Mound and
2 2" :
a G ann 's
c hultun
s ection
chambers;
c hambers.
84
t hrough
b Gann's
t he plan
m asonry o f
the
s tructure c hultun
—Sec t ion t hrough s ub terranean c hamber , Mound 2 2 . a , B ody o f t he n f ound b u i lt o f b locks o f l imes tone a nd mor tar t o a h e ight o f 5 f eet a bove t he t ops o f wa l ls b . b , S tucco -covered wa l ls o f b u i ld ing . a nd o pen ing . c , L ayer o f b lack e ar th 3 f eet 7 i nches t h ick t hrough wh ich a re & . xcava ted d . d. Open ings t hrough b lack e ar th e ach 2 f eet 2i nches i n d ia me ter a nd 3 f e e t 1 0 I nches d eep . e , P ar ts o f s haf ts t ravers ing t he mar l . f , Mar l . g , C hambers e xcavn ted h i I he mar l . a
2
.—Ground p lan o f s ub e rranean c ha mber , Mound 2 2 . w ide , t he f l oor 6 i nches h igher t han Cha mbers 2 a nd 3 . b y 4 f eet , a nd 3 f ee t 2i :c l ie 3f eet 2 i nches h igh .
h il i .
Cha mber 1 I s 2f eet 2 i nches Cha mber 2 i s 6 f eet 6 i nches
Cha mber 3 i s 8 f eet 1 i nch b y 4 f eet 7 i nches , a nd
A t 1h e p o int A i s a c ircu lar o pen ing t hrough t he r oof a nd i m me -
d iate ly b eneath t his i s a c ircu lar we ll l ike d epress ion i n t he f l oor . Cha mber 4 i s 3 f eet 8i nches b y 2 f eet 9 i nches i n h e ight . Cha mber 5 i s 3 f eet 5 i nches i n d ia meter . The o pen ing t o Cha mber 4 i s 2f eet 5 i nches b y 1f oo t 4i nches .
F ig.
2 .19 8 5
F ig.
2 .20
" Mound 2 2": s upports o ne
s ide
a B lack-slipped g ouged-incised b owl
m issing when f ound) w ith a l ong-nosed a nd
a s pider
monkey
o n
C lassic i n f orm; b t hree v iews o f b owl w ith h uman f igures o n t he r im ; c hamber 3 o f
t he
c hultun .
8 6
N ot
t he
o ther;
g od
( tripod m ask
l ate
o n
Early
a l arge o range-brown b oth v essels a re f rom
t o t he s ame
s cale .
a
F ig.
2 .20
8 7
F ig.
2 .21
" Mound s hell ,
2 2",
f inds
vessel
in
Fig.
c raftsman's a r ed
worked
2 .20
t oolkit,
working s hell ; 3 ,
f rom c hamber 3 o f
c rab-claw a nd o ther o bjects
s hell
c hamber 3 ;
b apparently
a nd
b owl
b one
d t anged
t he
i nterior o f r emains
t he
o f
a
possibly f or d ecorating p ottery o r
b a nother o f
m onochrome
t he c hultun. a b one,
f rom t he
t he 1 0 v essels f ound i n c hamber
w ith
o bjects
t hree f rom
( missing)
c hert p oints ( 4 o f
o f
n orthern B elize
a nd u sually
Late
o r
T erminal
F ormative t he C olha
e c hert e ccentric 3 5.5 cm d ia .,
b elow
s uch p oints a re
c ome
f rom
c
f ill or
2 0) f rom a p it
t he s econd e ntrance s haft o f t he c hultun; p redominantly
s upports ;
t he s andy f loor
d ate
i n
f actories;
f rom t he s ame p it a s d ;
f
macroblade ( left) a nd t anged p oint f rom c hamber 5 o f t he c hultun ; Mound
2 2 .
t he t op s pecimen i s N ot
a ll
t o t he
88
f rom a n u nspecified
s ame
s cale .
c ontext
i n
a
F ig.
2 . 21 8 9
F ig.
2 .22
a " Mound 2 1" :
v ase w ith t hree n ubbin f eet
h uman
with
h ead,
c ontents
i ncluded
white
p robable C olonial d ate . t op o f
t he mound,
a nd
Maya
a s crew-threaded
i n t he s hape o f
B lue
p igments.
o bject
o f
a
The
p ossible-
T he c ontext, i n s urface h umus o n
s uggests a P ostclassic o r l ater d ate; b
' Jewel b ox' o f S pondylus americanus s hell r etaining t he external s pines, c ontaining a small j ade p endant i n t he s hape o f a h uman h ead ; f rom t he N ohmul a rea w ithout p recise c ontext.
C Shell d isc with p rofile h uman h ead,
c lose
i n
s tyle a nd d esign t o o ne f rom H omul; f rom t he Nohmul a rea, c lose
t o
" Mound
1 " ,
h ut
w ithout
p eriod f igurines a nd f ragments " Mound
2 0" ,
t op/rt,
f rom
6 ".
90
" Mound
p recise
c ontext;
f rom Nohmul: 1 5" ,
l ower/rt,
d C lassic
l eft, f rom
f rom " Mound
F ig.
2 .22
9 1
F ig.
2 .23
V essels
f rom
C ook,
t he
1 944) :
1 940 d iscoveries
o nly
t hose
i n S tr .
v essels
N ational C ollection i n B elmopan a re t he
n umeration
( except
# 25)
o f
a re
P ring
t hose
o f
n umbering f ollows C ook
( 1944),
Belmopan
( Anderson a nd
i n
t he
B elize
i llustrated h ere,
( 1977a).
l ost a nd i llustrated o nly
2 77
s till
Vessel
P ring .
V essels
i n A nderson
u sing
d escriptions 4 ,5,6 & 2 3 a re
a nd C ook
( 1944) .
T he
t he o rder o f i llustration i n A nderson a nd
a nd
e ach
v essel
c atalogue
n umber
number
i s
f ollowed
b eginning
b y
t he
3 3/201-1:.
T he
d escription o f v essel # 25 i s b y Hammond f or t he i nterior d esign a nd
P ring f or
o ther d etails.
R eferences
t o Merwin a nd V aillant,
1 932
a re
a bbreviated
t o
MV. V essel
1 :
3 3/201-1:8 A+C l a. d irect
r im
a nd
I ncurving s ided b owl with
r ound
l ip .
R estricted
o rifice .
F lattened b ase a nd c rude, p re-slip i ncised l ine r ound exterior b elow t he r im. S lip c olour i s d ark
r ed,
S ierra
well
R ed:
n either
within
S ierra
t he
c olour
v ariety,
b ut
t he
g lossy
n or
waxy,
r ather
T here
a re
f aint
t races
f inish .
d ecoration d own meter: 1 1.5 cm . C abro R ed:
o f
f eel
i s
a h ard o f
d ull
t rickle
t he s ide o n t he e xterior . Height: 1 0.5 cm .
V ariety U nspecified .
a nd c olour o f
r ange
B oth
t he v essel s uggest
t he
D ias hape
t he P reclassic
r ather t han t he P rotoclassic o r C lassic .
The
f eel i s, h owever, d issimilar t o t hat f ound i n t he M aya L owlands . T he i mportance o f s lip t ext ure
h as
a lready
b een
p ointed
o ut
i n
t his
r eport ( See C hapter V III) a nd o n t his b asis i t i s d ifficult c eramic e ction
t o p lace t his
g roup o f
i n
s ome
c urrently
w hole
o f
f rom
i nsp-
C halchuapa,
r evealed t hat t hey p ossessed a
v ery s imilar s lip b ut
v essels
within a ny
H owever ,
s tored i n t he University Museum i n
P hiladelphia, c ations
v essel
t he L owlands .
o f
t his
c ourse
t exture .
w ere
T he p ossible
s tressed
t he e vidence
i s
i n
i mpli-
C hapter
V III,
s ubjective
a nd
i nconclusive. V essel 2 :
3 3/201-1:18 A+C
l b .
F laring s ided
v ase w ith
d irect r im a nd r ound l ip. F our s lightly e longated m ammiform f eet . E xterior s urface i s a g lossy
o range-red
t here i s c rackling .
t hough
t owards
t he
b ase
a t endency t o f ire c louding a nd T he i nterior i s s lightly d arker a nd
l ess g lossy w ith f aint s treaky m arks t rickling d own t he s ide, a lmost c ertainly u nintentional . A p ost-slip o n
t he
i ncised
exterior
e lements b etween D iameter :
p anel
j ust
e ncircles
b elow
t he
t he r i m.
v essel T he
c onsist o f r everse a ngles i n s eries two parallel, horizontal l ines. 1 6 .5
9 2
c m .
O verall
h eight:
2 0 .6 c m .
1 0
5
5
1 0
1 5
2 0
CM
7
3
F ig.
2 .23
9 3
F ireburn
I ncised:
V ariety U nspecified .
s els f rom Holmul a re v ery s imilar shape t he
( MV P late 1 9d a nd c ).
i ncised
t ypical
d ecoration
mammiform
t his
i n
T he f ormer l acks
a nd
f eet,
T wo v es-
t o
p ossesses
while
t he
m ore
l atter,
t hough p ossessing s imilarily e longated s upports h as a n e xterior f olded r im a nd a m ore e laborate s et o f d esigns i n o range p olychrome. t erms o f
o f
t he
a nd
c haracter
would
t o
b elong
t he F loral P ark c eramic s phere.
H ow-
t his
t he
B oth i n
t ransitional
s lip
within ever,
s hape
v essel
a ppear
t he absence o f a p inkish u nder-slip a nd
t he m ore e laborate d esigns o n t his a nd V essels 3 a nd 1 7 s uggest t hat a d ifferent t ype d esign ation V essel
3 :
b e
g iven .
3 3/201-1:2
A+C
i d
( 4a).
A c omposite
v essel
c onsisting o f a p otstand a nd a n i ncurving s ided b owl o f
with
t he
r estricted o rifice .
" cotton-reel"
r ather s hortened
T he
v ariety,
p otstand
t hough
m iddle s ection .
i s
with
A c rude,
a
p re-
s lip i ncised l ine r ound t he t op a nd b ottom o f t his c entral p art p roduce a r idged e ffect . T he b owl,
which
s tand,
h as
t ed l ip.
i s
welded
o nto
t he
a s lightly u pturned
r im
D ecorative e lements,
post-slip
i ncised
c ontinuous,
r oughly
t he
c artouches
c ross-hatching in
t he
a nd
a p oin-
r un
r ound
o f t he
B elow t his i s a
h orizontal l ine w ith o cc-
a sional U -shapes d ropping i n
o f
c onsisting
c artouches,
exterior j ust b elow t he l ip.
t op
b elow.
c onsist
d ivided
b y
i n
The
most
i ncised
t he f orm o f a c ross.
d esigns c ases
l ines,
o f
o ften
O ther d esigns,
h ow-
ever, a re p resent, i ncluding U s hapes, s imple s crolls a nd s quiggles. The b asic s lip c olour o f t he b owl i s a g lossy o range-red, s tand
i s
There
f ireclouded i nto b uff
i s
O verall
no
evidence
h eight :
1 4 .8 cm .
o f
1 0.3 cm.
D iameter:
7 .4 cm .
I ncised:
V ariety
e lements
v essel,
w elded
Maya L owlands P eriod
I II
a t
i nto o ne,
H omul
o ne
p aste.
b owl a lone:
U nspecified.
c omposed
t hough
p ink
H eight o f
F ireburn c omposite
t he
while t he
o ccasionally.
o f
i s n ot i s
( Merwin
two
The
d istinct
c ommon i n t he
i llustrated
a nd V alliant,
f or 1 932
9
I
9 3
P late
2 7e).
v essel
f rom
r emarks
L othrop S alcaja
i llustrates
( Lothrop,
e lsewhere
t hat
a s imilar
1 933
F ig .39a) a nd
t hese welded v essels
g ive an i ndicated t hat t he function o f p otstands" i s p robably a s i nterpreted . I t i s 0 8
p ossible
t hat
t he
t o t his s hape. g eometric o ther V essel
4 :
p edestal
p ost-slip
v essels
b ase
may
b e
r elated
T he g lossy s lip c ombined with i n
i ncising
t his
o ccurs
o n
t wo
g roup .
A+C i d ( 4a) No r ecord o f t his v essel in B elmopan . R ing b ased, f laring s ided d ish w ith b asal
f lange .
I nterior
d ecoration i n b ase i s p lain
i s
s aid
b lack . I t would w ith b lack b ands
t o
b e
b reak a nd a n u ndulating s erpent s ides.
The exterior i s
u nslipped p aste,
r ed
motif o n t he
b lack a nd
r ed
w ith t he b asal p art,
o n
t he
b elow
t he
f lange c ompletely u nslipped.
P robably
s phere .
D iameter :
N o t ype d esignation .
w ith
a ppear t hat t he r ound t he b asal
T zakol 3 5
cm .
H eight: 8 .5 cm . V essel 5 :
A+C l e ( 4c) . i n
N o r ecord o f t his t ype o f v essel
B elmopan .
d irect
r im
F laring r ound
s ided
l ip,
d ish/bowl
r ing
b ase
with
a nd
b asal
f lange. Orange polychrome decoration on i nterior a nd exterior d own t o f lange. B elow t he f lange
t he v essel i s u nslipped .
motifs
i nclude,
o n
t he
f oils,
v ertical
b ands,
D ecorative
e xterior s ides, o blique
p airs
q uatre-
o f
d otted
l ines a nd a c rouched l eopard-like c reature w ith long
t ail.
e xecution , E l
T he
o f
P ozito,
b ut
D iameter:
3 3
T zakol s phere . V essel 6 :
A+C
i f.
N o
l ast
i s
r eminiscent,
s ome f ound o n v essels i n
t he
cm .
L ate
H eight:
C lassic 1 1
i n
f rom n earby
cm.
p eriod. P robably
N o t ype d esignation g iven
r ecord
i n B elmopan.
R ing
b ased,
f laring s ided d ish with d irect r im,
r ound l ip
a nd
a nd
b asal
b lack
on
I nterior ( A+C
f lange.
" Exterior,
unslipped s lipped
p .86) .
b uff;
o range-red
D iameter :
3 4
P robably T zakol s phere.
r ed
b ase
with
cm.
N o
f aded
unslipped. r ed
l ip."
H eight:
t ype
7 cm.
d esignation
g iven . V essel
7 :
33/201/-1: c ylindrical D irect f airly
r im. d ark
t here a re
S pecial :
Ic r .
I nterior i s r ed .
t races
t he s urface. 1 2.3 cm.'
11. A+C
Potstand
c entral s ection a nd E xterior o f
e nds.
s lipped o r washea i s
u nslipped
a
t hough
r ed h ematiLe a dhering t o
D iameter ( at t he e nds):
H eight:
with
f lared
1 1.6 a nd
6 .6 cm.
H ematite p ainted .
P otstands
a re
r el-
a tively c ommon within t he F loral Park s phere
1 2
1 4
1 5
9 7
a nd a re
r ecorded f rom t he h ighlands
t ly e arlier d ate
a t a s ligh-
( See C hapter V III
C ocos/Floral Park s ection). t ite p aint i s h owever ,
n ot
u nder
t he
T he u se o f h ema-
c ommon a t
t his t ime .
This c ould b e s een a s a n e xtension o f t he c oncept o f r ed-and-unslipped d ecoration which i s p resent t hroughout t he P re-classic p eriod i n n orthern B elize . T he i nterior s lip i s c lose t o S ierra R ed: V essel 8 :
3 3/201-1:
S ierra v ariety 1 7.
A+C
l h .
i n s ome
Outcurving
w ith d irect r im a nd s quare l ip . f eet
w ith h orizontal
s lash v ents,
b ottom
p roviding a modified Tau
g lossy.
T he
a t
a monochrome l ip
i s
d ish
t he
which h ave
v ertical i s
s troke
s ided
F our m ammiform
s light
i nterior
r espects .
m iddle
o f
s hape.
o range-red,
a s lightly
a
t he The
f airly
d arker
r ed,
while t he e xterior i s s imilar t o t he i nterior i n c olour b ut more c rackled . T he d esign i s c ut t hrough t he s lip e xposing t he b uff p aste b elow . T his
was
c learly
t he s lip, T he
d ecorative
s crolls, s quares
d one
a fter
t he
e lements
small
a re
c onsist
s quares,
a rranged
a nd
C omposite:
v essel h as
o f
o f
r ectangular
c rosses.
s ymmetrically
c ross. D iameter: 3 3 cm . H eight without s upports: 7 .9 D ouglas
a pplication
b ut p robably a lso b efore p olishing . T he
within
H eight: c m .
t he
1 2.3
Variety U nspecified .
cm. T his
b een p laced i n t he c omposite t ype
b ecause t he r im i s c learly a d ifferent c olour f rom t he r est o f t he v essel. I t would b e classified
a s
c onventions d ecoration t he
i s
n ature
si milar
r ed-on-orange
observed. d ominant .
o f
t o
t he
within
However, I n
t erms
d ecoration
" Utatlan
t he
Ware",
o f
t he
e xcised s hape
a nd
t his
t ype
found
i n
i s t he
G uatemalan H ighlands . T hat t oo h as t he d esign c ut t hrough o nto t he p aste b elow t he s lip w hile Rands
and
d esigns
Smith
a re
( 1965
g enerally
t he s tep-and-angular d ecoration
f ound
o n
p .119)
r emark
t hat
r ectilinear a nd i nclude
s croll. t he
T he
two
r ectilinear
v essels
i n
t his
t ype i s, h owever, q uite c ommon i n F loral P ark p ottery. V essel
9 :
33 /2 0 1-1:27.
A+C
l i
e xterior
( 4f).
O utcurving-sided
p late
w ith
l ip.
F our e longated mammiform f eet.
P olychrome. h orizontal
Exterior r ed
b ands,
s quiggles i n p airs i nterspersed . o f
t riangles
t o t he p oint.
w ith
r im
a nd
d ecoration, c onsists p airs
o f
o f
p ointed O range b etween
v ertical
v ertical
l ines
I nterior d ecoration i ncludes
p airs o f p arallel r ows
t hickened
l ines w ith
o utside which small
t wo
t here a re
" bobbles"
j oined
The c entral d esign, within t he
1 6
1 7
1 8
9 9
p arallel l ines i s more c omplex, i s e ntirely r ectilinear a nd i ncludes b ars, a ngular S -shapes " ladder" l ast
d esigns
b eing
D ots
f ill
a nd
c lose
two
t o
" desk" motifs - t he
a r ectangular
U s hape.
i n t he S -shape a nd a lso r un r ound
t he
e dge o f t he b ase, e nclosed i n l ines . D iameter : 3 5.5 cm. Height: 1 2.6 cm. Height without s upports: 4 .5 cm. I xcanrio O range P olychrome: I t
i s
n ot
T urnbull v ariety.
q uestionable whether
i n f act
t his
v ariety
b e s eparated a t a t ype
i t d oes n ot a ppear t o p ossess
s hould
l evel,
s ince
a p ink u nderslip .
However, a lthough s lightly i nconsistent with s ome o f t he r emarks t he
r eport,
made i n t he main b ody o f
n evertheless
t he
c reation
s eparate t ype f or t hese v essels a ll)
would
s hape,
not
b e
o f
( there a re
warranted .
I n
i t h as a lready b een n oted
t erms
t hat
a
5 i n o f
t he p late
f orm o n f our s upports i s v ery m uch a m arker f or t he
Floral
c ommon .
Park
s phere,
N ormally,
c ylindrical, V ertical
but
g roups
o f
t hough
i t
i s
not
t he s upports a re swollen this
wavy
i s
a minor
l ines
f ound q uite c ommonly i n t his
o r
point.
s quiggles
a re
c ollection a nd a re
present a t Homul ( MV P late 1 8a) Barton Ramie ( JCG F ig. 7 1j e specially) a nd Mountain C ow ( Thompson , 1 931, P late X LI) t hough t he l ast i s not a very c lose analogy. The c losest c omparison
i s
w ith
t he
H omul
v essel,
which
i s
a lso a n o range p olychrome v essel with a g lossy o range s lip l acking a p ink p aste. T he v essel may b e
t he s ame v ariety,
c omplex t his
d ecoration
vessel.
f ound
This
s phere . ( MV
P late
X L) 1 0:
a nd
1 8b),
B arton
3 3/201-1: i ncised s lash
R amie
f our
v ents.
b elow
o n
o n
r im
t he
horizontal f ound
wavy r ed
b etween
a nd b ands t wo
t he
a t
1 931
o f i ts
i s n ot
F loral
S acrificios
P ark H omul ( REWA P late
F ig .208) .
s quare,
f eet,
e ach
s lightly a t
w ith
p olychrome,
o range-red
and
N ormally,
t he
a r ounded Z -angle
i nterior ;
exterior
vertical a ngle .
d e
and
i s
O range
a g lossy
with
( Thompson,
m ammiform
i nterior,
i n
t he
F laring s ided d ish with
r im
T here
l acks
i nterior
a re p resent
( WBGG
2 3 A+C 1 j.
l ip .
a nd
A ltar
f olded
t he
a nd d ots i nside,
f ound
Mountain C ow
exterior b ase
t hat
S i milar e lements
F ig .25w),
V essel
o f
o n
d ecoration,
r ectilinear e lements u ntypical
t hough i t
t he
t hree
with
c olour .
t he B and
o therwise d ecoration i s c onsists
s traight a t
t he
g roups
g roups
o f
o f
g roups
l ines r im
o f
wavy
o f
b etween
a nd
b asal
l ines
v ertical
a re
b ands.
The f eet h ave r ed b lobs a t t he t op b ut a ppear t o b e unslipped o therwise. D iameter : 3 6 cm.
2 1
2 2
2 4
1 )
H eight:
1 5.3 cm . H eight without s upports:
1 0.8
c m. I xcanrio O range P olychrome: F or g eneral wavy
c omments
l ines
s ee
T urnbull v ariety.
a bout
a bove
t he
u se
( Vessel 9 ) .
o f
v ertical
N ote t hat
t he
f orm o f t his v essel i s c ommon w ithin t he F loral P ark V essel
1 1:
c eramic
s phere .
3 3/201-1:26 A+C 1 K ( 21) 3 c. p late with d irect
swollen c ylindrical f eet d own
t he
O utcurving s ided
r im a nd g rooved l ip.
s ide.
T he
with
r im
F our
l ong s lash v ents
i s
u neven
a nd
t he
v essel a ppears t o h ave b een r ather c arelessly made.
T he
i nterior
s lip
i s
a n
o range-red
c olour , m oderately g lossy , while t he e xterior i s s lightly d arker a nd l ess g lossy. O n t he i nterior
multiple
s troke
b rushing,
p robably
while t he s lip w as w et h as p roduced a m aze-like p attern t hat i s s imilar h ighland
z ones
a tion .
I n
t his
employed was t he
i nstance
w ith U sulutan h owever
c learly a v ariant
exterior
p robably
t o t hat found i n
a ssociated
b y
s treaky
f iring ,
t echnique
o n i ncising .
l ines
g iving
t he
t he
d ecor-
are
O n
produced
a " trickle"
e ffect .
T his may b e r elated t o t he U sulutan s tyle b ut i t
s eems
c loser
unlikely.
t o
f urther n orth . v essels;
a nything,
d ecorated
c lear
i t
s eems
p ottery
f rom
I t o ccurs o n s everal o f t hese
b ut f or t hat f act
i nterpreted n ot
I f
" trickle"
a s
i t would p robably b e
a n a ccident.
whether
o r
not
A s t he
i t
i s,
i t
process
i s
was
i ntentional a nd i t h as n ot b een i solated a s a s eparate d ecorative m ode t hough i ts p resence i s n oted.
D iameter:
H eight
without
S pecial:
3 3
cm.
s upports:
B rushed
H eight:
5 .3
1 2.5
cm.
c m .
imitation U sulutan .
W e h ave
a lready n oted t he p resence o f t etrapod p lates . A s r egards t he d ecoration, s ee Agrinier 1 964 ( Fig .22, f or V essel
1 2:
5 )
s imilar
3 3/201-1: b owl
Longyear
1 944
( Plate
V II,
6 )
d esigns .
2 2 .A+C
1 ,1 .
S lightly
i ncurving
s ided
( unrestricted o rifice) w ith s hort v ertical
n eck,
d irect
O range and
a nd
r im and
p olychrome,
red
b and
d ecoration
i s
just o n
s quare
w ith
l ip.
a g lossy
b elow
e xterior
R ing r ed
b ase.
i nterior
t he
r im.
a nd
c onsists
Main o f
g roups o f wavy , v ertical l ines b etween g roups o f s traight v ertical l ines. D iameter: 2 8 cm. H eight:
1 1.5 cm.
H eight o f n eck: 2 cm.
I xcanrio O range P olychrome: L ike Vessel p inky
9 t his
u nderwash
o r
d id p aste .
explanation b ehind t his c omments
o n t hat v essel .
T urnbull
n ot
a ppear
F or
v ariety. t o
a m ore
n omenclature, T hree v essels
h ave
a
d etailed s ee
t he
i n t his
2 5
1 03
c ollection
( this
o ne,
a nd N os.
1 0 and
1 6) a re
v ery c losely r elated, whereas t he o ther two ( Nos. 9 and 2 1) m ight h ave b een s eparated a t a varietal d ecision
l evel was
b y
another
j ustified,
a fter s tudying t he e ntire
c ollection .
o f
t o
t his
s hape
v essel with v ertical c eramic g roup . V essel
1 3:
analyst.
b e
p revalence
f elt
3 3/201-1: d irect s tubby, s lip
a nd
N ote
( incurving
n eck)
1 2.A+C 2 a .
r im
The
h owever,
i n
t he
t he
s ided
Aguacate
F laring s ided d ish with
r ound
l ip.
There
a re
f our
b ut h ollow, mammiform s upports.
i s
t races
d ark o f
r ed,
f ire
waxy,
c rackled
c louding.
T he
a nd
A p re-slip
with
g roove
i ncision r uns r ound t he i nterior j ust b elow
t he
r im. H eight
cm.
D iameter: 2 4.5 cm. without s upports: 5 .7
L aguna V erde
I ncised:
T he implications
H eight: c m .
G rooved
7 .3
I ncised v ariety.
underlying
t he
n omenclature
f or t his v essel a re c onsiderable a nd warrant s ome
explanation .
O f
t he
c riteria
u sed
f or
s orting p ottery, s lip c olour a nd t exture h ave b een c onsistently t he m ost u seful .
T he s lip o n
t his v essel i s v irtually i ndistinguishable f rom S ierra R ed : S ierra v ariety, a nd f or t his r eason t hat
t he
R ed :
v essel
B ig P ond
t he l ate f acet very
o f
v arieties
s hape
V essel
1 4:
slip
o f
o f
i t
R ed
a s
well
i s
n ot
s urprising
within
t he
S ierra
t erms
S ierra
b ut
t exture.
i t
a lone
i t
h ut
t o
b elongs
I t
seems d uring b oth
A guacate I f
t his
f ind t he
t hat d oes n ot
i s
s uch a
C learly
i n
t o
h as a
t hat a s
g roup.
i n
P roto-
i nvalidate
t ype n ame .
3 3/201-1;9. A+C 2 b .
F lat b ased, f laring s ided
b owl w ith 2 -angle a t t he
b ase
b ottom
n ubbin
an
i s.
t he P reclassic p eriod
S ierra
c lassic p eriod, i ts
i t
s pecifically
F elipe v ariety w ere i n u se .
t hen
v essel
a s
p ertains
o n t he a vailable e vidence
t he l ast years O range :
n amed
t he C ocos p hase,
d ifferent
p robable,
s o
was
v ariety
w ith
f our
exterior
b evelled A nother
folded
and
s uch
s olid,
r im
pre-slip
l ine
l eading t o a f lat f eet .
with
an
T here
g roove-incised
e ncircles
t he
i s
interior
e xterior ,
l ip. j ust
b elow t he r im. B oth a re f airly c arelessly e xecuted . T he i nterior i s s lipped a d eep d ull r ed, h as
with a f airly waxy f eel a nd t he e xterior a s imilar
b oth t races
i nterior o f
t he s ides. H eight
a nd
t rickle
b ut a b uff
e xterior
m arks
D iameter :
w ithout
D ichrome:
t exture
a re
r unning o bliquely
2 0 cm.
s upports:
Matamore
c olour.
t here
1 0 .1
v ariety.
H eight: c m .
On
f aint d own
1 1.2 cm . Matamore
T here s eems
n o
2 6
2 7
2 8
1 05
r eason
t o
s uppose
c olouring was t his i s s o,
t hat
a nything
t he
b ut
d ifferential
i ntentional.
t hen t he i nclusion o f
within t he Matamore g roup i s j ustified . explanation
o f
t he
r ationale
n omenclature,
s ee
t he
a v ery
s lip
h as
a bove
I f
t his v essel F or a n
b ehind
( Vessel
1 3) .
" Preclassic"
t he
Again,
f eel
a nd
c olour. V essel
1 5:
3 3/201-1:16.
A+C
2 c .
F lat
b ased,
s ided d ish with d irect r im, mammiform s lightly
f eet,
each
Tau-shaped.
o utcurving
s quare l ip.
with The
F our
a s lash
i nterior
v ent,
s lip
i s
g lossy o range-red while o n t he e xterior i t i s r ather d arker a nd l ess g lossy . T he r im i s r ed . Principal d ecoration i s o n t he e xterior with d esigns excised t hrough t o t he b uff c oloured paste. The d esign c onsists o f t wo h ollow t erraces boxed on top o f one another i ncorporating a T au-shape a t
t he b ase .
C ircles
a re o utlined i n t he g aps b etween t he t erraces with i s
l ines
s loppily e xecuted .
a lternately
d own .
t he
D iameter:
H eight
without
p osite: c ription c ussion
2 2.5
T he
way
cm.
s upports:
Variety o f
r ight
f or V essel
a nd
H eight:
6 .2
c m .
Unspecified.
c omparative
c ombination
up
cm .
D ouglas C omF or a f ull d es-
material
8 which
u pside 1 1.3
s ee
r esembles
t he
d is -
t his
d ish
v ery c losely . V essel
1 6:
3 3/201-1:21. i ncurving
A+C
2 d.
s ided
R ing
b owl
with v ertical n eck, Orange P olychrome.
b ased,
s lightly
( unrestricted
o rifice)
d irect r im a nd r ound l ip. G lossy o range s lip o n
i nterior a nd e xterior with r ed n eck a nd b lack r im . o f
D esign o n
v ertical
wavy. N eck
1 7:
b ands,
a lternately
D iameter: h eight:
c hrome:
V essel
t he e xterior c onsists 2 5.5
2 .2 cm.
T urnbull
cm .
t riads
s traight
H eight:
I xcanrio
v ariety.
o f
9 .9
O range
a nd cm.
P oly-
F or a f uller d is-
c ussion o f c omparative material ( Vessels 9 a nd 1 2). T his b owl i s
s ee a bove extremely
s i milPr
t o
l atter
s lightly
l arger a nd
3 3/201-1:19 .
v essel
A +C
1 2,
t hough
b etter
2 e .
R ing
t he
i s
made . b ased ,
m edial
a ngle
d ish w ith i nsloping u pper p ortion ( unrestricted orifice) exterior f olded r im a nd p ointed l ip. T he
r idged,
p roducing i n e ffect
a v irtual r ounded Z -angle.
m edial a ngle i s
A s eries o f p ost-
s lip i ncised, s ingle y okes a re p laced a round t he medial a ngle. T he b asic s lip c olour i s a g lossy, i or a nd e ter:
b ut
f airly
d ark
r ed
t he e xterior a bove
2 3 cm. H eight: 8 .2 cm.
o n
b oth
t he
t he a ngle.
i nterD iam-
F ireburn
I ncised:
Variety Unspecified .
F or a
d iscussion o f t he r easons f or t he c reation o f t his V essel
1 8:
t ype s ee V essel 3 .
3 3/201-1:20 A+C i nterior f airly
( 3a ,
e ) .
t hickened
small
R ound
m ammdform
c oarse s lash v ents. f langes a t p oints
s ided
r im a nd s quare f eet
d ish
w ith
l ip.
e ach
F our
w ith
r ather
There a re f our a ppliqued
r ound
t he
r im ,
o f
which
o nly
t hree s urvive, a nd o ne o f t hose i s b roken. t he t hree r emaining f langes
t wo h ave
O f
o blique
i ncised l ines, s eemingly r epresenting f ins o f a f ish . T he r emaining f lange i s c learly m eant t o r epresent
t he h ead o f
impressed
d ecoration
t he
a nd
e yes
c hrome, b uff
s oft
o n
t he
present.
t he
f eatures
T he
i s
mouth. a nd
f ish w ith i ncised a nd
c reating
d ull,
with f ire
exterior.
D iameter:
s lip
s uch
r ed
a s
mono-
c louding
i nto
F ire
c racking i s
a lso
cm.
H eight:
2 7
1 0.4
cm.
H eight w ithout s upports: G roup: U nnamed C omposite .
7 .3 c m. O ther S ierra O nce a gain t he s lip
i s
R ed,
v ery
c lose
t o
S ierra
a nd
t he
v essel
would have b een p laced i n t he S ierra v ariety b ut f or t he r ather e laborate d ecoration. T he p ractice o f modelling a f lange i nto t he s hape o f
a n a nimal o r o ther c reature i s n ot c ommon i n
t he L owlands b ut
o ccurs q uite f requently i n t he
H ighlands
( e.g.
P eterson,
1 963 F ig. 3 5).
a nd
B rockington,
c olour s uggest
1 967 F ig.
3 b,
d ;
Y et t he s lip t exture
t hat
t he
v essel
J ar
with
was
l ocally
m ade. V essel
1 9:
3 3/201-1:7. s lightly
A+C
2 g.
f l aring
e xterior
f olded
neck
r im
c louding i s a pparent
m edium-high
( almost
a nd
v ertical),
p ointed
l ip.
F ire
o n t he d ark r ed s lip which
i s n either g lossy n or waxy, b ut h ard a nd d ull, d ifferent f rom t he n ormal Maya Lowland s lip. D iameter : H eight :
3 .8
1 1.5 c m.
cm.
H eight:
C abro R ed :
1 2.5
cm.
N eck
V ariety U nspecified .
As n oted a bove ( see Vessel 1 ) t he s lip o n t his a nd t he o ther v essels i s most s imilar t o material
f rom C halchuapa .
a ny means d istinctive a t V essel
2 0:
3 3/201-1:32. A+C 2 h . w ith d irect r im , r ound
T he t his
s hape
i s
n ot
b y
t ime .
O utcurving s ided d ish l ip a nd f our m ammiform
s upports, e ach w ith a s lash v ent . T he i nterior i s r ed s lipped a nd g lossy with a s lightly d arker r ed a t t he r im a nd o n t he e xterior t here a re o blique " trickle" marks r unning d own t he s ide.
These
questionable D iameter:
a re
v ery
whether
2 9.5
without s upports:
cm. 8 .6
f aint t hey
H eight: cm.
a nd were 1 2
a gain
i t
i s
d eliberate. cm .
G uacamallo
H eight R ed-on-
o range:
Variety Unspecified.
b een
p laced
t ype
b ut
t he
b ecause
o f
e ffect d oes
was
n ot
Group. i t i s s ites V essel
2 1:
v ariety
h as
b een
p ossibility
c ontrived. t hat
t he
b ands
t he
v essel
p aste
t he
s uch a s
a t
t rickle
t he
p ink
c haracterises r ed
u nspecified t he
Moreover,
I n o ther r espects, o f
R ed-on-orange
l eft t hat
a ppear t o p ossess
p resence
T his v essel h as
t he G uacamallo
t he
underwash t he
i n
o r
Aguacate
s hape,
r im,
a nd
h owever,
c omparable t o t he t ype a s f ound a t o ther a nd i n t he F reshwater F loral P ark c omplex .
3 3/201-1:24.
A+C
2 1.
O utcurving s ided
d ish
with d irect r im a nd s quare l ip. The b ase i s r ounded f rom a s harp b asal a ngle a nd t here a re f our mammiform s upports.
O range P olychrome.
T he i nterior i s g lossy o range with l essly
executed
lower
o f
b lack
which
i ntervals.
l ines
has
The
r im
a t
U-shapes i s
r ed
two c are-
t he
a nd
t op,
t he
pendent t he
a t
e xterior
d ecoration, b etween p anels c omposed o f b ands j ust b elow t he r im a nd a t t he b asal a ngle, c onsists o f a ngular s crolls r epeated r ound t he s ides.
A gain
l ow. Height
without
Orange n ote The
t he
q uality
Diameter:
2 4.5
a bsence
e ffect
g lossy
i s
( but
t he 7 .4
Turnbull
o f
g loss)
1 1.1
cm.
t he
Again
p ink
s ame
s urface
i s cm.
I xcanrio
variety.
a s pecifically
n evertheless
n ot
d ecoration
H eight:
s upports:
Polychrome:
t he
o f
cm.
a nd
p aste . with
a
s imple
g eometric d ecoration. V essel 2 2:
3 3/201-1:13
A+C
2 j.
Medial
a ngle
b owl with
s lightly i nsloping u pper p ortion , f lat b ase a nd short v ertical n eck o r c ollar. T he r im i s e xterior
t hickened
a nd
t he
l ip
i s
s quare .
T he
interior and exterior are c ream s lipped, a pproaching white, a nd t he l ip i s o range-red. On
b oth
sides
e xterior
there
v ertical
a nd
are
i nterior
four
b ands.
O n
s ets
t he
o f
of
b ase o f
t he v essel
6 parallel, t he
i nterior
t here a re f our more g roups o f 6 l ines, t his t ime r adiating f rom t he c entre a nd with a d ot a t
t he
would t he
o uter b e
f act
t hat
e nd
o f
o f
t hat
e ach
l ine.
T he
e ffect
a n e xclamation mark b ut f or
i n
most
c ases
t he
l ines
a re
s lightly wavy. I n t wo c ases t he g aps b etween t he g roups a re f illed w ith a t apering s eries o f l ines s lip
a t i s
g loss
r ight
a ngles
s eemingly
t o
t he o thers .
t ransitional
o f P eten G loss a nd
t he s oft,
o f Paso Cabello waxy ware. Height: a re
s ome
d erived
8 .8
cm.
S pecial:
s imilarities t ypes
T he
t he
w axy s urface
D iameter:
R ed-on-cream .
with
c ream
b etween
o ther
2 3
cm.
T here
U sulutan-
a nd a lso with E s cobal R ed-on-
b uff a s i t a ppears a t s ome s ites. T he p ractice o f d ecorating t he i nterior o f v essels with g roups Lowe
o f
l ines
and
S alvador
i s
f ound
i n
Mason,
1 965
Fig.17b)
( Lothrop,
1 927
t he H ighlands
F ig .5)
and
b ut
( e .g .
in
El
p erhaps
t he
c losest r esemblance i s t o o ne o f t he Mountain C ow v essels V essel
2 3:
A+C 3 b .
( Thompson,
1 931
P late X LI).
Not present i n B elmopan .
sided
plate,
( probably) .
d irect
r im
O utcurving
and
r ound
l ip
T he b ase i s s lightly r ounded a nd
t here a re f our swollen c ylindrical s upports. The Description s ays with
r ed
l ip
s ides" .
a nd
( A+C
p .87)
c ircle
D iameter :
2 9
" Orange
a round
cm.
s lip
b ottom
H eight:
o f
( approx-
imate, measured f rom l ine d rawing) 1 2 cm. H eight without s upports: ( approximate) 5 cm . G uacamallo R ed-on-orange: Without
s eeing
impossible e tc .
b ut
a tion ,
t he
V ariety U nspecified.
v essel
i n t erms
t his
o f
s hape
p late s eems
i s
o f
c ourse
3 3/201-1:1.
A+C
3 d
a nd
v essel
d ecor-
t o f all well w ithin t he
G uacamallo R ed-on-orange V essel 2 4:
i t
t o d etermine c haracteristics o f s lip
r ange .
( 4e).
F laring s ided
b owl
with d irect r im, i nterior b evelled l ip, b asal f lange
a nd
r ing
b ase.
o range-red c olour u p t he
l ip .
I nterior
T he e xterior i s
a re
a g lossy
p redominantly r ed a nd
b lack o n c ream o r white. one o f
i s
t o a b lack l ine j ust b elow A s pider monkey i s
t he d ominant d esign e lements.
more
abstract
a nd
i nclude
a
O thers possible
s erpent m otif, s crolls, a T au s hape, c artouches a nd, o n t he f lange i tself, r everse c urves i n a constant
s eries.
The
paste
i s
t an
with
d ifferential f iring producing a g rey c ore. B ase i s unslipped. D iameter: 3 4 cm . H eight: 1 1.4 cm .
T zakol s phere.
No
t ype
d esignation
g iven. V essel 2 5:
3 3/201-1:25. A+C with d irect f lange.
r im,
3 h ( 4b). r ound
O range
F laring s ided d ish
l ip,
r ing b ase a nd b asal
p olychrome.
( DBMM
n ote:
N o
i nsert ' A' s upplied) V essel
2 6:
33/210-1: 10. I ncurving o rifice, l ip .
Not
s ided with
a s well a s
exterior
f olded
F ire
e ffect
S ierra R ed :
o n
D iameter :
A+C.
a nd
c olour,
r ound s oft
c louding a nd c rackling t he 1 1
v essel
T here
e xterior, c m .
S ierra v ariety .
o f s lip a nd f orm t his
i n
r estricted
r im
mottling a re present.
t r ic kle
u nintentional . c m .
r elatively
T he s lip i s a r eddish b uff
a nd s lightly waxy . f aint
i llustrated
b owl,
i s
H eight: B oth
i s
a
p robably i n
1 0 .1 t erms
s ecurely p laced
w ithin V essel
2 7:
t he C ocos C hicanel
3 2/201-1:14.
N ot
c omplex.
i llustrated
i n
A+C.
T he
c atalogue n umber may h ave b een m isread when t his v essel was i nspected s ince t he c ard was p laced within t he 3 3 r ange
i n o rder with t he
o ther v essels f rom Nohmul. i t
i s
t rue
m ention a t
t hat a ll
O n t he o ther h and
Anderson
o f
t his
( in
v essel .
A+C)
makes
n o
I ncurving s ided
b owl with e xterior f olded r im a nd r ound l ip . R elatively s lip,
r estricted
soft
c rackling .
2 8:
F lat
b ase.
marks
H eight:
1 6.2 cm.
s lip V essel
with
t rickle Apart
f rom
t his
d own
3 2/201-1:15 .
t he
f ire
s ize i s
N ot
Red:
a nd
v ery
f aint 2 0 cm .
S ierra
V ariety.
v ery s imilar t o N o.
s imilar
r ed and
D iameter :
t he s lightly
i llustrated
number
A d ark
c louding
Again,
s ide .
S ierra
t he
v essel
c atalogue
o rifice.
and
i n A+C .
t o
d arker 2 6.
N ote
No.27.
t he
Medial
a ngle b owl with i nsloping u pper p art, f laring n eck, exterior t hickened r im i nterior
b evelled
l ip.
T here
c hamfer o n t he s houlder . f our
n ubbin
f eet .
medial angle. d ull ,
a gain
cm.
C abro
S light
The s lip
u ntypical
i n g eneral.
D iameter: R ed:
i s
T he b ase
a r idge i s
s calloping i s
o f
r ed,
Variety
b ut
L owland
1 5.5 cm.
f lat
t he
h ard
a nd
Maya
p ottery
H eight:
Unspecified.
for
f eet.
four on
t his
i nclusion w ithin V essels
1 a nd
1 9.
S lip
vessel
t he
i s
and
C abro R ed
t he
1 1.1
N ot
t hough b y n o means u nique,
t he
o r
w ith
r ound
c ommon s hape, f eature
a nd and
a
b ut
c ritical
warrants
i ts
t ype a long w ith
T ype L ist o f A nderson a nd C ook v essels
C ocos C hicanel C eramic C omplex V essel 2 6
S ierra R ed:
S ierra v ariety
V essel 2 7
S ierra R ed:
S ierra v ariety
V essel
1 3
L aguna V erde I ncised:
V essel
1 8
O ther S ierra G roup:
V essel
1 4
M atamore D ichrome:
G rooved I ncised v ariety
U nnamed c omposite M atamore v ariety
F loral P ark o r C hicanel H orizon V essel
1
C abro R ed:
V essel
1 9
C abro R ed:
V ariety U nspecified
V essel 2 8
C abro R ed:
V ariety U nspecified
V essel 7
S pecial:
H ematite p ainted
V essel
S pecial:
B rushed i mitation u sulutan
1 1
V ariety U nspecified
F reshwater F loral P ark C eramic C omplex V essel 2
F ireburn I ncised:
V ariety U nspecified
V essel 3 V essel 1 7
F ireburn I ncised: F ireburn I ncised:
V ariety U nspecified V ariety U nspecified
V essel 2 0
G uacamallo R ed-on-orange:
V essel 2 3 V essel 8
G uacamallo R ed-on-orange: V ariety U nspecified D ouglas C omposite: V ariety U nspecified
V essel
D ouglas
1 5
C omposite:
V ariety U nspecified
V ariety U nspecified
V essel 9
I xcanrio O range P olychrome:
T urnbull
V essel 1 0
I xcanrio O range P olychrome:
T urnbull v ariety
v ariety
V essel 1 2 6 V essel 1
I xcanrio O range P olychrome: I xcanrio O range P olychrome:
T urnbull v ariety T urnbull v ariety
V essel 2 1
I xcanrio O range P olychrome:
T urnbull v ariety
V essel 2 2
S pecial:
R ed-on-cream
N uevo T zakol C eramic C omplex V essels
4 ,5,6,24,25
N o t ype d esignation g iven
A PPENDIX
1 13
1
F rom G ann,
1 911,
p 74-77:
D OUGLAS. A A l arge
m ound ,
c ontaining
o n i ts
s ummit
t he
r uins
o f
a b uilding ,
w as e xcavated n ear D ouglas . T he mound s tood a bout f orty f eet h igh , t he l ast t en f eet o f which c onsisted o f t he r oofless walls o f a small b uilding, c onstructed o f l arge b locks o f s quared s tone . On c learing o ut t he d ebris, t he f loor was f ound t o b e c onstructed o f h ard , s mooth c ement . B eneath o ne o f t he walls, a small r ecess w as d iscovered , a nd within
t his
were
f ound
( a) o ne f lint a xe h ead,
( b)
o ne
f lint
s pear
h ead, ( c) f ive f lint hammer s tones, ( d) t hree s tone b eads, t ogether with o ne s pear h ead, ( e) f our a rrow h eads, ( f) f our c ores, a nd s ix k nives,
a ll o f
o bsidian .
W ith
t hese o bjects
w ere
t hree p ottery
b owls,
c oloured y ellow, n icely p olished a nd d ecorated i n y ellow, r ed, a nd b lack . T he l argest w as t welve i nches i n d iameter , a nd w as o rnamented e xternally with t wo f igures o f ac urious d ouble-headed monster, o ne h ead r esembling s omewhat t hat o f a h orse , t he o ther t hat o f a t apir o r e lephant. A nother v essel, n ine a nd a half i nches i n d iameter, s tood u pon f our h ollow l egs, a nd was d ecorated with t he f igure o f t he s ame c urious d ouble-headed a nimal . T he s mallest, o nly s ix a nd a h alf i nches i n d iameter , w as d ecorated w ith g eometrical d evices i n r ed a nd y ellow. A ll t hese o bjects w ere g rouped a round t wo l arge , r ed , p olished, b asin s haped v essels, e ach s ixteen i nches i n d iameter, o ne o f which was s uperimposed u pon t he o ther , a nd which c ontained b etween t hem a f ew f ragments o f h uman b one, v ery much d ecayed . I n t he mound i tself, a lmost t ouching t he walls o f t he c hamber , w as f ound a l arge , h ollowed s tone , t he c oncavity c ontaining e leven s mall, l ight ,
r oughlym ore o r
l ess s pherical s tones, t ogether w ith t wo s mall c ircular d iscs o f s hell , with a lternate q uadrangular a nd t riangular markings r ound t heir margins, v ery much r esembling t he d ial o f a watch . C ollections o f t hese small, v ery l ight s tones, o ne t o t hree i nches i n d iameter, a re n ot u ncommon i n t he m ounds o f H onduras . T hey v ary i n n umber f rom f ive t o t hirteen, a nd a re a lmost a lways a ccompanied b y a l arge s pherical s tone , t en t o f ifteen i nches i n d iameter , u sually o f l imestone . T hey a re, a s a r ule, a ssociated with a b urial, a nd must, I imagine, have b een u sed i n s ome g ame . P ossibly t he s mall s hell d iscs m ay h ave b een u sed a s b efore
c ounters
o r
markers
i n t he
s ame g ame,
t hough I h ave
n ever
f ound t hem a ssociated w ith t he s tones . D OUGLAS.
A l arge
mound,
t hirty
f eet
h igh,
with v ery
s teep
s ides,
was
e xcavated n ear Douglas. I t was c omposed o f l imestone d ust a nd l imestone b locks, c overed with a l ayer o f e arth . A bout t wo f eet b eneath t he s urface w ere f ound a c urious r eddish v ase , w ith t hree b ulbs a nd t wo c onstrictions,
s omewhat r esembling a n h our g lass w ith a n e xtra
b ulb ; a small t hree-legged v essel o f r ough p ottery, a nd a v ery w ell e xecuted h ead a nd s houlders, a lso o f p ottery . I n t he e ars o f t his l ast w ere t he u sual l arge c ircular e ar-rings;
p rojecting f rom
t he
t he
a nd
n eck
n ose,
a c urious
d ecorated c ollar .
c urved
o rnament,
a round
t he
T he e xcavation w as c ontinued t o a d epth o f
b ut n othing f urther w as d iscovered.
‚ is
b ridge
o f
a b eadt en f eet,
D OUGLAS. A small mound, n ear D ouglas, d iameter,
C
t en f eet h igh ,
b y t wenty-five f eet i n
s tanding u pon t he edge o f a f lat c ircular e levation a bout
f our f eet i n h eight,
was d ug o ut.
T he mound was b uilt t hroughout o f
a lternate l ayers o f c ement, about s ix i nches i n t hickness, a nd o f rubble, f rom e ighteen i nches t o two f eet i n t hickness. At a d epth o f two
f eet,
a nimal ,
a small
c lay
whistle
was f ound,
a nd p rovided w ith t hree h oles,
h oles w ith t he f ingers b ottom o f
o r
s pindle
a nd o ne s mall,
S everal
f eet
o ther
o ne
o f
b urial h igh ,
a nd
l imestone .
mounds
w hich
mound
o f
b uilt
N ear
whorls,
m ay
t he o f
obsidian
k nives,
o ne
D
d escribed,
t he d istrict . t hroughout
t he
two
s aucer-shaped v essel.
a t Douglas were o pened ( with i ndifferent b e
c entre,
o f
a s
i t
I t was
r epresents
t he
c onical i n s hape,
l imestone
a t
n early s pherical v ase o f r ed ware , a nd was
A t
were f ound s ome f ragments
r ed w are,
D OUGLAS.
small
m ore
t hree d ifferent n otes c ould b e p roduced .
a nd mixed i ndiscriminately with t hese were t hree
malacates,
g reenstone b ead,
s uccess) ,
s ome
t he mound, n ear i ts c entre,
human l ong b ones, p ottery
meant t o r epresent
s o t hat b y s topping o ne o r
d ust
a d epth o f
a nd
l arge
f our f eet,
t ypical e ighteen
b locks
was
o f
f ound
a
w ith a n o pening s urrounded b y a r im,
c overed b y a s mall h emispherical v ase o f b lack w are . W ith t hese, a w ell-made f lint s pear h ead . O n e xcavating t o a d epth o f t welve
f eet,
near
p laques.
t he
One
c entre, was
t here
twelve
were
and
f ound
a half
t wo
i nches
l arge i n
r eddish-yellow
d iameter,
a nd
was
d ecorated r ound t he e dge with t wo c urious a nimals w ith b ird-like h eads, l ong
b eaks,
a nd
f rills
a round
t he
n eck .
T he
o ther ,
t hirteen i nches
i n
d iameter, was d ecorated with two animals with h eads l ike s eals o r manatee, and l ong, t ripartite t ails. Within t he l arger o f t hese p laques
were f ound n ine obsidian knives,
s hell, a nd o ne f lint s pear head . v essel,
t wo g reenstone b eads,
o ne
With t he p laques was a b owl-shaped
n ine i nches i n d iameter, and f our a nd a h alf i nches i n d epth,
o ne o r two n icely d ecorated p otsherds, p ottery f ace,
p robably t hat o f a b ird.
h alf a b one r ing,
a nd a small
Amongst t hese o bjects were a
f ew f ragments o f human s kull and l ong b ones. c ommonest t ype o f b urial m ound f ound i n H onduras .
T his i s b y f ar t he O n t he s ummit o f t he
mound, o r b uried s uperficially, a re a f ew a rticles o f rough p ottery, u sually
h aving h oles
g round l evel, o f
p ottery
smashed
i n
t heir b ottoms .
D eeper d own ,
g enerally n ear t he c entre o f t he m ound,
o f
s uperior ware ,
a f ew
o rf iaments,
s uch
a re a s
o r a t
t he
a f ew p ieces
b eads,
g orgets,
e arrings, e tc., with s ometimes a f ew hammer s tones, f lint s pear and a rrow h eads,
a nd o bsidian k nives,
F rom G ann, M ound No.13 .
a ll s urrounding t he s keleton .
1 914-1916,
p 39:
S ituated n ear Douglas o n t he R io Hondo .
l arge mound a bout 2 0ft.
i n h eight.
m aking a small e xcavation a t i ts
This was a
An I ndian f rom a n earby v illage,
s ummit,
d iscovered a l arge
o f f ragments o f r ough p ottery y essels a nd i ncense b urners. t hese w as a n early p erfect h uman f igure, evidently i ncensario .
a t
o ne
t ime
T he l egs
o rnamented
t he
1 4 i nches i n h eight, o utside
o f
c ollection Amongst which h ad
a medium-sized
a re s urrounded a bove t he a nkle a nd a t t he k nee b y
116
t wo
p rominent
b roken away.
b ands,
t he
T he c hest i s
o rnamented b y l ateral
t ags,
f eet
a re
c overed
s andalled. b y
a quilted
T he
maxtli has
b een
c otton b reastplate
a c urious b ow-shaped o bject p rojecting f rom
i ts u pper b order. T he l eft arm i s g one; t he r ight i s b ent i n t owards t he s ide, a nd holds b etween t he t humb a nd f orefinger what were evidently t he handles o f two s pears or j avelins, h ave
b een
b roken a way .
R ound
t he wrist
i s
t he p oints o f which
a b racelet o f
o blong b eads,
a nd r ound t he u pper a rm a p rojecting b and s imilar t o t hose upon t he l egs.
The t ongue i s p rotruded f rom t he mouth .
T he n ose i s s trongly
s emitic i n c haracter , a nd i s o rnamented a t i ts b ase b y a f lat c ircular s tud. The h ead-dress c onsists o f t he head and n eck o f s ome animal, p ossibly a d eer, which p roject upwards f or 4 4ins. a bove a b and encircling t he f orehead. N o f urther excavations were made i n t his mound,
a s
i t i s
v ery l arge,
i s s ituated i n a v ery r emote
l ocality,
a nd
e xperience h as s hown t hat m ounds which c ontain t hese l arge a ggregations o f b roken p ottery a nd i ncensarios a lmost invariably c ontain nothing e lse.
A PPENDIX 2
E xplorations a t N ohmul,
1 936
b y T homas G ann
( extracted f rom G lories
o f
11
t he M aya,
0
1 939,
p p.260-272)
T he i n
t he
known
I ndians
f orest t o
had
a f ew
t hem a s
c entral mound o f we
a ccordingly
o f
t o
N oh Mul, o ut
a g reat
t he
west
c ollection o f o f
t he
o r G reat Hill,
t he g roup .
s et
t o S an E stevan ,
t old u s m iles
O n
i n t he
my
m ounds,
f rom t he vast
r ecovering
f rom
m otor-boat f or t he
where h orses a nd p ack mules
s ituated
s tucco d ecorated t he
t emple,
s ize o f t he
s corpion s ting,
t rip u p t he R io N uevo
awaited o ur a rrival
f or t he
t rip i nto t he i nterior. I t
was
d ark
when we
a rrived
a t
o ur
d estination,
a nd
c amp
was
p itched r ather perfunctorily b y t he d im l ight o f a s ingle hurricane l amp. p laza,
N ext s hut
morning we awoke t o f ind o urselves i n a f lat c ourt o r i n on a ll s ides b y g reat a rtificial mounds a nd b anks
c overed with
l ofty f orest
t rees
whose
b ranches,
b earing
masses
o f
o rchids, a ir p lants, a nd r opes o f l iana, f ormed a l eafy r oof over o ur c amp a lmost impervious t o e ither r ain or s unlight, g iving, b etter p rotection f rom t he
f ormer t han o ur c anvas
t ents,
i ndeed,
which w ere
a b y
n o m eans w aterproof. The g roup o f mounds amidst which we f ound o urselves measured a pproximately f ive h undred b y f ive h undred a nd f ifty y ards . T he g reat c entral s tructure t owering o ver o ur t ents, m easured f ifty b y f ifty-two y ards a nd was
t he N oh Mul o t t he I ndians, t wenty-six f eet h igh ; f rom
i ts s outhern m argin r ose a s teep p yramidal
m ound s ixty-eight f eet h igh .
F rom t he west side o f t he s tructure two horns p rojected, t he e nds o f which were j oined b y a l ong b ank e nclosing a n arrow p laza , a nd b eyond t his
t o t he w est w as a s eries O n a ll
l ong b anks
s ides
o f
o f s imilar l ong m ounds e nclosing p lazas.
t he g reat
e nclosing p lazas .
c entral mound were p yramidal mounds A bout
a f urlong
t o
t he
s outh-west
o f
a nd t he
g roup was a small water-hole o nly a f ew yards across a nd l ess t han a f oot d eep, y ielding b rown , e vil-tasting water ; b y t he s ide o f t his was a r eed-covered patch o f swamp o f c onsiderable extent, which, t ill i t b ecame
s ilted u p,
t he a ncient
h ad p robably f ormed
i nhabitants
o btained
a l agoon o f
t heir water
we had b een a t Noh M ul f or a c onsiderable
m oderate
s upply . t ime
I t
t hat
s ize
where
was n ot u ntil
we
d iscovered,
b uried i n t he b ush t o t he s outh-east o f t he g roup, a f ine d eep waterh ole c overing s everal a cres, t he m ajor p art o f which was moss-blanketed b y a s udd-like g rowth o f wild h yacinths o ver which s cuttled i nnumerable b rown s pur-wings
i n e ager p ursuit
a l arge h eron was f ishing i n t he c lose b efore r ising ; v isited,
o f
i nsects .
c lear p art
I t
m ust c ontain f ish ,
a s
a nd a llowed u s t o g et q uite
a sure i ndication t hat t his r egion was
s eldom
f or t he h eron i s r egarded a s a bonne b ouche b y b oth n egroes
a nd I ndians . T his f ine l agoon p robably i nfluenced t he o ld Maya i n t he c hoice o f t he s ite, f or i t p rovided u s with a n u nlimited s upply o f w ater which we f ound e xcellent n ot o nly f or washing b ut The great mound ,
n early one hundred f eet h igh,
f or d rinking .
j ust i n f ront o f
t he c amp, had p artially c ollapsed o n i ts northern s lope a bout twenty f eet f rom t he s ummit, e xposing p arts o f walls b uilt o f s quared b ricks o f l imestone; and o n t he s ide o f t he pyramid c lose t o t hese we f ound t he f ragments g ot t he
m en t o
o f a l arge s tone t urn t his
monolith p artly b uried i n t he e arth .
o ver w ith s ticks
f or
l evers,
h oping
t o
W e
f ind
a
h ieroglyphic i nscription o n i ts u nder-surface which m ight d ate t he s ite b ut were g reatly d isappointed t o f ind o nly s tucco
c overing
t he
u nder-surface,
121
on
s everal
which
t he
layers
o f
t ough
i nscription
had
p robably
b een
f requently m arkers . g ave
i nstead
b y
t he
t o h ope
t hat
f urniture .
t he
m ound
E xcavation
t he s pace t hey e nclosed was c hamber , e xcept t he
o f
c arved,
a ncient
Maya
a r eprehensible
i n
s etting
u p
c ustom
t heir
T he d iscovery o f f ive masonry walls n ear t he s ummit,
u s
g rave
p ainted
a dopted
f ourteen
f eet
f or b locks o f
r oof
h ad
f allen
t he
c ontents
n eighbourhood.
A t
t aken p lace
t he
i n
f ive
a t o f
a nd
s ome
o f
t he
was
o ut .
f our
I t
f eet
c hamber r ich
s tarted
a t
p roved h igh,
a nd e arth .
t ime,
which had
a b urial
walls
r ubble,
a l ater p eriod t op
e nclose
t he
s oon c leared
b y
l imestone ,
c hamber,
f rom
m ight
r ound
t o
exposing
o nce,
t he
empty
p robable t hat
i nterior o f
b y
i n a nd
b e a s mall
entirely
I t i s
b een r emoved
t ime
h owever ,
Indians
t he
o f
t he
a f urther l andslide had p robably
mound,
c ompletely
f illing
t he
c hamber
w ith s tones a nd e arth. I n t he h ope o f
f inding o ther b urial c hambers b eneath ,
e xcavation u nder t he
f loor o f t he u pper
m ound was s olidly b uilt m ortar , O n
t hirty-seven f eet a nd p ut
o f
w e c ontinued
n o e asy
matter
a s
t he
o f s quared b locks o f l imestone h eld t ogether b y
f orming a c ompact
r eaching a d epth
c hamber ,
mass
t welve
f rom t he
o f
m asonry v ery
f eet
b elow
t op o f t he
d ifficult
t he f loor o f
m ound ,
t o
t he
w e g ave i t
e xcavate .
c hamber a nd
u p
a s
h opeless
t he m en o n t o o ther w ork.
N ext
m orning a w izened o ld I ndian n amed H au,
who h ad b een e ngaged
on t he work, c ame t o me and with an a ir o f g reat s ecrecy t old m e t hat d uring t he n ight h e dreamt t hat h e had unearthed a g reat t reasure o f j ade and p ainted p ottery f rom a c hamber i n t he mound . e xciting , e nough ,
s o
a t
I f ollowed h im u p
t he b ottom o f
t he
p latform a nd
This s ounded
mound ,
t he e xcavation w e h ad a lready
a nd
t here
made
a nd
s ure
e leven
f eet b elow t he f loor o f t he upper c hamber, was a s nug l ittle c yst measuring e ight f eet b y t hree and two a nd a h alf f eet high, i n which l ay a s keleton f ully extended on i ts b ack. m ind t hat t he o ld man, chamber,
T here was n o d oubt i n my
while d igging b eneath t he
f loor o f
t he u pper
had p artly o pened up t his l ittle c yst, which t he e xcavation
h ad o nly m issed b y a f ew i nches, a nd , k eeping t his k nowledge t o h imself t ill we g ot t ired o f d igging, had i nvented t he dream o f t reasure a nd g ot t he p romise o f r eward, knowing h e c ould f ind t he h oping t o d iscover j ade a nd p ainted p ottery i n i t. T he b y
c yst was well
f lat
f lags.
matting,
a s
T he
t races
b uilt
o f s quared b locks
i n
o f
t his
were
f o u nd,
c oloured
c otton
t o
material,
l ight t he a ir .
t he
r emaining was a s oft impalpable r ed d ust. encased
i n
s tucco
again a nd
l imestone
a nd
r oofed
c orpse had evidently b een wrapped i n p alm-leaf
d isintegrating i mmediately o n e xposure d ressed
o f
c yst
a lmost
u p
t o
t he
o nly
a s
t histledown
a nd
B eneath t his i t was t race
o f
which
now
T he l egs h ad b een f irmly
p elvis
a nd
impressions
o f
t he
m atting w ere d iscernible o n t his. The b ones were t hose o f a t all, t wenty-five o r t hirty y ears o f t he
s keleton o f
d eath
o f
a rduous
t he
t he c orpse,
I t
i s
n ot
i mprobable
t hat
a s ervant o r s lave who was b uried with h is
l atter,
j ourney
a ge .
muscular y oung a dult male a bout
t o h is
t o
a ccompany h im
r eward .
' A s ingle
a nd a id him f unerary
o n
h is
o ffering
a s ingle j ade b ead p laced b etween t he j aws,
t his
i s
l ord o n t he l ong
a nd
a ccompanied such a s
t he
Maya b uried with t heir d ead t o r epresent t he s oul a nd without which they
could
not
enter
the
Maya
1 22
heaven.
This
may
have
b een
surreptitiously r elative,
s lipped
b etween
h is
o r p erhaps b y a sweetheart,
d ead
l ips
f or h e
was
b y
s ome
f riend
a n e xceptionally
o r
f ine
y oung m an. T he
c ementing
t he Maya a rea ,
d own
o f
a nd m ight
t he
l egs
i s a p rocedure
l ittle p ractised i n
s uggest t he u npleasant p ossibility o f t he b ody
having b een b uried a live,
a s t he h eavy s tucco l ayer would c ertainly
h ave f ormed a n e fficient a nchor i n s uch a c onfined s pace; are l aid q uietly a t t he s ides, o ne o f r epose ,
which w ould n ot have b een t he c ase u nless
h ad b een d rugged i nto a l ast
o f Maya s kulls,
s ame s ite .
b inding
b oards
a fter b irth .
o n t he
T his
s kull
l east s ix i nches
o f
c yst
q uite u nlike
t he u sual
mounds n ear t he
f ront
was
t his q uality s o m uch t hat t o p roduce
a nd
b ack
d ecidedly
t aller
t he
i nfant's a nd
t han t he a verage Maya , i ndicated
t emple a lready d escribed,
l ong-faced,
o f
l ong-headed, b y
t he
s kull
t he
s oon
i ndividual
a nd t his would g o
p ainted
s tucco h eads
t hat t wo d istinct a nd s eparate r aces
h ad o ccupied t his a rea i n Maya O ld Empire
d ays,
t he o ne l ong-headed a nd
t he o ther s hort-headed a nd r ound-faced.
A number o f small Maya v illages, d ozen
was
t heir c hildren t o a rtificial d eformation
t o c onfirm what h ad a lready b een f rom t he
t his
a nd t he Maya a dmired
i t t hey s ubjected t he h eads
was a t
o f
m any o f which w ere f ound i n b urial
The t ypical Maya s kull i s e xceedingly b rachicephalic o r
s hort-headed ; b y
t he i ndividual
s leep b efore i nterment.
T he s kull o f t he o ccupant t ype
b ut t he h ands
a nd t he p osition o f t he whole b ody i s
h ouses,
were
s cattered
e ach c ontaining f rom two
t hroughout
t he
s urrounding
t o a
c ountry;
a ll,
a ccording t o t he native c ustom, b uried i n t he d epths o f t he f orest, s urrounded b y t he c orn p lantations o f t he i nhabitants, a nd o nly t o b e a pproached b y n arrow f oot t rails c ut t hrough t he t he l ittle l eaf-roofed, s tick-walled h omes w ere
d ense b uilt
b ush . S ome o n t he t ops
o f o f
small mounds, which had b een f irst t he house p latforms and l ater t he b urial m ounds
o f
t heir a ncestors.
Around Noh Mul we excavated i n a ll t hirty mounds o f a ll s izes, s ome o f which were b urial mounds;
t hree had b een b uilt o ver f ormer
t emples a fter t hey h ad b een partially p ulled d own . One o f t he most i nteresting b urial m ounds was s ituated q uite c lose t o c amp . I t c overed a s mall
s tone c hamber where o n a s andy f loor l ay
t he s keleton o f
a m an
o utstretched o n h is b ack ; a ll r ound h im w ere h is p ossessions, i ncluding e xquisite p olychrome p ottery, a w ell-made f lint s pear-head , a nd g reat numbers
o f
knives,
made
f rom
volcanic
g lass.
With
h im
was
a
b eautifully w i )rked f lint k nife w ith a h andle b elow a nd a g uard a bove . T he e dge was a lmost a s k een a s a s teel k nife , a nd t he p oint was n eedlesharp.
I t h ad p robably b een u sed a s a s acrificial knife,
a dmirably
a dapted
t he h and o f
f or
t he p riest
c utting
t hrough
t he
r ib
c artilages
b eing i nserted i n o rder t o g lasp
a s
t o
a dmit
t he h eart,
i t o ut, a nd, a fter s evering t he g reat b lood v essels, t o o ffer i t p alpitating t o t he g od t o whom t he s acrifice was b eing made . i mplement was c overed w ith r ed o chre,
i t was o f
p ull s till This
d oubtless s ymbolical o f t he b lood
i t h ad s o o ften s hed. Close q uantities o r m ore
t o
the
s keleton
was
o f a shes a nd f ragments
s laves w ho h ad
a l arge
p ottery
o f h uman b one ,
b een b uried w ith t heir m asters.
123
b owl
p ossibly
c ontaining t hose
o f
o ne
The p riest
o ccupant
o f
d uring h is
t he
l ife ,
t omb,
was
who had p robably
t he p ossessor o f
s ome
b een a n
v ery
important
f ine
j ewellery,
c onsisting o f as plendid n ecklace o f l arge p olished j ade b eads which m ust
h ave
r eached
b elow h is
waist,
a nd a m agnificent
j ade
g orget
f ive
i nches l ong, c ut i n t he f orm o f a human f igurine t o r epresent o ne o f t hose f ound on t he o ldest Maya monoliths a t t he g reat c ity o f C opan . T his g orget a lmost c ertainly c ame a s a t rade p iece f rom f ar-off C opan , m any h undreds o f y ears b efore i t was b uried w ith i ts o wner a t N oh Mul, a nd h ad p robably b een h anded d own i n o ld Maya a ristocratic f amilies f or many g enerations. Ear p lugs, l abrets, and o ther o rnaments o f j ade, with s trings o f amongst A
t iny r ed s hell b eads
t he j ewels s econd
c hamber, v arious
c urious
b urial
d ivided i nto f ive
h eights.
E ach
c ompartment
t wo p olychrome,
Q uite a n umber o f
mound
enclosed
c ompartments
p iece o f v ery f ine p ottery. p olished,
much v alued b y t he Maya,
were
f ound . a h igh
b y f lags
c ontained
h uman
n arrow
b ones
a nd a s ingle
A ll t he p ieces were d ifferent,
a nd o ne
b lack
s tone
l aid a cross i t a t o ne r ed
l ustre w are.
t he mounds had b een e rected
o ver f ormer p rivate
houses, s ome o f which had b een b uilt o f s tone, o thers o f wood . The f loors o f a ll o f t hem were o f h ard smooth s tucco , e ither o n o r b eneath which t he owner o f t he house had b een b uried, with s ome o f h is most c herished p ossessions f or u se i n t he n ext w orld . T he o wners o f s tucco c overed
s tone
c hambers
h ouses
h ad
s ometimes
b een
d ug o ut b eneath t heir f loors,
b uried b ut
i n
l ittle
t he owners
a dobe houses were e vidently n ot s o well-to-do,
s tone-lined
o f wooden
o r
a s t hey were s imply
d umped in a hole d ug b eneath t he s tucco f loor and o ccasionally even l aid
u pon
i t .
w ith w hom
Amongst
were
t he b urials
i nterred
a nd t heir d omestic p ottery, o f
w ere
t heir s tone
t hose o f
w omen o f
c orn-grinding
s tones
and c orn c ake h olders;
j avelin-heads; man ,
p erhaps
a nd,
l astly,
a v illage
p eople, g rinders
m en o f t he p eople w ith a f ew p oor o rnaments
s hell a nd p ottery a nd t heir c onch shell t rumpets,
s tones,
t he a nd
f lint hammer-
warriors a nd h unters with s pear-
and
t he grave o f o ne who had p robably b een a
p riest,
o f
t he
l ower order with whom were
b uried two r ough c lay c ensers o f unusual p attern, o ne s haped l ike a n h our-glass, t he o ther l ike a c hampagne g lass, b oth w ith t races o f b urnt i ncense s till i n t hem . an
e xtremely
t hings, f ace
o ld
I n o ne v ery l ate g rave w e f ound t he s keleton o f
i ndividual,
with whom
was
b uried,
amongst
o ther
t he c opper tweezers u sed i n l ife f or r emoving h air f rom t he
c onsidered
b y
t he
o ld
Maya a d isfigurement;
s howing
t hat
e ven
i n
a dvanced a ge v anity h ad n ot e ntirely l eft t he o wner. Two where
l arge
m en ,
f lat
woman ,
m ounds
h ad
e vidently
a nd c hildren o f
b een
c ommunal
b urial p laces,
t he l ower c lass w ere b uried t ogether
with a f ew a lmost v alueless p ossessions - a c rude p ot o f c lay b eads, a c lay s pindle whorl,
o r t wo ,
a s tring
a nd a b roken r ubbing s tone with
t he woman, a f ew b roken s pear- and a rrow-heads with t he men, a nd a b roken c lay f igurine, a f ew m iniature p ots, a nd a s tring o f t iny b eads w ith
t he
c hildren .
Q uite
a n umber o f
t he l arger m ounds
o ver r uined t emples o f s tucco-covered s tone .
N othing was
h ad
b een b uilt
f ound i n t hem
b eyond a f ew d edicatory o fferings. I n o ne o f t hem, which was o ver s ixty f eet h igh , we f ound a t a d epth o f a f ew f eet b elow t he s urface a smooth f lat s tucco l ayer which had e vidently f ormed t he f loor o f a f ormer b uilding;
s ix f eet b eneath t his
1 24
was
a nother s tucco f loor on
which s till s tood t he r uins o f a s tone t emple ; a nd t hirty f eet d own w e e ncountered t he r uins o f a f urther and much more imposing b uilding c overed with r ed s tucco , s howing t hat t he mound h ad b een e nlarged a nd u sed a s a s ubstructure f or t emples i n a t l east t hree d ifferent p eriods. I n
o ne
o f
t he
most
i nteresting
o f
t hese
mounds
we
i mmediately b eneath t he t emple o ver which t he mound was b uilt, o f
f ound, a s eries
f ive s mall c hambers h ewn o ut i n t he m arl. T he
mound
i tself
c ontained
s ome
b elonging t o t he Maya G reat P eriod,
b eautiful
p olychrome
p ottery
and in t he c hambers b eneath t he
t emple w ith which i t was p robably c ontemporaneous w ere f ound a n u nusual c ache
o f
v otary o fferings
- p robably t o t he g od t o whom t he t emple was
d edicated - o f j ade, obsidian, b one, and s hell, with f ine p olychrome a nd b lack w are p ottery b elonging t o t he P eten M aya P eriod. T he o f
I ndians
t heir h eads
t he walls
o f
i n
t he
n eighbourhood
a pparently
t hat w e w ere i n s earch o f
c ould
t reasure,
a r uined t emple a nd l eft i t,
n ot
g et
a nd when we
w e a lways
f ound o n
i t
o ut
c leaned
r eturning
a week o r two l ater t hat g reat b reaches had b een made i n t hem i n t he h ope o f f inding s omething w e h ad m issed. This s ite i s extraordinarily i nteresting, f or we f ound evidence t hat i t had b een o ccupied f rom t he P eten Maya P eriod, A .D. 3 00 t o 7 00, t hrough t he Maya G reat P eriod, A .D . 7 00 t o 8 00, u p t o t he Maya R eoccupational s cattered p lentiful
P eriod,
v illages t he
o f
a bout A .D . Maya
evidence
1 500 .
I ndians,
i s
I t
i s
a s
t he
a nd
s trongly
i n
s till s oil
favour
o f
o ccupied i s
f rom
t he
l ife-sized
t he p eople l ooked l ike
s tucco
h eads,
and
f rom
w ho
small water
i ts
o ccupied c ontinuously f or a t l east s ixteen c enturies. g raphic p icture o f what
b y
g ood a nd having
l ived h ere
t he
b een
We o btained a
b urial
f ormerly
mounds
we
g athered t he implements, weapons, o rnaments, and p ottery which t hey u sed, g iving a c lear p icture o f t he l ife t hey l ed, while f rom t rade p ieces imported f rom o utside we were a ble t o t race t he t rade r outes o ver a w ide a rea,
e ast,
s outh,
w est,
1 25
a nd n orth o f
t he
c ity.
A PPENDIX 3
extracted f rom :
ARCHEOLOGICAL I NVESTIGATIONS
I N T HE
C OROZAL D ISTRICT O F B RITISH H ONDURAS Smithsonian I nstitution ,
B ureau o f American E thnology,
B ulletin 1 23,
b y T homas
1 939
a nd M ary G ann
127
I n o f
t he
C orozal
D istrict
t he R io H ondo a nd
o f
B ritish
t he R io N uevo ,
H onduras,
t here
l ies
a nd b anks k nown t o t he Indians a s Nohmul,
b etween
a g roup
o f
t he
v alleys
l arge
o r G reat Mound,
m ounds
s o c alled
b ecause o ne o f t he p yramidal s tructures, o f which a g reat n umber a re f ound
i n
t he
n eighborhood,
i s
t he
l oftiest
i n
t he
d istrict,
r eaching
a
h eight o f 9 5 f eet. Two s easons s tructures, The
were
s pent
main
g roup,
h ereafter
m easuring a pproximately n orth
t o
i n f ield work o n t his a nd t he a djoining
o f w hich t he f ollowing p aper i s a r ecord.
s outh,
a nd
c alled
5 50 y ards
c onsists
o f
s urrounding r ectangular s paces, f orest t rees whose b ranches,
Nohmul,
f rom e ast
t o
a c ongeries
o r p lazas,
t he
o ccupies
west
b y
o f
b anks
whole
a s pace
5 00 y ards a nd
c overed
f rom
m ounds
w ith
t all
d ecorated with a ir p lants a nd r opes o f
l ianas, f ormed a l eafy r oof o ver o ur c amp, a lmost impervious t o b oth r ain a nd s unlight. T he c amp a nd
g reat
c entral
c onsisted o f 2 6
f eet
s tructure
a r ectangular
h igh,
which
t owering
o ver u s
s ubstructure
s upported
o n
i ts
j ust
t o
t he n orth o f
m easuring
5 2
b y
s outhern
margin
5 0 y ards, a s teep
p yramidal mound 6 8 f eet h igh . F rom t he n orthwest a nd s outhwest o f t he s ubstructure e xtensions p rojected t oward t he west, t hat
a ngles o n t he
n orth b eing 6 yards l ong, t hat o n t he s outh 2 0 y ards, a nd t o t he west o f t hese a l ow b ank o r mound e nclosed a r ectangular s pace, which w ith t he s ubstructure a nd extensions f ormed a l ong n arrow p laza . W est o f t his was a f urther s eries o f s paces e nclosed b y l ong m ounds, o r b anks, b ounded d ue
t oward
e ast
a nd
t he
s outh
west,
t he
s hort d istance s outh o f
b y
a b ank
h eight t his
t he
s tretch u pon w hich n o m ounds T o which
t he e ast
v aried
d eal
T he
p laza i n which
i n
l and b ecame
l ength
l ower,
a nd w idth ,
r unning
a lmost
f rom 3 t o 6 f eet.
A
e nding i n a s wampy
h ad
b ounded b y a s eries
i n h eight
a pproximately 6 f eet a nd
2 00 y ards
which v aried
o r o ther s tructures
t he g roup was
a g ood
o f
b een erected.
o f
l ong ,
l ow
mounds
t he a verage h eight
b eing
t he a verage w idth 2 5 f eet. o ur
c amp
was
p itched
was
b ounded
t o
t he
n orth
b y t he g reat s ubstructure, t o t he west b y a mound 6 5 y ards l ong b y 2 0 y ards b road a nd 2 2 f eet h igh, t he e ast b y two mounds, a lmost
t o t he s outh b y as imilar mound, a nd t o
one 3 0 yards
l ong a nd
t he
o ther
smaller
and
r ound.
About a f urlong t o t he s outhwest o f t he g roup was a small water h ole,
o nly a f ew yards i n d iameter a nd a bout 1 f oot d eep,
v ery e vil-tasting water was o btained. a nd c onnecting with i t, which
h ad,
until
i t
was a r eed-covered swamp o f
b ecame
s ilted u p,
m oderate s ize f rom w hich g ood w ater c ould To
t he
s outheast
o f
e xtending o ver s everal a cres,
t he
g roup
f rom which
B y t he s ide o f t his, h owever, p robably
c onsiderable e xtent f ormed
a l agoon
o f
b e o btained.
was
a f ine
t he g reater p art
o f
d eep
water
h ole,
which was n ow c overed
b y a s uddlike g rowth o ver which r an n umbers o f l ittle s pur-wings. I t must c ontain f ish, a s a l arge h eron was wading about i n t he c learer p art,
s o
t ame
w inging o ff
t hat
l azily .
i t
a llowed u s
T his
f ine
t o
g et
within
l agoon p robably
129
a f ew
i nfluenced
yards t he
b efore
o ld
Maya
i n t heir c hoice o f
a s ite,
a s
i t
p rovided a n u nlimited
which we f ound e xcellent n ot o nly f or washing b ut a lso have s erved a s a f ish p ond, f or t he K hmer. The
l arge
mound
o r r eservoir,
o ccupying
t he
( fig.1) h ad partially , c ollapsed f rom t he s ummit, o f l imestone. O n b ase , l ong
t he
s ame
was f ound b y 3 f eet
c overed hope
e xposing p art
s ide
o f
t he
on
o f
s ide
o f
t he
s ubstructure
n orthern f ace,
m idway
m ay
a s d id t hose o f Angkor
a w ell-built
m ound,
w ater , a nd
wall
a bout
o f
b etween
2 0
s quared
t he s ummit
f eet
b locks
a nd
t he
t he m idsegment o f a l arge s tela , a pproximately 3 f eet b road, p artially b uried i n t he v egetal mold which
t he whole s tructure .
that
s outh
o n i ts
s upply o f
f or d rinking ,
i ts
under
i nscription
r ecording
experienced,
h owever,
T his
was
surface
a d ate.
l evered
might
o ver
b e
C onsiderable
o n f inding o nly
w ith
found
t hree
s ticks
i n
t he
a h ieroglyphic
d isappointment
l ayers
o f
was
t ough s tucco
c overing t he under s urface, o n which i t i s not improbable t hat an i nscription h ad o riginally b een p ainted, a s h appened n ot i nfrequently among t he l ater Maya . T he d iscovery o f well-built walls n ear t he s ummit o f t he m ound g ave u s h ope t hat t hey m ight f orm p art o f a b urial c hamber c ontaining g rave f urniture s imilar t o t hat
f ound s ome y ears
a go
i n t he l arge mound f orming p art o f a g roup i n t his r egion, c lose t o t he R io Hondo . C learing was c arried o ut a round t he walls, and t hey were f ound f eet
t o e nclose a small
h igh ,
which
f ragments
o f
r oof h ad a t
c hamber 1 4 f eet
c ontained n othing e xcept
c ement,
a nd r ubble
s ome p eriod
l ong
a nd e arth .
c aved i n ,
b y 5 f eet
s quared I t
b locks
e xposing t he
c hamber ,
l ater p eriod a f urther s lide h ad t aken p lace f rom s een
i n t he
l ater,
b urial v ault
t his
s ite
was
w ith r ubble, o ccupied
s tones,
d uring
l imestone,
s eemed p robable
t he
t op o f
Maya
t he o f
a nd t hat a t a t he
a nd e arth .
t he
t hat
t he c ontents
which h ad b een r emoved b y I ndians o f t he n eighborhood, f illing
b road a nd 4
o f
m ound,
A s w ill
b e
R eoccupational
P eriod, p robably u p t o i f n ot s ubsequent t o t he c onquest, b y p eople i n a f ar l ower s tate o f c ulture t han t he b uilders o f t he mounds c ontaining b urial c ysts, f or
t he
a nd i t i s p robable
r emoval
Excavation n o e asy o f
matter ,
l imestone
o f
t he c ontents
was a s
c ontinued t he
h eld
t hat t hey may h ave b een r esponsible
o f
b eneath
mound was
t ogether
t his
c hamber. t he
s tucco
f loor
s olidly c onstructed
b y
mortar,
f orming
o f
o f
t he
c hamber,
s quared
a c ompact
b locks
mass
o f
m asonry . O n r eaching a d epth o f 1 2 f eet b eneath t he c hamber f loor a nd 3 7 f eet b eneath t he s ummit o f t he m ound, t his w as g iven u p a s h opeless. O n t he f ollowing d ay a wizened o ld I ndian n amed H au , e ngaged o n t he work ,
c ame u p a nd w ith a n a ir o f g reat
d uring t he n ight h e d reamed j ade
a nd p ainted p ottery
p ermit h im h e
t hat
t o g o o n d igging o n
r eceive i f
h e
f ound
t he
h e
h ad
d iscovered
i n a c hamber i n t he h is
own
a ccount,
who h ad
a g reat
mound; a nd
b een
m ystery s aid t hat t reasure
a lso,
what
o f
would we
r eward
would
t reasure.
He h ad t he r eputation o f b eing s omething o f ap rophet among t he I ndians,
t hough I s uspected h im o f h aving s ecreted
t he e xcavation while o ur b acks w ere
t urned,
gave
a ccount,
h im
l eave
t o
d ig
o n
a nything e xceptionally g ood
h is
own
f ound.
130
b ut
s ome
v aluables
f rom
r ather t han l ose t his I
p romising
a r eward
f or
The
o ld
e verywhere ,
man
h ad
a l ittle
s on
o f
1 0 y ears
who
a ccompanied
h im
who h e a dmitted with a g rin was a g reat t hief a nd a lways
mischief,
b ut
when with h im
" a g ood b oy".
i n
T he s ame a fternoon t his
l ittle l ad t urned u p i n c amp with a m essage f rom h is f ather s aying h e h ad " found t he b ones o f a g iant". On f ollowing h im up t he mound, t here ,
t rue e nough ,
a t
t he b ottom o f
t he
e xcavation ,
1 1
f eet
b elow
t he
f loor o f t he u pper c hamber , was a s tone c yst m easuring 8 f eet b y 3 f eet b y 2 . i f eet h igh, i n which l ay t he s keleton, f ully e xtended u pon i ts b ack,
o f
a n a dult
male
b etween 6 8 a nd 6 9 i nches
e vidently p artially o pened t his
c yst
i n h eight.
Hau h ad
while d igging o n t he p revious
d ay,
k ept t he knowledge t o h imself until we g ave u p f urther excavation a s h opeless, a nd t hen i nvented t he d ream t o obtain t he p romise o f a r eward,
t he
h oping t o f ind j ade
T he l ong d iameter o f t he u pper c hamber r an n orth a nd
s outh ,
l ower
t he
o ne
e xtremity o f I t f lags.
l ight
e ast
a nd 1 1
was
T he b urial,
b uilt
a nd
f eet
a nd
t he
b elow t he u pper b locks
c orpse h ad e vidently
a q uantity
r epresent
l ay
a t
b ut
o f
s outhern
c hamber.
o f
l imestone a nd r oofed w ith f lat
b een w rapped i n f ine p alm-leaf m atting a t
t histledown a nd d isintegrating a lmost a t o nce when
o f
B eneath t he s keleton, s oft
r eddish-brown
t he d ecayed r emnants
a t
b urial,
b eneath
o f
t he
o n t he f loor o f
material
t he g arments
p alm-leaf
c ondition was f ound b y Merwin a t H olmul, m aterial w ere f ound a round s everal f rom l egs
l ower
a s t races o f t his were f ound o ver t he u pper p art o f t he b ody,
a nd f ragile a s
c lothed
west,
o f well-cut
exposed t o t he a ir . was
a nd p ainted p ottery i n t he c yst .
o f
which
i n which t he
m atting where
t he
may
c orpse
w rapping .
t races
o f
c yst,
p ossibly T he
r ed a nd b rown
t he s keletons a nd t races o f
c asts
t he p alm-leaf m atting u pon t he s tucco i n c ontact w ith t hem . had b een e ncased i n s tucco u p t o t he p elvis a nd t races o f
m atting were v ery c learly S keleton I i n G roup
i mprinted
I II,
R uin X ,
p recisely s imilar c onditions.
o n
t his .
a ppears
A t H olmul, t o
was s ame
T he t he
i n G uatemala ,
h ave b een
b uried under
The c orpse l ay u pon i ts b ack,
a rms a t
t he s ides a nd l egs e xtended, while t he l ower p arts o f t he l egs were c overed w ith l ime m ortar . I n t his c ase a lso t he b ones were t hose o f a y oung a dult, The p erfect
a nd v estiges o f
s keleton were
was
t he p erished g rave
moved
extraordinarily
with
c lothes
d ifficulty,
f ragilc.
a s
l ay
t he
b eside
b ones
U nfortunately,
i t.
t hough
t hough
well
p acked t he s kull was b adly b roken u p o n i ts v arious j ourneys b y p ack mule, motor b oat, and t rain. Fortunately, however, t he two measurements o f most importance were t aken o n t he s pot, n amely, t he maximum l ength, which was 1 7.2 cm, a nd t he maximum b readth 1 5.3 cm. T he r eport b y Mr. C ave, A ssistant C onservator o f t he R oyal C ollege o f S urgeons,
o n s uch p arts
o f
t he s keleton a s
r eached h im i s
a s
f ollows:
The s kull h as b een c rushed and i s n ow a mass o f small f ragments
impossible
t ions r ecur, most
o f
l ae,
t he
o f
r estoration .
C ertain
r ecognizable
p or-
h owever - t he f rontal and two p etromastoids,
o ccipital,
t he
b asi o cciput.
m andible, The
r est
e xcessively c omminuted .
1 31
t he o f
h ard t he
p alate v ault
a nd
and
m axilb ase
i s
T he
h ighly
d eveloped
m astoids
a re
v ery
p owerfully
d eveloped :
t he g lenoid f ossa i s c apacious, with a v igorous anterior v iew . T he o ccipital c ondyles a re l arge a nd w ell f ormed ; l ike t he j oint s urfaces
o f
t he a nterior
t wo v ertebrae
t hey a re
quite h ealthy. T he f rontal f ragments r eveal a v ertically d isposed f orehead , v ery r udimentary s upraorbital p rocesses, and r elatively small f rontal s inuses. s ockets
c haracterize
p yriformis g roove) .
h as The
t he
m axillary
a s harp
i nferior
mandible
i s
L arge h ealthy t ooth
f ragments . margin
a l arge,
T he
( i.e.,
c oarsely
a peratura n o
s imian
b uilt,
a nd
p owerful b one, w ith a s quare-cut a scending r amus . I ts t eeth a re a ll h ealthy a nd o f g ood s ize a nd s hape : t he m olars s how a v ery
s light
The
c rown w earing .
a vailable
a natomical
h aving b een a young , T he
n ature
t o r acial
o f
t he
t ype ,
r emains
a s
a lso
c ranial d eformation h ad This
s kull
d escribed, Moreover, i nches, r anges
d iffers
which t he
a re
a nd
o f
o pinion
a s
b een p resent
t o
f rom
r eference
t hose
p resently
t o
a nd
t ypically
Maya.
b rachycephalic h ere
a t
whether a rtificial
o r n ot.
markedly
b uried
g ood p hysique.
a ny a ttempt
was,
i n h is
h eight,
6 8
t o
t aller t han t he a verage Maya h eight,
f rom 6 0 t o 6 4 i nches c ranial
a ny
v ery
i ndividual
i ndicates t he i ndividual
a dult male,
p recludes
h ighly
a t l east 5 i nches
T he
e vidence
a ctive,
b e 6 9
which
i n d ifferent l ocalities.
s keletal
d ifferences
a re
s o
m arked
an i ndividual o f a r ace d iffering f rom t he Maya,
a s
t o
s uggest
a t l east o f t he R e-
o ccupational P eriod. N o g rave f urniture a ccompanied
t he
c orpse ,
w ith t he e xception o f a
s ingle small r ound b ead o f b right g reen j ade which was f ound r esting o n t he u pper c ervical v ertebrae a nd h ad p robably b een p laced i n t he m outh o f t he c orpse a t b urial.
T he p ractice o f p lacing a p iece o f j ade i n
the mouth o f t he c orpse, t hough n ot u ncommon i n Mexico, was o f r are o ccurrence among t he Maya o f t he O ld Empire . Among t he A ztecs a p iece o f
j ade was
p laced w ith t he a shes
o f
t he d ead i n a j ar t o r epresent t he
s oul. The
c ementing d own o f
t he
l ower p art o f
t he b ody i s a p eculiar
c ustom b ut n ot u nknown i n o ther p arts o f t he Maya a rea , a s, M erwin i n e xcavating a M aya m ausoleum a t H olmul f ound t he s ame p rocedure c arried o ut
i n s everal'of T his
g reat
t he i nterments.
m ound w ith i ts e xtensive s ubstructure m ust h ave t aken a
c onsiderable t ime t o b uild , a s a t a r ough c omputation b etween 2 0 a nd 3 0 t housand t ons o f material h ad b een u sed i n t heir c onstruction, a c onsiderable p roportion o f which
c onsisted o f
well-cut
b locks
o f
l ime-
s tone which, with o nly s tone t ools a vailable, must h ave r equired f or t heir
m anufacture e ither a g reat n umber o f
w orkers o r a l ong
p eriod
o f
t ime. I t Halach
may
b e
U inic,
mausoleum s ome
t hat, o r
l ike
h igh
t he
p riest,
t ime b efore h is
Egyptian
a nd Khmer
c ommenced d eath,
1 32
t he
r ulers,
t he
c onstruction
o f
Maya h is
o r h is r emains may h ave b een
t ransferred I t
i s
f rom
s ome
unfortunate
r emoved,
o ther
t hat
g rave
t he
f or
o f
t he
b urial
u pper
i n
t he p yramid .
c hamber
h ad
b een
a s i t i s n ow impossible t o s ay whether i t a lso was a b urial
c hamber o r m erely a r eceptacle f or o f
s econdary
c ontents
t he l ower c hamber .
t he b ones i n a s mall .
Merwin,
t he
g rave
f urniture
o f
t he
o ccupant
i n t he o ldest b urial a t H olmul,
y st o nly a l ittle
more
t han a f oot
b elow
f ound
t he
main
c hamber , which c ontained o nly p ottery o f a h igh c laQs . A t S an A ntonio , Q uintana Roo, Mexico , s ome o f t he b urial mounds c ontained t hree s uperimposed
c hambers,
o ne o f
which u sually h eld t he c orpse ,
t he o thers
t he g rave f urniture. I t
i s
p ossible,
p rimarily
f or
o f
c ourse,
s epulchral
c ontained
a n umber
f ragment
o f
o f
t hat
p urpose,
d edicatory
which was
t his
b ut
o fferings
f ound o n t he
e vidently f allen f rom t he s ummit.
p yramid was
t hat
t he
p laced
s ide o f
n ot
u pper
i ntended
c hamber
h ad
b eneath t he s tela ,
t he mound,
where
i t
a
h ad
This p rocedure i s f ound a t C opan,
where i n s ubstelar v aults b eautiful o bjects o f j ade a nd p ottery a re f ound. S hould
t his
b e
t he c ase t he
r epresent a s acrifice m ade a t i t w as
I t
i nterment b eneath t he v ault t he
m ay
s tela
b eneath which
o r b ank,
b ounding t he
b uried.
A t rench was w est
s ingle
t he d edication o f
s ide o f
d ug t hrough t he
t he p laza,
l ong mound,
i mvediatety s outh o f
t he m ound
l ast
d escribed.
T his was 1 95 f eet i n l ength , 6 0 f eet i n b readth , a nd 2 2 f eet h igh . was c overed b y a n a ccumulation o f v egetal m old a veraging 1 f oot i n
t hickness,
b eneath which i t
l imestone and marl d ust. t he mound,
o r d own t o
wall 6 f eet h igh , evidently
t he
was
c onstructed o f t ightly p acked b locks o f
The t rench was d ug n early t o t he c enter o f
t he g round l evel,
b uilt o f well-cut
wall
o f
s ome
b locks
l arge
a nd 3 0 f eet o f
f rom i ts
l imestone ,
b uilding .
I t
e dge
a
was u ncovered,
r ested
o n
a s olid
masonry f oundation , a lso 6 f eet h igh , which h ad p robably f ormed p art o f t he s ubstructure u pon which t he b uilding s tood . T his wall c ontinued u nbroken b y a ny o pening a long t he s hort d istance t hat i ts c ourse was f ollowed.
west
An e xcavation was made i n a s econd o f t hese l ong mounds, t o t he o f t he l arge b urial m ound , a nd h ere p recisely t he s ame c ondition
was e ncountered; c enter
o f
b uilding p eriod
a l ong,
t he . mound , o n
t op
well-built wall r unning n early t hrough t he
s tanding
o f
i t
h ad
t o f orm t he p resent
o n a s olid
b een
c overed
which o ver
a t
w ith
t he
a l ater
l ong m ound.
The f ollowing i s a n a ccount o f m ounds
s ubstructure ,
c ompletely
t he e xcavation u ndertaken i n t he
i n t he v icinity o f N ohmul. M OUND
T his
m ound was
p yramidal i n s hape ,
s ituated a bout 2 0 f eet h igh ,
1
h alf
a m ile e ast o f N ohmul .
a nd v ery s teep s ided .
T he
t op
I t
w as
o f
t he
mound, t o a d epth o f 6 f eet, was c onstructed o f r ubble, s tones, a nd marl d ust f irmly p acked t ogether. A t t his d epth a small c hamber was e ncountered .
I t
was
b uilt
o f
r oughly
I• t
s quared
s tones
a nd
m easured
1 40
i nches
f rom e ast
i n h eight. a round t he
t o west
b y 4 6 i nches
f rom n orth t o s outh a nd 4 7 i nches
I t was r oofed b y ac rude c antilever a rch . T he mound a ll c hamber was b uilt o f well-cut l imestone b locks a veraging 1 2
b y 8 i nches
b y 4 i nches
i n t hickness,
h eld
t ogether b y f riable m ortar.
A f ew weeks a fter o pening t he c hamber i t was f ound t o b y a h ost o f small f rogs a nd t iny b lack l izards, t hough h ow
b e o ccupied t hey g ot i n
was a mystery unless t hey were b orn t here, a nd c ertainly f ood a nd e scape must have p resented a s erious p roblem, a s t here was n othing e dible
i n t he c hamber ,
while a 2 -foot p erpendicular l eap s eparated t hem
f rom t he o utside w orld. The f loor o f
t he
c hamber was
c overed with a l ayer o f f ine marl
s and 6 i nches t hick, i n a nd o n which were f ound a n umber o f o bjects, i ncluding human b ones i n av ery p oor s tate o f preservation . B eneath t he l oose s andy l ayer was a c ement-like f loor o f mortar a nd s tones, underneath i nches
t his
a l ayer o f
i n t hickness,
solidly
b uilt
o f
b lack v egetal
mold v arying f rom 6 t o
which r ested o n t he s ubstructure o f
b locks
o f
l imestone,
many
o f
t hem
t he
a nd 1 0
mound
s quared,
t he
i nterstices b etween which were f illed i n with marl d ust a nd f riable m ortar. A s ingle f loor,
s keleton l ay
o n
i ts
i n t he extended p osition,
b ack n early
i n
t he
c enter
t he h ead p ointing t oward
o f
t he
t he e ast.
The c orpse h ad a pparently b een p laced o n t op o f t he l oose s andy l ayer i n
which
most
o f
t he
c ompletely b uried.
o bjects
a ccompanying
t he e astern wall o f t he c hamber . l arge,
i t
were
p artially
o r
T he f ragments o f t he s kull l ay a bout 3 f eet f rom A t e ach a ngle o f t he e astern end 2 0
r oughly s pherical p olished g reen j ade b eads were f ound ,
a nd j ust
i n f ront o f t he s kull two f resh-water s hells, Ampullaria insularum, known l ocally a s h ooties, l arge r ound h ole.
o ne l arge,
o ne small,
On t he l eft s ide o f
b oth p erforated b y a
t he s kull were 1 0 c rude
c hert
s pear h eads a nd o ne v ery f inely c hipped f lint implement 9 i nches i n l ength . h andle
T his, would
s acrifices
w ith i ts n eedlelike p oint, h ave
b y
t he
b een
s ingularly
m ethod ,
w ell
c ommonest
s harp a dapted
among
c utting e dges, f or
a nd b ent
c arrying o ut
t he A ztecs,
o f
h uman
s evering
t he
c ostal c artilages i n o rder t o e xtract t he v ictim's h eart t hrough t he wound . o f
B eside t his
t hin ,
l ay s herds
f ine-grained
o n which i s d epicted ,
p ottery ,
o f a c ylindrical p olychrome p ainted
r ed ,
o n a white b ackground ,
y ellow, a m ale
l acquer v ase
b lack ,
f igure
a nd
b rown ,
w ith a b road
c ollar s urrounding t he n eck, a nd t he f ace p rojecting f rom t he o pen j aws o f a s erpent . H e wears a s hort k iltlike maxtli, a nd a round b oth wrists a re s trings o f b eads. s taff,
o r s pear ,
H is l eft h and h olds two c ords a nd h is r ight a
d ecorated with a p lume
o f
f eathers,
i n f ront
o f
which
i s a v ery e laborate f eather-decorated o bject, p ossibly p art o f t he t he h eaddress o f a s econd warrior s tanding i n f ront o f h im . J udging b y t he c urve o f cm.
t his
s herd
t he d iameter o f
I t was unfortunate
m issing ,
a s
p ottery y et To
t he
p olychrome f ragments c omplete
o f t he
i t
m ust h ave
f ound i n t he r ight l acquer which e ntire
o f
t hat
b een o ne Maya
t he
d ish,
o f
cm
I t
t he f inest e xamples
were i n
were f ound n ear d ish .
t his o f
1 8
v ase were p olychrome
a rea .
s kull 5 0
t he v essel would h ave b een a bout
t he o ther f ragments o f
was
f ragments
d iameter
t he l eft f oot,
d ecorated i n
1 34
and
o f
a l arge
1 2
cm
d eep,
r ound more
t hough n ot e nough t o
r ed ,
y ellow,
a nd
b lack,
a nd o n t he i nterior , o n ay ellow b ackground , ag eometrical o rnament was r epeated f our t imes . A pparently t hese t wo v essels w ere r egarded a s s o v aluable t hat e ven t he f ragments w ere b uried w ith t heir o wner , f or t oo much o f b oth v essels i s m issing f or t his t o h ave b een a n i nstance o f t he u sual " killing" o f o bjects p laced with t he d ead. B y t he s ide o f b oth t he r ight a nd t he l eft a rm were f ound a n umber o f c hert s pear h eads, s imilar t o t hose f ound n ear t he h ead , a nd o ver t he f ront o f t he c hest a p endant o f e xceptionally f ine d ark—green m ottled j ade . T his i s 1 4 c m l ong b y 2 .5 cm b road , a nd i s c arved t o r epresent a h uman f igure, e vidently t he model o f a Maya s tela, t hough without a d ate, a s o n t he s ides a nd b ack a re p ortrayed o nly t he d ress a nd o rnaments o f t he i ndividual . T he h eaddress c onsists o f t he h ead o f s ome m ythological monster; t he e yes a re wide o pen a nd s taring, t he p upils f ormed b y h ooks; l arge o val e ar o rnaments a re worn, a nd f rom t he u pper l ip d epends a h ook—shaped l abret. T he f orearms a re h eld o ver t he c hest, t he h ands p laced b ack t o b ack. T he maxtli i s h eld u p b y a b road, e laborately d ecorated b elt, a nd f alls t o t he f eet b oth i n f ront a nd b ehind . T he p endant h as b een b ored w ith r emarkable s kill t hrough i ts l ong d iameter , t he p erforation f rom o ne e nd m eeting t hat f rom t he o ther a lmost e xactly i n t he c enter . I t c losely r esembles o ne f ound b eneath a s tela i n O ld C opan d ating p robably, a ccording t o Morley, f rom t he s econd Katun o f B actun N ine . T he unusual p osition o f t he h ands, h eld b ack t o b ack o ver t he c hest, i s c haracteristic o f t he o ldest m onoliths a t C opan , s o t hat o n s tylistic g rounds i t would a ppear t hat t his o rnament b elongs t o av ery e arly p eriod, a nd t hat i ts p rovenance may h ave b een t he c ity o f C opan , f rom whence i t m ay h ave p assed a s a t rade p iece t o N ohmul. The d iscovery o f v ery f ine p ieces o f j ade c arving a t small p rovincial s ites, t oo i nsignificant, o ne would s uppose t o b e a ble t o a fford s uch v aluable j ewels, a nd f ar r emoved f rom t he g reat M aya c ities where o ne would n aturally expect t o f ind t hem b uried with important p ersonages, t o
t he
o r w ith c eremonial
a rcheologist .
T here
a re
c aches
b eneath s telae,
t wo p ossible
i s
o ften p uzzling
e xplanations :
e ither
t hey
may h ave b een d ug u p f rom t heir o riginal s ites b y a l ater p eople o r t hey m ay p ossibly h ave b een r obbed f rom m erchants t raveling a long t he t rade r outes which e xisted b etween s uch c ities a s C opan a nd Q uirigua t o t he s outh, P alenque a nd P iedras N egras t o t he west, a nd U axactun a nd T ikal t o t he e ast. C lose t o t he r ight s ide o f t he p elvis was a l arge, c oarse , b asin—shaped v essel f ull o f c harcoal a nd c haL-r ed f ragments o f h uman l ong b ones.
I t was p artially b uried i n t he s and l ayer, a nd o n
e ndeavoring t o r emove i t, i t b roke i nto i nnumerable f ragments, s o f riable t hat i t was f ound impossible t o j oin t hem, a s t he b asin o riginally h ad b een v ery i mperfectly f ired . B y t he s ide o f t he r ight knee were t wo r ound b uttonlike o bjects o f s hell, o ne p lane a nd 3 .5 cm i n d iameter, t he o ther 2 .5 cm i n d iameter, with a r ound b oss o n o ne s ide. a bout
I n t he s ame n eighborhood a n I ndian d igging a p ost h ole f ound, a f oot b elow t he s urface, a s imilar s hell d isk with a n
e laborately d ecorated h uman h ead o utlined u pon i t i n s hallow l ines ( pl . 3 , 3 ) . I t measures 3 .5 cm i n d iameter a nd r esembled s o c losely o ne f ound a t H olmul b y M erwin t hat t hey a re n ot i mprobably t he w ork o f t he s ame a rtist. A t
t he
f ragments
f eet
were
a n umber
o f b roken o rnaments,
o f
a nd a t
1 35
small
p ieces
o f
j ade,
e vidently
t he e xtreme w est o f t he
c hamber ,
b uried
i n
c ores,
t wo small c owrie s hells
o f
t he
1 3 v ery
s and
c overing
s mall p erforated
t he
f loor ,
n early
2 00 o bsidian k nives
p erforated f or s uspension ,
r ed s hell d isks m ade f rom s pondylus s hells,
with which was a s ingle v ery t hin c ircular e ar p lug o f t ranslucent j ade, Maya
g raves
o ne
3 .5 cm i n d iameter.
s o
a nd
a nd a s tring
f requently
c omes
b right g reen
I t i s c urious t hat i n o pening
a cross
s ingle
e ar
o rnaments ;
t his
may p ossibly b e d ue t o e conomy o n t he p art o f t he f riends a nd r elations o f t he d eceased; i t i s, however, I t hink more p robable t hat a s ingle e ar p lug was worn t o d esignate
t he
practice
i s
u se
Yucatan,
whose
d iffers
s till
i n
c ommon
c hiefs
wear
r ank o f t he i ndividual, among
a s ingle
t he
l arge
S anta g old
f or t he s ame
C ruz
e ar
I ndians
p endant
o f
which
i n p attern a ccording t o t heir r ank.
T he s pear h eads, t he i mplement which , a s s uggested, m ay h ave b een i n o pening t he c hest o f t he s acrificial v ictim , a nd t he o bsidian
u sed
knives were a ll f reely smeared with a p aint c omposed c hiefly o f r ed o cher , a nd t he s ame s ubstance i n t he f orm o f p owder h ad o ver t hem, t hough i t w as a bsent f rom t he o ther o bjects.
b een s cattered
T his m ineral has b een f ound a t o ther Maya s ites a ssociated with f lint a nd o bsidian knives a nd weapons, a nd i t may p ossibly h ave b een u sed t o s ymbolize t he b lood with which t heir u se was u sually a ccompanied. A lmost t o b e
t he
whole
s olidly b uilt
o f
t his
m ound
t hroughout
o f
w as
l ater
b locks
b etween which were f illed w ith f riable
o f
d ug
d own .
l imestone ,
m ortar a nd
I t was
t he
f ound
i nterstices
m arl d ust .
N ear
t he
s ummit o f t he s outh s ide was f ound a t himble-shaped o bject o f j ade with a n arrow l abret
p rojecting
r im
a round
Toward t he c enter o f t he mound,
o pening ,
p robably
t he s outh s ide,
worn
e ither
a s
a
b uried i n t he s tructure o f
t hree r ather r emarkable v essels
t ogether . t hin ,
t he
o r e ar p lug.
T he
l argest
o f
t hese
was
were f ound p laced c lose
a n early
f ine p ottery c overed with a l acquer
o f
s pherical v ery
v essel
p leasing
m ade
d ark
o f
o range
c olor a nd s o b rightly p olished t hat i t a ppeared t o h ave b een g lazed. The v essel was 2 7 cm h igh b y 2 3 cm i n i ts g reatest d iameter, t he o pening
s urrounded
b y
a n arrow
r im
9 cm
i n
d iameter .
p ointed t hat t he v essel c ould n ot s tand a lone, with s ome
s ort
o f
c huyub ,
s upporting u tensils
m ade
f rom
b een m ade o f w oven s plit f ound
with
s triations T he
s econd
i t . .
T hat
t he
was
h as
b een
d eliberately
a pplied
r emoved
e ffect i n two c olors. h ad
b een
t reated
i n
s uch
a s
c alabashes,
a s upport l acquer
a small
d iameter b y 6 .5 cm d eep. which
r ing ,
b ase
t hough
i n
a ll
b owl
was
u sed
a round o f
was
s o
a nd was u sed n ecessarily
t he m odern Maya t his,
employ
which
m ay
c ane o r s ome s uch p erishable m aterial ,
s uch
p enetrating v essel
o r
T he
h ard,
i s
t he
was n ot
e videnced b ase
t hin
o f
b y
t he
ware,
f or h ave t he
v essel .
1 4
cm
i n
The b asic c olor i s a b right o range r ed o ver a b lack p laces,
s lip
which
h as
worn
o ff,
o r
p roducing a v ery p leasing
b een
mottled
B oth t he o uter a nd i nner s urfaces o f t he b owl
t his
way,
a nd
b oth
a re
p olished .
T he
t hird
v essel
( pl. 4 , 1 ) i s made o f f ine, t hin pottery with a y ellowish r ed v eneer and h igh p olish . I t measures 1 7 cm i n l ength a nd 1 1 cm i n d epth, a nd i s a n a lmost p erfect r eproduction o f a n Ampullaria insularum s hell .
O n
t he u pper p art
i s
o f
t he
v essel,
a well-modeled h uman h ead
a s
i f
emerging f rom t he
wearing a c onical
1 36
s hell o pening,
h eaddress,
w ith
a t wisted
b and a round t he f orehead a nd l arge r ound e ar o rnaments. A s imilar v essel,
b ut o f m uch c ruder workmanship ,
t he Maya R eoccupational P eriod, Om,
i n B ritish Honduras;
f rom t he
o pening o f
was
t his a lso r epresents a h uman h ead emerging
s ome u nivalvular s hell.
M OUND T his
m ound was
s ituated
I ndian s ettlement s hape,
a nd
had
b e
t o
i ts
o f
s teep
r emoved
were
b efore
a ll o ver i t,
was
I t
was
c overed
work
mold,
2
t o t he e ast o f N ohmul,
S anta R ita . s ides
b eneath t he v egetal i nches
a nd b elonging t o
f ound o n a n i sland i n t he L agoon o f
b egan
2 2
w ith
o n
c lose t o t he l ittle
f eet
h igh,
d ense
i t.
T he
c onical
i n
u ndergrowth
which
c ap
mound
o f
t he
which h ad c ollected t o a d epth o f s everal
c omposed o f i rregular b locks
o f
l imestone ,
t he
interstices b etween which were f illed with marl d ust t o f orm a v ery s olid s tructure . T his was r emoved t o a d epth o f 5 f eet 6 i nches, where a f loor o f f lat, encountered.
smooth s tucco,
a veraging 8 i nches i n t hickness, was
About h alfway b etween t he s ummit o f t he mound and t he
s tucco f loor a s ingle i nterment was f ound, t he b ones o f which were i n a v ery p oor s tate o f p reservation , a s t hey were n ot e nclosed i n a ny c yst o r c hamber b ut were i n s tructure i tself. They impossible
d irect c ontact e verywhere with t he mound were s o f ragmentary, i ndeed, t hat i t was
t o s ay i n w hat p osition t he b ody h ad o riginally b een b uried .
C lose t o t he s keleton was a s ingle s hallow d ish, was
o f
t he
c oarse
manufactured
b y
p ottery
t he
Maya
c overed
f rom
t he
with
3 2 cm i n d iameter .
a r ed
e arliest
s lip
t imes
s uch
until
I t
a s
was
a fter
t he
c onquest. B eneath t he s tucco f loor a nd a l ayer o f r emoving
b lack e arth v arying
which
a r ow
o f
l arge,
i n c ontact f rom
3 t o
r oughly
w ith i ts u nder s urface was 6 i nches
s quared
i n
s tones
t hickness, was
o n
d iscovered ,
f orming t he r oof o f ac hamber r unning d own t hrough t he c enter o f t he mound. was
The c hamber measured 6 5 b y 5 0 i nches b y 9 f eet i n h eight a nd
d ivided i nto f our
f loors
o f
f lat
c ompartments
c ompartments,
s tone
were
f lags
l oosely
p laced f illed
n early e qual i n s ize, a cross with
i ts
f ine
l umen .
marl
b y
t hree
All
t hese
s and,
and
e ach
c ontained p ortions o f h uman s keletons, s o f ragmentary t hat i t was impossible t o d etermine t he position o f t he c orpse a t b urial. With e ach
s keleton
was
a s ingle
p ottery
v essel
b ut
n o o ther g rave f urniture
o f a ny d escription. I n t he u ppermost c yst, immediately b eneath t he r oof, was a v ery f ine p olychrome l acquer b owl, o r d ish 3 3 cm i n d iameter a nd 9 c m h igh . I t i s o f
c omposite s ilhouette o utline with f lat a nnular b ase, a nd i s
d ecorated i n r ed, y ellow, and b lack.
T he i nterior i s c olored y ellow
t hroughout, a nd o n t he o uter s urface o f t he r im a nd t he u pper s urface o f t he f lange i s a g eometrical f igure r epeated twice, t he two p arts b eing
j oined
b y
a h ighly
c onventionalized
b ird.
This
v essel
was
r ecovered w hole. I n t ogether b y
t he
s econd
with a v ery
1 3 cm h igh .
I t
i s
c yst
were
f ine o f
found
p olychrome
f ragments l acquer
o f
b owl
h uman
2 5.5
c m
l ong i n
b ones
d iameter
c omposite s ilhouette o utline w ith f lat a nnular
137
b ase , i n
a nd
r ed ,
t he
i s
s upported
y ellow,
b owl
a re
a nd
o n
f our
b lack
h ollow p yramidal
o n a n o range
r epresented
t wo
l egs.
b ackground .
i nter-twined
I t
O n
c rested
t he interior a nd exterior o f
t he r im a re o rnamented t he
s ix t imes
o n
b owl was unfortunately b roken " killed" b efore b urial a s was
f ormer
d ecorated
i nterior
s erpents,
d evices
r epeated
i s
t he
a nd
o f
b oth
b y g eometrical
a nd f ive o n t he
l atter .
T his
i n excavating i t, and had n ot b een t he c ase with much o f t he c eramic
m aterial r emoved f rom t his s ite. I n a s mall r ecess o n t he n orth s ide o f t his c yst, with
m arl
b lack
d ust ,
l acquer
were
b owl
f ragments
o f
o f
c omposite
h uman
b ones
s ilhouette
o utline
b ase a nd s pout f or pouring o ut t he c ontents. " killed" b efore b urial,
m easured
e xactly
Merwin
a t
small
o f
h uman
c yst, o f
o f
p ottery,
s ilhouette
f orm o f a rea .
i n
i n
b lack,
1 1.5
b ottom o f
t he
mound
l imestone a nd m arl
I t
w ere f ound Vaillant's
3 a ccompanied
c m
h igh
a nd y ellow.
was
f ound
d iameter o n
r ecess
v essel
a nd
a f lat
were
o utlined
d iffering
f rom
a nd
5 .5
cm T he
a
l owest
s hallow
d eep
b y
d ecorated
I n t he
a s ingle
b ase. i n
t he
t he
l owest
o f
c yst was
l imestone
o f
p late
s imple
o utside
b lack a n umber
o thers
i n
o f
o f
s hape .
t his
was
s olidly
c urious
T his
i s
t he
a
Maya
c overed w ith a l ayer o f l arge,
b eneath which was
a lluvial e arth v arying f rom 2 t o 6 i nches
o f
t o
c eramic o rnamentation n ever p reviously e ncountered i n
T he
o f
t ightness
T he i nterior was c olored a nd h ighly p olished.
e ach
r oughly s quared b locks b ase
l acquer,
according
f ound
b ones,
s tanding
O n a d ark-brown b ackground o bjects,
were
i n r ed,
cm
v essel was unpainted. amoeboid
t he
P eriod.
h uman
3 4
o utline,
a lso i n b lack
b elong,
c ylindrical
d evices
w ith f ragments
p orous
and
b ones
p olychrome
with g eometrical
l ay a nd
1 1.5 c m i n d epth.
t o H olmul I II
F ragments s ingle
a nnular
T his b owl had n ot b een
i n which i t
s imilar v essels,
Hol mul,
c lassification,
a s ingle
f lat
p acked i n i ts b ed o f marl d ust a nd f ragments.
1 7 c m i n d iameter b y
A lmost b y
w ith
w ith
b ut was unfortunately b roken i n r emoving i t,
owing t o t he n arrowness o f t he r ecess with which i t was
which w as f illed
t ogether
a l ayer
i n t hickness .
c onstructed
o f
o f
B elow
i rregular
b lack
t his
b locks
t he o f
d ust.
T hese l ayers o f b lack a lluvial e arth , c alled " ek l um" b y t he Maya , a t ype which i s r egarded b y t he m odern I ndians a s t he m ost s uitable
s oil o n which t o c ultivate t heir m aize t he l arge b urial m ounds, f orming a t hin v ault
c ontaining
t he
c orpse.
They
c rops, w ere f ound i n n early a ll l ayer e ither a bove o r b elow t he
c annot
h ave
a dded
t o,
b ut
must
r ather h ave d etracted f rom, t he s tability o f t he mounds, which were b uilt o f s quared b locks o f s tone h eld t ogether b y l oose mortar, o r o f i rregular b locks o f l imestone t he s paces b etween which were f illed i n with
marl
d ust,
s ignificance, d eath,
a nd
i t
p ossibly
i s
p ossible
t hat
t hey
h ad
c onnected with f ertility,
w hich t he e xceptionally
i n
s uch
a n
a dvanced
s tage
o f
d ecay
t hat
i t
was
whether t he i nterments w ere p rimary o r s econdary . t aken p lace
i n t he
t he
c hamber,
b urial
c ap o f was
c eremonial
o r s urvival
a fter
f ertile e arth m ay h ave s ymbolized.
O f t he s ix b urials which t his mound c ontained, were
s ome
t he m ound, p robably
1 38
t he
b ones o f a ll
i mpossible
t o
b etween t he s ummit a nd t he r oot o f
l ater
d ate
s ay
T he b urial which h ad t han
t hose
i n
o f t he
c hamber i tself, t hough unfortunately t he s ingle v essel which a ccompanied i t a ffords n o b asis f or p eriod f ixing o n s tratigraphic l ines,
f or t his t ype o f v essel i s f ound t hroughout a ll p eriods o f t he
Maya o ccupation . u pper b urials
I n t he c hamber i tself
b elong u ndoubtedly
t he v essels
f ound with t he
t o V aillant's H olmul I II p eriod ,
f our while
t he v essel f ound i n t he l owest c yst i s unusual i n s hape and unique i n d ecorative m otif, t hough a b owl o f t his s hape was f ound b y T hompson a t T zimin K ax i n t he C ayo D istrict o f B ritish H onduras . A t t he s ame s ite were a lso f ound p olychrome b owls o f c ompound s ilhouette o utline c losely r esembling Mound 2 ,
t he v essel
f ound
i n c ompartment
2 i n
t he
b urial
c hamber
except t hat t hey s tand o n t hree a nd n ot f our l egs.
o f
I t s eems
p robable t hat a ll t he b urials within t he c yst t ook p lace a t t he s ame p eriod, a nd t hat t he mound was b uilt t o c ontain t he r emains o f f ive p ersons who had b een b uried e lsewhere. At a l ater d ate t he h eight o f t he mound was i ncreased b y t he a ddition o f ac ap o f l imestone b locks a nd
m arl
f irst
d ust
f ive
i n which a s ixth b urial was
i t
i s
i mpossible
M OUND This which
mound was
had
f irst
t runcated c one,
b ut h ow
c leared
o f
t o Mound 2 ,
b ush.
I t
i n a c orn p lantation
was
i n
s urface, t hick ,
N ear
t he
s hape
o f
a
1 5 f eet i n h eight a nd 1 80 f eet i n c ircumference, a nd
was v ery s olidly b uilt t hroughout o f l imestone b locks, d ust t ightly packed t ogether, which r endered i ts d ifficult.
l ong a fter t he
3
s ituated c lose
b een
made ,
t o t ell.
t he c enter o f
a s mooth ,
h ard ,
a nd a t a d epth o f
t he
l evel 4 f eet
mound,
s tucco
r ubble, a nd m arl e xcavation v ery
a t a d epth o f 8 f eet
f loor was
b eneath t his,
material o f which t he m ound was c onstructed,
f rom t he
e ncountered,
6 i nches
t ightly p acked w ithin t he t hree p ottery v essels were
f ound . T he f irst o f t hese was a p olychrome v ase d ecorated i n r ed a nd b lack o n a n o range y ellow b ackground . I t was s pheroidal i n s hape w ith a n unusually h igh, g reatest
d iameter
c omposed
o f
the
b ody,
s omewhat everted r im,
b y
1 2 cm i n h eight .
a lternate
r ed a nd
also
r ed
i n
c onventionalized s erpents .
b lack
and
T he
and
measured
r im was
r ectangles,
b lack,
T he s econd
were
v essel
1 3 cm i n i ts
d ecorated b y a b and
a nd
o n
t he
d epicted was
o utside
two
a s hallow
o f
highly
p olychrome
b owl with c omposite s ilhouette o utline a nd l ow a nnular b ase, m easuring 2 8 c m i n d iameter b y 1 1 c m i n d epth . I t was d ecorated i n r ed a nd b lack o n a n o range b ackground. Around t he o uter s urface o f t he r im were d epicted two h ighly s tylized p arrotlike b irds a no two o rnamental g eometrical
d evices .
W ithin
t his
b owl
w ere
6 0
s pheres
o f
i mperfectly
b aked c lay, e ach 1 .75 cm i n d iameter, which had p robably b een u sed a s markers, o r c o u nters i n s ome g ame, f or n ot h aving b een b ored t hey c ould n ot have s erved a s b eads. The t hird v essel was a s hallow c ircular o range-colored p olished
a nd
s aucer,
t he
a s
t he
f ractured
t o
t he
g round
l ast
1 5.5 cm i n d iameter .
t wo
s urfaces
l evel
b ut
h ad
e vidently
c learly nothing
b een
i ndicated . f urther
A ll t hese v essels were b roken T his
was
b efore
m ound
i nterment,
was
d iscovered
e xcavated
within
i t.
J udging f rom t he a nalogy o f o ther s imilar mounds e xcavated i n t he v icinity , n otably a t S an Andres a nd P ueblo N uevo , i t would a ppear t hat t his was o riginally a h ouse mound,
t he s tucco f loor r epresenting t he
f loor o f t he house r aised o n a l ow, s olid s ubstructure. o f
t he owner,
among t he Maya,
we know
t hat
n ot
On t he d eath
i nfrequently h e was
b uried b eneath t he f loor o f h is house with s ome o f h is p ossessions,
1 39
a fter which a m ound was b urials
o f
t his
k ind
e rected o n t he s ite o f t he h ouse .
b ones
are
f ound,
which
i n
t his
U sually w ith c ase
may
h ave
d isintegrated s o c ompletely t hat n ot e ven t he t eeth, which o utlast a ll o ther s keletal r emains, s urvived . T he a bsence o f o ther o bjects, s uch a s o rnaments,
w eapons,
a nd i mplements u sed b y
t he d eceased d uring t his
l ife a nd b uried with h im f or u se i n t he n ext world i s, h ouse-mound b urial,
f ar m ore d ifficult
i f
t his
b e a
t o e xplain.
T he s econd v essel a ppears t o i ndicate t hat t his b urial b elonged t o t he H olmul I II p eriod , t hough t he s pheroidal v essel w ith h igh r im d oes n ot o ccur a t H olmul.
M OUND 4 This mound was s ituated a bout a m ile t o t he e ast o f N ohmul. was r oughly p yramidal, b eneath
t he
r ubble,
c ap
o f
v egetal
mold
was
c onstructed
marl d ust, a nd l imestone b locks.
t he g round l evel, o f d ecay.
I t
3 0 f eet i n d iameter b y 5 f eet i n h eight,
s keletal
r emains
o f
t ightly
N ear t he c enter,
w ere f ound ,
a nd
p acked
a lmost o n
i n a v ery a dvanced
s tage
T he c orpse a ppeared t o h ave b een b uried l ying o n i ts
b ack
f ully e xtended . W ith t he b ones were t wo r ather c urious v essels . T he f irst was s haped s omewhat l ike a c hampagne g lass with a h ollow c ylindrical 1 5.25
cm
s tem.
I t
i n h eight.
measured
The
1 8 cm a cross
l ower
e nd
o f
t he
t he
s tem
r im o f had
t he c up a nd
e vidently
b een
c losed a t o ne t ime, a s t he e dges w ere r ough where t he b ottom a ppeared t o have b een b roken away. The whole o f t he i nterior, b oth o f t he c up and
t he
s tem,
was
c overed
with
t he
b lack d eposit
o ne
f inds
i n
t he
i nterior o f c ensers u sed f or b urning " por n", o r i ncense made f rom t he g um o f t he white a cacia , s uch a s was employed b y t he p re-Columbian Maya i n t heir r eligious c eremonies, and i s s till i n u se b y t heir modern d escendants. I t was p robably u sed a s a h and c enser, a s i t c ould n ot h ave s tood u pright o n t he n arrow w ere m uch l arger t han t he
b ore
b ase a fforded b y t he s tem,
o f
T he s econd v essel was a lmost o pening a bove
a nd
s upported
u nless
t his
t he l atter.
b elow
s hape,
with a r ound
o n a h igh a nnular b ase
s pherical i n
t he m argin o f
which was e verted t o f orm a s ecure s tand f or t he b owl t o r est upon. The t otal h eight o f t he b owl was 1 5.25 cm . T his i s t he o nly v essel s upported o n a h igh were a t
f ound
C ahal
b y
a nnular
M erwin
C unil.
i n
They
b ase
t he
a re
f ound
o ldest
a t
t his
s ite .
a t
H olmu],
b urials
a scribed
b y Vaillant
S imilar a nd
v essels
b y T hompson
t o Holmul
I P eriod.
T hey w ere p robably e volved f rom t he p ot w ith h emispherical b ase which c ould o nly s tand upright o n a r ing s tand o f p ottery, p laited s plit c ane ,
o r s isal .
I t would s eem
f lat-bottomed v essel , was
a ttached
h aving t he
t o
b een u sed
h ourglass
b ut
t his a s
i t
s hape,
c ensers,
c ensers
o f
t o h ave b een s impler t o m ake a n o rdinary
m ay
b e
a s a nd
t he
t hat
a g ood f rom
Maya
s ome many
t hem
c eremonial o f
w ere
t hem
s ignificance
b ear
R eoccupational P eriod .
evidently
b een a small s tanding c enser . pottery
c onstruction o f
such
a s
was
o f
b oth t hese t ypes
a re
l ate
B oth v essels were o f b y
t he
b urials a ll
e xtremely
1 40
i nterior
a nd i t h ad
l ater
Maya
t he c ensers d ecorated w ith a h uman f igure,
f ound s o c ommonly a ssociated with V essels
used
r are i n
o f
d eveloped
T he
o f t his v essel was a lso b lackened f rom t he smoke o f p or n, unpainted
t races
u ndoubtedly
r ough
in
t he
o r f ace,
t hrough t his
r egion .
t he Maya a rea ,
a nd n o
o ther
o bjects
w ere
b uried
w ith
t his
b een a M en o r M aya v illage p riest
This
mound
was
c losely i n s ize a nd a nd
m arl
d ust
c enter o f were
s ituated
s hape .
b eneath
t he
t he mound,
f ound
i n
I t
i ndividual
o f
t he
M OUND
5
c lose
t o
a lso
was
s uperficial
o n t he g round
a v ery
Mound b uilt
l ayer
l evel,
f ragmentary
who
l owest
m ay
p ossibly
h ave
o rder.
4 , o f
o f
which
i t
t ightly
v egetal
p arts
r esembled
p acked
m old .
r ubble
N ear t he
o f a h uman s keleton
c ondition,
b eside
which
was
a
s pheroidal b owl o f r ed p olished p ottery 1 8 c m i n d iameter s tanding o n a l ow a nnular b ase w ith a l arge T his
v essel i s
Maya t o k eep
r ound o pening a t
a lmost e xactly s imilar
t heir t ortillas
d iner wishes C lose
t o e xtract a f resh
t o
f rom u se.
p ot,
t o r etain t he h eat,
t his
p ot
was
l ength b y 7 c m i n b readth ,
t o t hose
o r c orn c akes warm .
i n a n apkin a nd p laced w ithin t he f olded o ver t hem
t he t op. b y
t he
m odern
c orners
o f
t he
n apkin
b eing
a nd t urned b ack e very t ime t he
t ortilla .
a v ery
t he
t he
u sed
T he c akes a re wrapped
f ine a x h ead o f
f lint
c utting e dge o f which was
2 5.5 cm i n
s till
p olished
N ear t he a x h ead was a small l eaf-shaped s pear o r j avelin
h ead o f f lint 7 .5 cm i n l ength . This,
f rom
i ts
mound o f a n adult p laced b eside h is
c ontents,
would
a ppear
male whose t ortilla p ot,
t o h ave ax,
b een t he b urial
and s pear h ead
were
c orpse.
M OUND 6 T his
m ound was
r esembled m ound ,
o n
i n
s ize,
s ituated s hape,
t he g round l evel,
c lose a nd
t o M ounds
4 a nd 5 ,
c onstruction .
f ragments
A t
which i t
t he
o f h uman b ones
c losely
c enter
o f
w ere f ound,
b eside which was a l arge s hallow r ound b owl o f p olished r ed ware, i n d iameter, p art
o f
t he
h eaddress
r esting o n a l ow a nnular b ase. f igurine
o f
a woman,
h ad b een b roken a way,
a b eaded b and h er h air was s ide o ver h er e ars. a h igh-necked
f rom
t he
over
l arge which
waist
u p.
P art
t o s how
a rms
were
o f
t hat
middle and b rushed
r ound e ar o rnaments h er
4 1
c m
With t his was t he u pper
e nough r emained
p arted i n t he
S he wore
g arment
b ut
t he
c lose
h er
b elow
t o e ach
i n h er e ars a nd
f olded,
t he
h ands
g rasping s ome r ound o bject h eld o ver t he c enter o f h er c hest. This f igurine h ad o riginally b een p ainted b lue o ver a white wash , b ut a g ood d eal o f t he c olor h ad worn o ff, e specially i n t he e xposed p laces. a ppears t o h ave b een o riginally p art o f a whistle, m ade i n a m old , i s
a lmost
e xactly
i n t he s outhwest d erived
f rom
l ike
t hose
f ound
i n
o f B ritish H onduras,
t hat c ity,
s uch a nd
which a ppears
l arge
n umbers
may n ot t o have
a t
L ubaantun
improbably h ave b een
t he
I t a nd b een
c enter f rom
which t his t ype o f whistle f igurine was d istributed o ver a w ide a rea . I t was f ound a t Lubaantun t hat t he s ex o f t he o ccupant o f ag rave was f requently i ndicated b y t he s ex o f t he f igurine l atter c ould a lways o rnaments . t he g rave o f
b uried
w ith t hem ,
which
b e d etermined b y t he n ature o f t he c lothing a nd
I f t his h olds g ood f or t he N ohmul a rea , a f emale.
141
t his
m ound would b e
T he t hree t he
s ame
m ounds
l ast d escribed f orm p art
n eighborhood .
N o
o ther
m ounds
i n
o f a n e xtensive g roup i n
t his
g roup
were
e xcavated,
a s t hey a ll a ppear t o b e b urial mounds o f p ersons o f t he l ower c lass, with whom i t i s unlikely t hat o bjects o f a ny g reat v alue o r i nterest would h ave
b een
b uried .
T he
s oil
i n
t he
n eighborhood
i s
v ery
and p articularly well a dapted f or t he c ultivation o f
maize .
a round
Maya
t oday
a re
c ontaining
f rom
2 o r
e ntirely
t he
t hey
i t o n
a lmost,
a n umber
3 t o
2 0
p roduce
c ultivate n ot
p lantains,
s cattered
o nly
o ranges,
1 5 o r
o f
maize b ut
f rom o utside
Owing
t o
i ts
l ittle
whose
i nhabitants
sweet p otatoes,
b eans,
a nd t obacco ,
which
t hem o f
t heir o wn v illages.
f ertility
t his
a rea
h as
may c over a p eriod o f
p ossesses
p umpkins,
which r ender
p robably
b een
o ccupied
1 0 c enturies
many
c haracteristics
o f
t o which h e a scribes a v ery e arly d ate.
f rom
a nd t he b urial mounds o r m ore .
p laces v essels w ith h igher a nnular b ase i n H olmul I P eriod , o f
l ive
i n which
s elf-supporting a nd i ndependent
early O ld Empire d ays u p t o t he p resent t ime, s cattered o ver i t
On a nd v illages
o r c orn p lantations,
c otton ,
and a t a p inch entirely,
s upplies
h ouses,
t heir m ilpas,
b read f ruit,
o f
f ertile,
L othrop's
V aillant
t he p ottery
Q c omplex
c lass,
T he o nly v essel o f t his t ype
f ound a t Nohmul, h owever, b elongs t o av ery l ate p eriod, a nd may e ven b e s lightly p ost-Columbian.
M OUND This N ohmul .
was
a ll t hese s ize, a dded
i t
whereas
t he
many
wet t op,
m ound ,
c overed
o f
d ust, o nly
b y
t he
m old
s easons
had
t he b ase o f
which h ad
T he
b ody o f
t he
f igurine
b een b roken i nto small p ieces
t he s urface o f t he mound,
t he e ast
o f I n
r educed
o f
t ime
t he m ounds. w as c omposed
s oil .
R esting o n
a ccumulated o f
t heir
t he s ame
o ver
t hem
a h uman f igurine
i n
a nd
m issing ;
t he
c enser
t o
which
b ut t he h ead, which was wL11 modeled,
t he
i t
a nd s cattered b roadcast o ver
was a lmost i ntact;
wide b etween t he o uter e dges o f t he e ar p lugs. was
t o
i n d iameter .
t hey h ad a t
were f ragments
a pplique o rnaments and e ar p lugs, h eaddress
f eet
which h ad e vidently f ormed t he e xterior d ecoration o f a
Maya c enser .
b elonged h ad
s avanna
m ingled w ith a g ood d eal
t hey were d eposited t here ,
c oarse p ottery,
t he
b eneath a n o uter c overing o f v egetal m old,
s ummit,
l ate
r ains
t o t heir b readth b y d epositing i t a t
m arl
s ince
o n
was d ifficult t o e stimate a ccurately t heir o riginal
r ubble a nd
t he
s ituated
b y washing material f rom t he
T he o f
mound
5 f eet h igh a nd a pproximately 2 5
mounds
f or
h eight
a small
I t was
7
with
i t was 1 1.5 cm
T he u pper p art o f t he
l ower c onsisted o f a f lat,
t ight-fitting c ap
w ith d ouble r ows o f b eads c overing t he f orehead, f rom which d escended o n e ach s ide t assels r eaching t o t he u pper m argins o f t he l arge r ound e ar
o rnaments.
A s tud
m ost
n oses
f ound o n t he
were
worn
a t
p ointed
f rom was
a nd
e ach
was
worn
c ensers,
angle
o f
j ust
was
t he
o ver
t he
s lightly
mouth
a nd
n ose
r etrousse ;
t he
c hin
u nlike
small l abrets
was
r emarkably
p rominent .
T his mound was excavated t o t he g round l evel, t he s urface, a lmost i n t he c enter o f t he m ound , f ound,
which,
t he b ones
preservation .
T he
o f which were s till c orpse
had
i n a m oderately g ood s tate o f
e vidently
1 42
a nd a bout 2 f eet a h uman s keleton
b een
b uried
i n
t he
d orsal
p osition
a nd
c onsiderable t he
f ully a ge,
i nferior
t his
b one
e xtended.
m axilla
was
o bliterated,
which
g reatly
s o t hat
o f
t he
b one
was
b ones
p reserved
a trophied
a nd
t he
were
t hose
o f
a p erson o f
j udging b y t he a ppearance o f a lmost
e ntire .
d ental
T he
s ockets
b ody
o f
c ompletely
i ts p ossessor d uring l ife m ust h ave m asticated h is
f ood with h is g ums a lone . r amms
T he
c ertainly o ver 6 0 y ears,
Moreover ,
i nstead
o f
t he a ngle
b eing
a bout
b etween t he b ody a nd t he
9 0
was
°
a bout
1 30
°.
N ot
e nough o f t he s kull r emained t o r ender i t possible t o t ake a ccurate measurements, b ut e nough was f ound t o make i t e vident t hat i t was d ecidedly
b rachycephalic i n c haracter.
B eside
l eaf-shaped f lint s pear h ead 1 5 cm i n l ength, c hert, with
a nd
a g uitar-shaped
g reen
c opper
i ncrustation .
T his
d epilatory
m ound was
t he s keleton were
a
t wo small s crapers o f c m
i n
l ength ,
c ertainly
3 .5
o f
m uch
t han most o f t he o ther b urial mounds excavated,
a s
c overed
l ater
t he b ones
d ate
t hough
p laced under l ess f avorable c onditions, i .e., n earer t he s urface a nd c overed b y a m ixture o f e arth a nd marl d ust, were i n a f ar b etter s tate o f p reservation t han t hose f ound i n t he o thers; moreover, c opper was unknown t o t he Maya o f t he O ld Empire, and was i ntroduced a t a c omparatively t he f act
l ate d ate t o t he
t hat n one o f
m ore e laborate, T he o nly t weezers
f or
t he
i nhabitants
o ther
g raves,
y ielded a s ingle
o ther t he
was a t S anta R ita,
o bject
i nstance k nown
r emoval
o f
h air
o f
t his a rea ,
t hough m ade
t heir
o f
f ound
was
f ar
m etal .
i n B ritish H onduras b eing
a s i s s hown b y
f urniture
o f
a ssociated
b road-bladed w ith
a b urial
where i t was d iscovered i n t he g rave o f a woman,
with a n i ron p yrites mirror, r ed o cher p owder, a nd o ther t oilet r equisites. Unpainted c lay c ensers, u sually h ourglass s haped a nd d ecorated
o n
t heir
o uter
s urfaces
with
a n
e laborately
c lothed
a nd
o rnamented h uman f igurine, a ppear t o h ave b een manufactured b y t he l ate Maya i nhabitants o f t his r egion i n g reat n umbers . T hey s ometimes s how t races
o f h aving b een p ainted
b lue o ver a white s lip ,
b ut
t he p aint h as
u sually worn o ff e xcept i n v ery p rotected p laces, where t races o f i t m ay b e s till d iscerned. They a re f requently a ssociated with b urial m ounds, o ccasionally b uried w ith t he c orpse , b ut more f requently b roken a nd s cattered o ver t he
s urface
o f
with v egetal
t he
m ounds
mold a nd
where
s o
a fter
p reserved
a t ime b oth
t hey
f rom
h ave
t he
b ecome
weather
c overed
and
f rom
n atives who p ick t hem u p a s p laythings f or t heir c hildren . T hey w ere i nvariably " killed" , s ometimes b y b eing b roken u p i nto s mall f ragments and s trewn b roadcast, s o t hat i t i s impossible t o r econstruct e ither c enser o r f igurine,
b ut a t o ther t imes
m erely
b y b reaking o ff
t he a rms,
l egs, a nd h ands a nd l eaving t hem o n t he s ummit o f t he m ound where t hey c an b e c ollected a nd p artially r estored. They a re u sually b lackened i nside
b y
b urial
c hamber s till h alf
B ut
b urning
t hese
i ncense,
c ensers
a nd n ear S an A ndres
o ne
was
f ound
w ithin a
f ull o f u nconsumed p or n .
w ere
employed
f or
o ther
t han
f unerary p urposes,
a s a t ap oint a bout h alfway b etween S an Andres a nd Nohmul t here i s a v ery l arge mound b uilt o ver t he r uins o f as tone b uilding, p robably a t emple, c ensers
a ll a round t he b ase o f which i nnumerable a nd f igurines were
f ragments o f
f ound l ying o n t he g round,
c overed o nly
b oth b y a
t hin l ayer o f v egetal mold, j ust a s t hey were l eft b y t hose who made s acrifice t o t heir g ods a t t he f oot o f t he mound. Within a m ile o f t his mound an I ndian c ultivating t he s oil n ear h is hut c ame a cross a
1 43
n umber
o f
c lay
a rms,
l egs,
i nvestigated t he s ite. were
s cattered
t orsos,
a nd
o ther
f ragments,
Over a n a rea o f f rom 6 0 t o
i nnumerable
f ragments
o f
t hese
a nd
we
1 00 s quare y ards
c ensers,
v ery
n umerous
t oward t he c enter o f t he a rea b ut b ecoming f ewer a nd more s cattered t oward t he p eriphery. We f ound f ragments o f a t l east 2 0 f igurines, t hough
t here
were
p robably
many
m ore ;
o nly
i n o ne
c ase,
h owever ,
were
we a ble e ven p artially t o r econstruct t he e ntire f igure, s o s mall a nd s cattered were t he f ragments . I t was 2 7 c m i n h eight f rom t he h eels t o t he d ouble b and which s urrounded t he f orehead, p art
o f
t he h eaddress was
r ight e ar was missing .
n ose
f ront
o f
t he
c hest
was
wrist
was
a wristlet
t he u pper p art o f
t he
l egs
t o
c omposed g arters
a bove which t he u pper
was
c overed
o f
h ooked .
T he
b y
two
l arge
r ound
r eaching t o t he e lbows,
r epresent o f
l ong a nd
t hat o n t he l eft s ide was
a nd f rom t he s ides o f t he a rms,
p rojected o rnaments p ossibly meant r ight
T he
a l arge r ound e ar o rnament;
The
medallions,
m issing .
f eathers;
s pikelike
a round
o bjects,
s imilar o bjects,
t he
a nd
a round
p ossibly
s hells
o r t eeth . T he l eft f orearm a nd t he f ront p arts o f b oth f eet were m issing . T he r ight h and g rasped what a ppeared t o b e t he d ouble h andle o f
s ome o bject w hich h ad b een b roken o ff
s hort.
M OUND 8 This
mound was s ituated a bout 3 miles e ast o f N ohmul,
f irst f ound was c overed with t hick b ush which had t o b e b efore
e xcavation
a pproximately t he
b egan .
3 00
f eet
f lattened s ummit
I t
i n
was
p yramidal
c ircumference .
a nd a t a d epth o f
i n
s hape,
3 5 f eet
E xcavation l ess
a nd when
c leared o ff
was
h igh,
a nd
c ommenced
o n
t han 2 f eet b eneath t he
s urface, c overed b y a l ayer o f mixed r ubble, marl d ust, a nd b locks o f l imestone, 6 i nches t o
a well-defined s mooth s tucco f loor was d iscovered ,
t hick ,
6 i nches
b eneath which was a s tratum o f
t hick .
C lose
t o
t he u nder
s urface
f rom 4 t o
b lack e arth a lso f rom o f
t his
l ast
l ayer ,
4
a nd
n ear t he c enter o f t he mound, a f ew d ecayed f ragments o f h uman b ones were
f ound ,
s o
d isintegrated
t he p osition o f
t he
c lose
b uried
t o
t hem ,
o f a b urial T he
c yst,
f irst
t hat
c orpse a t i n
t he
t hese
was
was
o f
t o
t ell
f rom
t hem
o f
t he
m ound
w ithout
a ny
o r
o f
t race
p ottery.
a n u nusually
s ilhouette p rofile a nd o blique s ides,
i mpossible
s urrounding t hese b ones a nd q uite
s tructure
w ere f ive p ieces
o f
i t
b urial;
l arge
b owl
o range r ed i n
d ish
c olor a nd
s imple
p olished .
I t was 4 7 cm i n d iameter b y 6 .5 cm d eep. T he s econd v essel was a p olished b lack-ware b owl 3 7 cm i n d iameter b y 7 c m i n h eight, t he s ides o f which were , u pright a nd t he r im s lightly e verted . p olished
r edware
b y
7 c m d eep.
a s
t hey
A ll mound,
t hree were
d ish
I ts
s imple
s ilhouette
p rofile,
T he t hird was a
3 5
s ides w ere s lightly o blique a nd t he
v essels f irmly
a ll were
o f
more
were
b adly p itted ,
wedged o r l ess
i n
t he
p robably
t ightly
b y
p acked
c m
i n
d iameter
r im e verted. h umic
a cid ,
s tructure
b roken d uring extraction .
o f
P itting
a nd t he b y
humic a cid t akes p lace a lmost i nvariably i n p olished v essels p laced s uperficially i n mounds, where t hey c ome i n c ontact w ith t he e arth , a nd a re m oistened b y e very s hower o f r ain , b ut p itting o f v essels b uried a t s uch a d epth b eneath t he s urface and p rotected i n a ddition b y a l ayer o f p ractically waterproof s tucco i s d ifficult t o a ccount f or, e xcept o n t he h ypothesis t hat t he v essels h ad f irst b een e xposed o n t he s urface
1 44
o f
t he
m ound
a nd
l ater
b uried .
m eans o f h oles p unched i n
I t
A ll
t hese
v essels
h ad
b een
" killed"
b y
t heir b ottoms.
The f ourth v essel was a r ound b owl 1 6.5 cm wide b y 9 .5 cm h igh . s tood o n a l ow a nnular b ase a nd was made o f p olished r ed ware.
Unlike t he o thers,
n either t his n or t he n ext v essel t o b e d escribed
s howed a ny s igns o f p itting .
T he l ast v essel was a p olished r edware
j ar with s pheroidal b ody a nd u pright r im s tanding o n a l ow a nnular b ase . I t was s upplied with t hree l ooped h andles, p robably f or s uspension ,
a nd m easured 3 0 .5 cm i n w idth b y 2 7
o pening o f
t his
v essel ,
which was
c overed b y a s cutate l id, s urface o f which was f ormed
cm i n h eight .
p robably u sed
t o
T he wide
c ontain water ,
was
t he h andle i n t he c enter o f t he c onvex b y a well-modeled p arrot's h ead, t he e yes
o f which were s et f ar b ack i n t heir s ockets, and t he p upils f ormed o f small d isks
t he
o f
p ottery .
T hree f eet b eneath t he f irst i nterment, a lso c entrally p laced i n mound, f ragments o f t he b ones o f a nother skeleton were f ound
t ightly
p acked
i n
t he
s tructure
c ontact w ith e ach o ther l ay f ive
o f
t he
mound,
a nd
b eside
t hese
i n
f lint i mplements.
The f irst o f t hese was a l arge h albert-shaped weapon 4 7 cm i n l ength b y 2 0.5 cm i n b readth, ending i n a c rescent a bove, b elow which o n t he o pposite s ide o f t he weapon was a l ong k een-edged s pikelike p rojection . T he s econd was a b road , k een-edged k nife, 2 0 c m l ong , m ade f rom a s ingle unworked p iece o f f lint, t riangular i n s ection, s truck s traight f rom t he c ore. The t hird was a t riangular s pear h ead 1 9 cm l ong ,
w ith a h andle 5 cm l ong ,
which m ight p ossibly h ave b een u sed a s a
d agger, hafted and h eld i n t he h and.
T he f ourth was a n arrow
l eaf-
s haped s pear h ead, a nd t he l ast a n a x h ead with r ounded c utting e dge, 1 6.5 c m l ong. S everal e xceptionally l arge e ccentrically s haped f lints v ery s imilar t o t he o ne a bove d escribed were f ound a f ew y ears a go i n a s tone-lined b urial c hamber w ithin a l arge m ound i n t he n eighborhood o f N ohmul . Among t hese was a h albert-shaped implement 4 4 c m i n l ength , s imilar
i n
e very
r espect
t o
t he
o ne
d escribed,
s omewhat h eavier a nd t he c rescentic p rojection , a bove
t he
s harp
s pikelike
p rolongation,
was
e xcept
i nstead o f
t hat
i t
was
b eing p laced
p laced
e xactly
o pposite
l ife-sized
f igures
o f
t o
i t. T he
o ther
o bjects
c onsisted
o f
t hb
a r abbit
a nd a t urtle, a v ery l ong s pear h ead, a n o bject 4 4 cm i n l ength, t he t op o f which i s h ooked, t he b ottom p ointed, a nd b oth e dges s errated, a nd
a c rescentic
c onvexity o nes .
T he
implement
2 6
cm
l ong
b y
1 7.5
cm
wide,
f rom
t he
o f which p roject a l ong c entral s pine a nd t wo s maller l ateral o nly p ottery v essel
f ound
i n
t his
mound
was
a small
n early
s pherical p ot f rom t he s ide o f which p rojected t he h ead o f a n a nimal w ith a l ong p ig-like s nout. These a re a t t he p resent t ime i n t he Liverpool Museum.
S everal
v ery s imilar e ccentrically s haped f lint o bjects, t he o nly h istory a ttached t o which i s t hat t hey were f ound i n a c ave o n t he B ay o f H onduras
t oward
W ellcome Museum
t he
end
o f
i n L ondon .
t he
e ighteenth
c entury,
a re
now
i n
t he
I t i s n ot i mpossible t hat t he p rovenance o f
1 45
t hese
o bjects
was
t he
c hamber w ithin
o wing t o a l andslide o n t he s ide o f i ndeterminate
p eriod .
t he l ocal I ndians,
F rom
t he
t he
g reat
t he m ound ,
c hamber
m ound
a t
N ohmul which ,
h ad b een e xposed a t s ome
t hey
m ay
h ave
b een
r emoved
b y
f rom whom t hey f ound t heir way i nto t he h ands o f
mahogany c utters, f or wood was b eing g ot o ut a long t he N ohukum R iver a t t hat d ate, a nd t here was n o d oubt c onsiderable t rade b etween t he wood c utters
a nd t he I ndians,
t ruck passes.
F rom
passed t o t he hands c arried t o E ngland. A s cutate p ot M erwin a t H olmul, t o
which
i t
A v essel are
mahogany
c utters
s ome s ailing s hip
t hey
would
b elonged was
a l arge
with a n e xternal f lange ,
b owl o f
s haped l ike a p eccary 's h ead was
a lso f ound
a lready r eferred t o w ith a p iglike h ead .
placed
b y
Vaillant
in
t he
Holmul I II
a ssociated
w ith v essels t hat
o f
t he H olmul
t hey a lso b elong
t here ,
v ery
B oth o f
I II
s o
t o s uppose
c omplex
s tanding o n a f lat a nnular
b ut a s
c losely
h ave
t hough t he v essel
wound
e ccentrically s haped f lints were f ound a t H olmul , r easonable
p robably
c aptain b y whom t hey were
l id with a p arrot's h ead a s a h andle was f ound b y
a pparently
s imilar t o t hat vessels
o f
v ery s imilar t o t hat f rom Mound 8 ,
s ilhouette o utline, b ase .
s ome o f whom w orked f or t hem c learing b ush f or
t he
t hese
period.
No
t hey a re f ound
t ype,
i t
i s
o nly
t o t he s ame p eriod.
M OUND 9 About mound,
2 miles
t o
c overed
with
p ossible . c enter,
d ense
b ush
which h ad
t o a d epth o f 3 0 f eet.
f loor was e ncountered , marl
t o
f loor
b e
r emoved
t he
m ound
A bove
t his o f
s tone,
u pon
i t
a s
f ar a s
which
d ug
t o
t he
t he m ound ,
b lack e arth v arying
i n which
s tood
f loor u pon which t his
t he e dge o f
e xcavation was
n o
p otsherds
were
b lack e arth a s econd s olidly
c onstructed o f b locks o f c ut l imestone, t he s outh s ide t he
b efore
t he c ap o f t he m ound was c omposed
b eneath t he l ayer o f
a ppeared,
s ituated a l arge
a t rench was
b eneath which was a l ayer o f
i n t hickness .
F ive f eet
o f Nohmul was
1 00 f eet i n d iameter a t t he b ase,
F our f eet b elow t he t op a t hin s tucco
d ust a nd r ough b locks
f ound . made
s outheast
T hrough t he n orth s ide o f
a g ood d eal o f
t he
5 0 f eet i n h eight and a bout
t he
r uins
o f
a
b uilding
measuring 2 6 b y 2 4 f eet.
O n
b uilding s tood e xtended b eyond
a nd i t i s p ossible t hat a t o ne t ime
t he b uilding was a pproached b y a s tairway l eading u p t he s outh s ide o f t he mound, which has n ow c ompletely f allen d own o r t he s tones f rom which were u sed i n c overing t he b uilding and f orming a c ap mound .
A t a d epth o f
s tructure
was
1 2 f eet
encountered
b elow
f or
t he
t he s econd s tucco f loor a wall-like
c overed
with a l ayer
o f
h ard
s tucco,
1 8
i nches t hick a nd p ainted d ark r ed . T his s tructure c an h ardly b e t ermed a wall, a s while i ts n orth f ace was c overed t hroughout w ith s tucco i ts s outh
f ace
b lended
t ightly p acked l ayer o f
m arl
c ut-stone
w ith
t he
s tructure
d ust a nd b locks masonry.
o f
o f
T he wall
n orth f ace was d ivided a s f ollows :
A t
t he
t he
i n l ength a nd 4 i nches
i nches
l ong f ollowed b y a p rojecting s helf
f ound
f our
p ottery
i n b readth ,
v essels
a nd
r ecess, t he
9 i nches
l ong ,
c onsisting o f a n
1 46
1 6
b eneath which was a r ecess 1 4 3 6
i nches
a q uantity o f
b road ,
c arbon ;
u pon
which
b eneath t his
t o end i n a s econd
which t erminated i n t he s tucco f loor a t
b uilding.
i rregular
t op was a r ounded c ornice
t he wall c ontinued f or 5 6 i nches s loping o utward, o f
h ere
t hrough
r an d ue e ast a nd west a nd i ts
i nches were
m ound,
l imestone ,
t he b ase
The l edge, C i n t he p lan, h ad b een c overed with a l ayer o f c arbon a veraging a q uarter o f a n i nch i n t hickness, l oose f riable o f p ottery. a nd
m ortar ,
a bove which was a l ayer o f
a nd s tanding o n t his were
t he f our s mall v essels
All were o f r ather t hick, c lumsy ware p ainted a d ark r ed
p olished .
I t
i s
p ossible
t hat
t hese
v essels
were
n ot
i ntended
f or
e veryday u se , b ut s olely a s d edicatory o fferings p laced o n t he wall o f t he t emple when t he mound was e rected o ver i t, a s t hey h ave b een s o imperfectly f riable
f ired t hat
t hat
i t
was
t he s urface
a lmost
l ayers were s caling o ff,
impossible
t o
g et
c ondition o nly f ound b efore i n o ne b owl i n M ound
t hem
o ut
a nd
s o
e ntire,
a
1 .
The f irst was o ne o f t hose c urious s pouted v essels s omewhat r esembling a n o rdinary t eapot, e xcept t hat t he s pout i s u sually l onger a nd more v ertical,
f airly
c ommon i n t he Maya a rea .
h igh a nd 1 5.25 cm f rom t he t ip o f o pening .
T he
s pout
was
t he s pout
c onnected
b y
I t was 1 5.25 cm
t o t he d istal l ip o f
a s hort
t he
s olid b ar t o t he p roximal
l ip o f t he v essel, and over t he o pening was p laced a d isk o f t hin r ed p olished p ottery, v essel .
a pparently c hipped f rom a f ragment o f s ome l arge
T hese s pouted v essels a re k nown a s
must h ave b een r ather i nconvenient
c hocolate p ots,
t o d rink f rom ,
t hough t hey
a s t he s pout i s o ften
s o n early v ertical, o r even i n s ome c ases i nclined i nward t oward t he v essel, o ver
t hat i t i s i mpossible t o d o s o without s pilling t he c ontents
t he r im.
The s econd v essel was
s pherical
b ody
s urrounded
b y
b ody
was
r ested
a wide
o n
f laring r im ,
a l ooped h andle,
7 i nches
a f lattened n ear
a nother
b ase
t he
l ooped
handles,
j unction
o f
t he
s imilar o ne
o n
w ith
t he t he
s ame
s ide
b ody.
T he
i ts
i ts n early
o pening
was
which w ith
b eing
p laced
t he
o n
t he
T he t hird p ot was s imilar
b ut h alf a n i nch h igher .
b oth r im
a nd
j unction o f
o pposite s ide n ear t he b ase o f t he v essel. in s hape t o t he l ast,
i n h eight,
o f
I t a lso p ossessed two
t he
v essel
f ourth p ot
l ike t he t hird except t hat i t p ossessed t hree
was
c lose a lmost
i nstead o f
t o
t he
e xactly
two
l ooped
h andles. A ll s ome
t hese
l arge ,
v essels
t hin ,
were
g lazed
c overed
r ed-ware
b y
r ound
v essel,
l ids
m ade
f rom
a ll
h eld
a c onsiderable
a nd
s herds
o f
quantity o f a g rayish f riable c oncretion, b uried i n which, i n v essel No .2, were small f ragments o f b one. I t s eems p robable t hat a ll c ontained
f ood o fferings,
which h ad d isintegrated i n t he
t ime , l eaving n othing b y which t o i dentify o f b one.
c ourse o f
t hem e xcept a f ew f ragments
Work o n t his mound was d iscontinued f or s everal weeks a fter t he n orth s urface o f
t he wall h ad b een e xposed a t
t he b ottom o f
t he
t rench,
a nd d uring t his p eriod s ome I ndians f rom a n eighboring v illage d ug a l arge hole t hrough t he s tucco and d eep i nto t he masonry a t t he b ack, c ontinuing e vidently a ny
e ven i n
o ther
t hrough
s earch o f
motive
t he
s tructure
t reasure,
c ould
a ctuate
a s
o f
t he
t hey
u s
i n
m ound
n ever o ur
e ternal
d iscovery o f t reasure h idden b y " los a ntiguos." u s
o n
s everal
p revious
o ccasions
when
t he b ottom o f e xcavations,
s o m uch s o
o f
walls
t heir
k ept
f orming
b oundary
o f
walls
t o
T hey
were
r ealize
t hat
d igging
t han
t he
T his h as h appened t o
h ave
b een
e ncountered
a t
t hat where a ny p robability e xists
b urial
c hambers,
o ver t hem t o w arn o ff u nauthorized e xcavators.
1 47
i tself .
a ppear
a g uard
h as
t o
b e
T he e nd o f
e xcavation
t he s eason ,
o f
t he
n or h ad
m ound t he
h ad n ot
b een n early
e xtension o f
t he
c ompleted a t
s tucco-covered
t he
wall
t o
t he e ast a nd west b eyond t he c onfines o r t he t rench b een exposed . T here r emains a v ast amount o f work s till t o b e d one o n t his mound i n e xposing
t he
wall
t hroughout
i ts
e ntire
c ourse
a nd
e xcavating t he s ub-
s tructure. Owing t o i ts l arge s ize and c ompact s tructure, p robably r equire m any w eeks t o e xplore i t t horoughly.
i t
will
I t i s p ossible t o t race a t l east f our s tages i n t he c onstruction o f t his m ound. s ubstructure o f walls
T he f irst c orresponds t o t he e rection , o n a p yramidal m arl d ust a nd b locks o f l imestone, o f a b uilding w ith
c overed
p eriod t his o riginal o n t he
b y
a t hick
l ayer
o f
s tucco
painted
r ed.
A t
b uilding was p artially d estroyed and o ver i ts
s ubstructure
was
t runcated s ummit
s tone b locks,
e nlarged
t o
f orm a s econd
a nd
a l ater
r uins
l oftier
o f which was e rected a s econd b uilding
t he
m ound
o f
c ut-
which l ater was p artly d estroyed a nd o ver i ts r uins a
s econd a ddition m ade t o t he m ound,
t he s ummit o f which was c overed b y a
s tucco f loor which may h ave s upported a b uilding o f wood o r a dobe b rick, which h as c ompletely d isintegrated. F inally over t his l ast f loor
a t hird
a ddition
was
made
t o
t he
mound
t o
f orm
i ts
p resent
s ummit.
M OUND About e xcavated .
1 .1/4
miles
I t was
n orth
o f
d ust
a nd
b locks
N ohmul
c onical i n s hape,
f eet i n d iameter a t t he b ase. o f
1 0 a l arge
mound was
3 0 f eet h igh ,
p artially
a nd a pproximately
5 0
I t was c onstructed t hroughout o f marl
l imestone,
f orming
a s olid,
c ompact
mass
v ery
d ifficult t o excavate. A t rench was d ug i n t he s ide o f t he mound r eaching i ts c enter, and 1 0 f eet b elow t he s ummit t he c onvex s tuccoc overed
t op
o f
a wall
c learing t he wall i t was h eight,
a nd c overed
as tucco f loor. d istance o f
was
uncovered,
r unning
e ast
a nd
west.
f ound t o b e 3 2 i nches i n t hickness,
t hroughout with g rayish s tucco ,
i ts
b ase r esting o n
T he s pace b ehind t he wall was n ext c leared,
2 f eet
a nother wall was f ound,
unfortunately d estroyed i n t he a bsence o f who
made
a h ole
t reasure c hamber . wall ,
b ut
n othing
were f ound a t .any p otsherds,
t he
wall
t he workmen,
i n
t he
hope
o f
T his
o n was
p robably b y
o pening
u p
a
Excavation was c ontinued b y t he s ide o f t he f irst
t o a d epth o f 6 i f eet
r ested ,
i n
a nd a t a
a lso c overed w ith s tucco,
which was molded a g rotesque human f ace 3 f eet i n h eight. I ndians
O n
T i f eet i n
t hrough t he s ubstructure o n which t he walls
f urther was
e ncountered .
l evel i n t his
c hiefly o f t hick,
mound,
N o
a rtifacts
o f
a ny k ind
with t he exception o f
r ough d omestic v essels,
a f ew
s uch a s were i n
u se a mong t he Maya a t a ll p eriods .
M OUND T his was
m ound was
1 5 f eet h igh,
1
s ituated n ortheast 3 0 f eet
l ong,
a nd
o f
M ound
1 0 a nd c lose t o i t .
1 8 f eet b road,
r ubble, e arth, a nd i rregular b locks o f l imestone. t he s urface a s tucco f loor was e ncountered , i n t he c enter o f v ery
f ragmentary,
t he
m ound,
b ut
a nd was
r emained
1 48
t o
i ndicate
I t o f
Twelve f eet b elow
a nd r esting o n t his,
were h uman b ones a nd t eeth .
e nough
b uilt
t hat
n early
T he b ones were t he
c orpse
h ad
b een
b uried
i n
t he
f ully
e xtended
p osition .
B y
t he
s ide
s keleton were two small r oughly c hipped ax h eads o f f lint, t he
o ther
4 .5
cm
i n
l ength,
a nd
t he
f ragments
p olished d ish o f b lack ware, 3 0 cm i n d iameter .
o f
o f
t he
o ne 9 cm,
a r ound
s hallow
Nothing f urther was
f ound i n t his m ound.
M OUND T his a nd was
m ound was
s ituated
a bout
1 2 h alf
a m ile
s outhwest
o f a lmost exactly t he s ame d imensions a s
o f
Mound
Mound
1 1.
1 0,
I t was
b uilt o f marl d ust, r ubble, a nd e arth. A t a d epth o f 8f eet f rom t he s ummit o f t he mound a s tucco f loor a ppeared, o n which l ay f ragments o f a s keleton i n t he f ull e xtended p osition. c urious
o bject
m ade
f rom
o f a h and c orn mill, I t
measured
3 0.5
h ard
l imestone,
B eneath t he p elvis was a
c losely
r esembling
t he
b razo
b ut r ectangular i n s ection with r ounded a ngles.
cm i n
l ength,
7 .5
cm
i n width,
a nd
4 cm
a ccompanying i t were f ragments o f a s hallow r ed-ware d ish ,
i n
d epth;
b adly b roken
a nd i ncomplete. About f loor ,
2 f eet
t o
t he
was a p ortion o f
i n l ength ,
west
o f
t he b ones,
a lso r esting o n t he s tucco
t he b razo o f a h and c orn-rubbing s tone,
2 5 .5 cm
with which were i ncomplete f ragments o f as hallow b lack-ware
d ish.
M OUND About b ank , o f
1 00 yards n orthwest
o f
1 3
M ound 1 2 i s
a l ong ,
n ear t he c enter o f which a n e xcavation was
a lternating
l ayers
o f
marl
d ust,
n arrow
made .
r ubble,
I t
was
r idge ,
o r
c omposed
a nd b lack e arth .
A t
a
d epth o f 5 f eet f rom t he s urface a s tucco f loor a ppeared upon which were f ound f ragments o f a h uman s keleton i n t he e xtended p osition . N o a rtifacts w hatever w ere f ound w ith t his F ive
f eet
s outh o f
t he f irst
b urial.
b urial,
a nd b eneath t he s tucco f loor ,
as econd i nterment was d iscovered i n which t he c orpse h ad evidently b een
b uried
c hin .
i n
C lose
d iameter,
a s quatting p osition w ith
b eside
i t
was
a s hallow
w hich h ad e vidently
Mounds 1 1, l ower c lass,
b een
t he
k nees
p olished
d rawn u p u nder
r ed-ware
" killed" when t he
d ish ,
b urial
4 1
c m
t he i n
t ook p lace.
1 2 a nd 1 3 a ppear t o b e b urial mounds o f p eople o f t he
i n which t he owner was b uried i n h is h ouse a nd a mound
s ubsequently h eaped u p o ver h is
r emains .
I n b urials
o f t his k ind among
t he Maya i t was c ustomary t o p lace t he c orpse b eneath t he f loor o f t he h ouse, b ut h ere, with t he exception o f t he s econd b urial i n Mound 1 3, a ll
t he
c orpses
s eem
t o
h ave
b een m erely
l aid o n t he f loor a nd c overed
w ith a mound o f e arth, r ubble, a nd marl . I n a ll t hese m ounds n umerous p otsherds were f ound, c hiefly o f r ough u ndecorated d omestic p ottery, p robably p icked u p w ith t he f iller c uriously e nough n o f ragments c ommon
i n a nd
o n
t hough t he m ounds T here
a re
t he
b urial
t hemselves
a c onsiderable
t aken f rom t he n eighboring s oil,
were f ound o f r ough , m ounds
o f
t he
Maya
a ppear t o b e q uite n umber
149
o f
small
b ut
u npainted c ensers s o
R eoccupational
P eriod,
l ate i n d ate. mounds
i n
t he
v icinity,
a ll p robably s imilar i n f unction ,
a nd d oubtless marking t he f ormer s ite
o f a v illage.
M OUND T his
m cund was
1 4
s ituated a bout h alf a m ile s outhwest o f N ohmul .
I t
was p yramidal i n s hape, 5 0 f eet i n d iameter and 9 f eet h igh, a nd was c overed with a l ayer o f
v egetal mold f rom 3 t o 4 i nches t hick .
u pper p art o f t he m ound was b uilt o f
m arl d ust a nd
a nd
t his
a t
a d epth
t hick was On
o f
1 3 i nches
e ncountered ,
c ontinuing
t he
b eneath
u nder
which was
excavation
o f
s tratum
t his,
o f
t hrough
The
l imestone,
a h ard s tucco f loor
a t hin
b eneath
b locks
1 2 i nches
b lack
marl
e arth .
d ust
a nd
l imestone b oulders, a small c hamber was e ncountered s ituated a lmost exactly i n t he c enter o f t he mound. I t m easured 6 f eet i n l ength, 1 7 i nches i n b readth, small
p ieces
r oofed
o f
a nd 1 5 i nches i n h eight.
l imestone
b y l arge f lat
h uman s keleton ,
t he
h eld
f lags o f
b ones
t ogether
I t was r oughly b uilt o f
b y
l imestone.
f riable
Within
mortar a nd was
t he
c hamber was
a
o f which were i n a b ad s tate o f p reservation .
T he c orpse had b een b uried l ying o n i ts b ack i n t he f ully extended p osition . T he f ace h ad b een c overed b y a p olished r ed-ware b owl 1 9 cm i n d iameter a nd 7 .5 e lderly
p erson,
u pper a nd
a s
l ower j aw
d iameter o f
t he
cm
d eep.
most a nd
o f
The t he
t heir
c hamber
b ones
were
evidently
t hose
o f
a n
t eeth had d isappeared f rom b oth t he
s ockets
h ad
b ecome
r an e ast a nd west,
a trophied .
T he
l ong
t he h ead b eing p laced t oward
t he e ast.
M OUND T his
m ound was
i n s hape,
1 5
s ituated q uite c lose t o M ound 1 4 .
I t was p yramidal
n early c ircular, 6 0 f eet i n d iameter a nd 1 2 f eet h igh.
excavation was b egun i n t he c enter o f t he mound, i nches f rom t he s urface,
t hrough a l ayer c omposed
c hiefly o f
t he t op o f a s tucco-covered wall was e ncountered. t he
c entral wall o f
what h ad e vidently
T he
a nd a t ad epth o f 4 2 m arl d ust,
T his p roved t o b e
b een a b uilding .
A t
a d epth
o f
5 0 i nches t he wall e nded in a s tucco f loor a nd o n c learing t he s paces a bove
t he
d isclosed.
f loor
o n
e ach
s ide
o f
A a nd B o n t he p lan .
t he
wall
r ubble,
evidently p icked u p f rom t he l and,
n umber
o f
p otsherds,
c hiefly
two
small
r ooms
were
R oom A was f illed with d ark-colored o f
r ough
s howing e xamples o f n early e very v ariety o f i ncluding v ery f ine p olychrome,
among which were a g reat
d omestic
p ottery,
ware f ound i n t he
b ut
a lso
d istrict,
z oomorphic f igures i n d ark r ed o n a
l ight-red b ackground, b lack l acquer o n ay ellow g round, and r ed ware w ith i ncised d esigns p ainted b lack a nd p olished . r ecurring s herds w ere t hose o f l arge , c oarse o val o blique
l ines
o ver
t he
b ody,
i ncised
while t he c lay was s till p lastic . marl
d ust.
a ppeared,
A t a nd
a d epth 1 4
c ontinuous with
t hat o f
f illed w ith m arl
d ust .
angle o f
o f
i nches
t he c hamber,
b efore
v essel
h ad
b een
f ired,
C hamber B was c ompletely f illed w ith
3 f eet
b eneath
C hamber A ,
a s tucco a
s econd
t he
R esting o n t he
s pace
l ower
f loor f loor
2 inches
t hick
4 i nches
t hick
b etween t he
f loor ,
n ear
t he
t wo b eing n ortheast
l ay t he p roximal e nd o f a small b roken p ottery
f lute a nd a c lay m alacate o r s pindle whorl , i ncised
t he
T he m ost f requently j ars d ecorated w ith
g eometrical f igures
o n b oth i ts u pper a nd l ower s urfaces.
1 50
r oughly
On t he s ame f loor, a t
t he p oint m arked E i n t he p lan , a s econd c ache was f ound c onsisting o f a small c onch s hell p erforated i n t wo p laces f or s uspension , h aving i ts a pex smoothly c ut o ff, n otwithstanding
i ts
p robably f or u se a s a t rumpet, which p urpose,
s mall
s ize ,
i t
s till
s erves;
a small ,
p oorly
m ade
l eaf-shaped f lint s pear h ead 1 4 cm i n l ength ; a f ragment o f a n o bsidian knife, and a l arge c oncave s egment o f c onch s hell 1 7 cm i n l ength, which
may
Within
t his
h ave
p ebbles
o f
s erved
w ere
t he
white
q uartz,
i nch i n d iameter , b alls
o f
c lay,
a small,
2 3 d isks
a v essel o f
i n f iring ,
c ylinder
o ne
a s
o bjects:
o r
1 25
f ound
o f
i n
Mound
f or
smooth ,
l iquids.
water-worn
m other-of-pearl a veraging h alf t he c enter ,
e ach h alf
c lay,
a l adle
small,
a f ew o f t hem b ored t hrough
b lackened
hard
d uplicating
e ither
f ollowing
2 cm
2 2 .
a n
t wo s pherical
a n i nch i n d iameter,
l ong
S imilar
b y
1 c m
i n
h ard-clay
a nd
d iameter,
c ylinders
w ere
f ound i n ag rave n ear C orozal a ccompanied b y a l arge n umber o f s hell d isks.
T he
Mound
3 ,
c lay
b alls
c losely
f rom which t hey
r esembled
d iffer
t he
o nly i n
5 5
s imilar
b eing
o nes
s lightly
f ound
l arger
i n and
b etter f ired. I t s eems v ery p robable t hat t hese o bjects were u sed i n p laying game, a s, t hough t he n acre d isks may have b een employed a s
s ome
o rnaments
f or t he h eaddress
o r e ar p lugs,
a ttached b y s ome a dhesive g um , t he
p ebbles
a nd
p ottery
i t
s pheres
c ounters o r markers i n ag ame. g ames
were
p layed
b y
i s
t o w hich t hey c ould h ave b een
d ifficult
c ould
t o
have
imagine
b een p ut
t o what
o ther
u ses
t han
a s
We know f rom Landa t hat a v ariety o f
t he Maya b efore
t he a rrival o f E uropeans,
a nd t he
l ittle p ebbles a re s imilar t o t hose s till u sed b y t he modern Maya i n p laying
t he
g ame
o f
c hac ,
a s pecies
o f
k nuckle
b ones.
c arried o n b eneath t he f loors o f c hambers A a nd B , b oth,
t hrough
a l ayer
c omposed
o f
marl,
E xcavation
was
a nd t o t he west o f
s and,
a nd
b oulders
o f
l imestone. N ear t he n orthwest c orner o f c hamber B , b eneath t he f loor, b uilt
o f
mortar ,
a small b urial c hamber was
i rregular
b locks
o f
l imestone
a nd was r oofed b y l arge f lags
i n l ength b y
1 4 i nches
o f
Mound
1 4.
Within
e xtended d orsal p osition . o ver
which
h ad
b een
t he
b efore i n
t he
t his
c ase
t he
c yst,
i n t he
n arrow u sual
b locks
o f
o f
o f
i n h eight
o f
a b lack
a ppearing N o
b ones
e arth,
t op
r ed p ottery,
a nd w idth,
I t
T his
b y
was
a f riable
m easured 6 f eet
i n h eight,
t he
a nd n ot e ast a nd west,
a s
l ong
i n
t he
l ay a h uman s keleton i n
t he
s lip.
t o
I t
p artly 1 4 .
u nder
o f
h is
e vidently
t he
t he
c arried
f urniture
b uried i n
w hich
1 8
cm
m ound
o ut
was
m arl d ust b urial
i n
a t
a s
w as
c hamber
w as
o r
p resent
b uilt
t he
l ay o f
a
t he
t o t he g round l evel.
mound
a small
m ade i n a mold .
a nd was s o s imilar
L ubaantun which a dorn t he whistles
b een
g rave
B eneath
m easured
b roken i nto a n umber o f
h ave
o ther
l imestone a nd m arl d ust, t he
l imestone .
T he s kull was
c orpse .
t he
b lack
o pened u p. t ogether
1 5 i nches
c hamber
c yst i n Mound
e xcavating
d iscovered,
t he
" nor w ere
b urial
s tratum
I n
f ractures
b urial
h eld
C overing t he f ace was a b owl o f y ellow ware,
a pplied
d iameter b y 1 3 cm i n h eight. f ragments,
o f
i n b readth a nd
d iameter r unning d ue n orth a nd s outh , c ase
a t a d epth o f 3 4 i nches
t o t hose
f ound a t
t hat
h uman I t
h ead
m easured
m olded f igurines s ite
t hat
i t
i s
was 3 c m f rom
q uite
possible i t may h ave b een imported f rom t here a s at rade p iece. The u pper p art o f t he h eaddress h as b een b roken away, a s h ave most o f t he ear
o rnaments,
b ut
t he
l ower p art,
1 51
c onsisting o f
a b road
b and with
v ertical s tripes
i ncised u pon i t,
f ollows
t he b est L ubaantun t radition.
T his mound a ppears t o h ave b een c onstructed o ver t he r uins o f a s mall
h ouse
t he s tone
w alls
o f
which were s tuccoed w ithin a nd w ithout .
T he two small c hambers A a nd B were e ach o nly 6 f eet s quare a nd when r oofed m ust h ave b een v ery d ark, a s t he o nly l ight which c ould e nter c ame t hrough t he r ooms t o t he west o f t hem , t he s ole v estiges o f which n ow
r emaining
a re
t he
t wo
a ngular p ortions
o f
walls
s hown
o n e ach s ide o f t he d ividing wall b etween A a nd B .
i n t he p lan
T hese r ooms
must
a lso h ave b een v ery s mall u nless t he s ubstructure o n w hich t he o riginal b uilding s tood w as m uch l arger t han i t i s a t p resent. Mounds c overing t he r emains o f s tucco-covered s tone b uildings, b eneath which b urials h ave t aken p lace, t his
r egion .
T he walls
o f
t hese
a re
a re f ound n ear S an Andres i n
n ever o ver 4 f eet h igh ,
s ummits a re r ounded a nd s tucco c overed. u pper
p art
with
p alm
P eten ,
o f
t he
l eaf,
t he
l ast
S paniards.
h ouse
was
a method
c onstructed
o f
i ndependent
o f
w ood
a rchitecture
Maya
1 5 s eems
a nd
f ound
c onfederation
T he p rocedure i n M ound
a nd
t heir
T he p resumption i s t hat t he
t o
p robably
among
t hatched
t he
h old o ut
t o h ave b een a s
I tzas
o f
a gainst t he f ollows:
On t he d eath o f t he owner an e xcavation was made i n t he f loor o f o ne o f t he b ack c hambers o f h is house, i nto t he s ubstructure, where a small t he
b urial c yst was
c onstructed f or t hc
f ace o f which a b owl was p laced.
f loor
r emade,
t wo
small
c aches
o f
r eception o f t he c orpse,
I bis
h is
was
n ext
p ossessions
f illed
p laced
t he
i t,
a nd
u pon
o ver i t as econd f loor c onstructed i n t his c hamber o nly.
o ver
i n,
Lastly, t he
h ouse was p artially wrecked a nd b uried b eneath t he mass o f s tone a nd m arl w hich f orms T hese
t he
c ap o f
t wo m ounds,
t he p resent
N os .
1 4 a nd
1 5,
m ound. a ppear t o b e e xamples o f b urials
o f t he owners o f h ouses i n t he s ubstructure u pon which t heir houses s tood,
f ollowed b y t he e rection o f a n ew mound o ver t he r uins o f t he
h ouse , b ut whereas i n t he c ase o f M ound 1 5 t he walls o f t he h ouse were o f s tucco-covered s tone, i n Mound 1 4 t hey were p robably o f wood o r a dobe
b rick,
a ll
t races
o f
e ither
o f
which
would
l ong
s ince
have
v anished.
M OUND T his o f
m ound w as s ituated n ear B uena V ista ,
Nohmul.
I t
was
c onical
d iameter a nd 1 0 f eet h igh. c ap o f
1 6
i n
s hape,
a bout 1 1 m iles s outheast
n early
c ircular,
4 0
f eet
I t was d ug d own t o t he g round l evel.
t he m ound was c omposed o f a s olidly p acked m ass
o f
i n T he
m arl d ust a nd
r ough b oulders o f l imestone.
A t ad epth o f 4f eet a c ement f loor was
e ncountered
i n
a veraging
6 i nches
t hickness,
b eneath
w hich
was
a t hin
s tratum o f b lack e arth i n c ontact with t he s ubstructure o f t he mound which
was
b uilt
u p
o f
small
s tones,
e vidently
c ollected
f rom
t he
s urface o f t he s urrounding l and , a s m ost o f t hem s howed d istinct s igns o f weathering . Mixed with t his r ubble w ere g reat q uantities o f p otsherds,
t he
were
t hose o f
f rom
c ontact
m ajority
b eing
c ooking p ots, w ith
t he
f ire .
a s
o f
c oarse
t heir
d omestic
o uter
ware,
s urfaces
h ad
A c onsiderable n umber o f
m any b een
o f
w hich
b lackened
f ragments
o f
r ed
p olished ware were a lso p resent, with a f ew o f p olychrome, a nd b lack
1 52
p olished
ware,
g eometrical
o ne
d esign
o f
t he
l atter
i ncised o n i ts
b eing
o uter
T he s tucco-topped s ubstructure o f s upported a wooden o r a dobe house, b een e rected a t w ere
f ound
w ithin t hat
i t,
p art
o f
a
t his mound had p robably o nce
s ome s ubsequent p eriod.
a nd o ne c an o nly s uppose
with
o ver which a c ap 4 f eet h igh had
b een u sed f or s epulchral p urposes, f urniture
d ecorated
s urface .
I t
d oes n ot a ppear t o have
a s n either h uman b ones n or g rave
t hough
t he
w hole
t he f lattened s ummit
m ound o f
was
d ug
d own ,
t he a dded p ortion
was u sed f or a s econd dwelling t he f loor o f which was o f b eaten marl d ust,
c ommonly u sed b y t he m odern I ndians
M OUND This h eight,
mound was
nearly
t hrough
t he
s ituated
c ircular,
1 7
c lose
a nd
4 5
f or t his p urpose.
t o
f eet
Mound i n
1 6.
I t was
d iameter .
1 5 f eet i n
On
excavating
m arl d ust a nd l imestone b locks which c omposed t he f lattened
c ap o f t he mound, a t ad epth o f 4 f eet a c ement f loor was r evealed, i nches t hick.
8
Immediately b eneath t his, a lmost i n t he c enter o f t he
mound , a small, v ery c rudely c onstructed c yst was e xposed , m easuring 3 f eet b y 2 f eet. I t was half f illed with marl d ust a nd c ontained f ragments o f human b ones s o b adly d ecayed t hat i t was impossible t o t ell i n what p osition t he c orpse h ad b een b uried , t hough o wing small s ize o f t he c hamber t his c ould n ot h ave b een i n t he u sual f ully e xtended m anner .
M ingled with t he b ones was a c ylindrical v essel
with s traight s ides a nd s lightly everted r im, d iameter
a nd
1 1.4
cm
i n h eight .
I t was
f ragments
b acked
a s
i t
was
unusually
I t a ppeared f riable.
o f a nother e xactly s imilar b owl .
a s hape v ery u nusual
i n Maya p ottery
t ype
d istrict u p
t aken f rom t his Accompanying
t hese
v essels
measuring 3 0.5 cm
c olored d ark b rownish r ed,
h ighly polished b oth within and without. imperfectly
t o t he d orsal
B oth t hese
a nd a re
t o have
With
i t
b een
were
v essels
were
t he o nly e xamples o f
i n a nd t he o f
t heir
t o t he p resent. was
a s mall
h enequen
f iber
c leaner
o f
v ery hard l imestone, 7 .75 cm l ong b y 5 cm b road a nd 2 .5 cm t hick . I t was r oughened b y s coring p arallel l ines o n o ne s urface a nd was c onvex o n t he o ther, while t he s ides were d eeply g rooved t o h old i n p lace a h andle o f T he
l iana o r w ithy. e xcavation
b oulders,
o f which
g round l evel,
was
c ontinued
t hrough
t he s ubstructure
b ut n othing f urther w as
u f
t he
m arl
d ust
t he mound was
a nd
l imestone
b uilt,
t o
t he
f ound.
V ery f ew p otsherds were unearthed d uring t he e xcavation o f t his mound,
t he
r eason b eing p robably
c onstructed h ad n ot
t hat
t he
material
b een t aken f rom t he s urface
o f
which
i t
was
b ut e specially q uarried
t o b uild i t. I t
was
e vidently
a h ouse
which t he d ead man was
b urial
m ound
o f
t he u sual
c haracter,
i n
b uried i n t he s ubstructure b eneath h is h ome,
o ver w hich a s econd m ound w as
r aised
1 53
l ater.
M OUND
1 8
This mound was s ituated c lose t o Mounds 1 6 a nd 1 7. I t was p yramidal i n s hape, 1 5 f eet h igh a nd 4 6 f eet i n d iameter . E xcavation was
b egun
extent . i t
o n
t he
s ummit,
T he u pper p art
was
c omposed
o f
which
o f
was
f lattened
t he mound was
l arge
b locks
which were f illed w ith mortar ,
o f
a nd
o f
v ery d ifficult
l imestone
t he
i nterstices
f orming a s olid b lock o f
d epth o f 3 f eet f rom t he s urface a s egment
c onsiderable
t o e xcavate , masonry .
o f wall was
a s
b etween A t a
e ncountered
b uilt o f well-cut b locks o f l imestone, 2 f eet h igh a nd a bout 6 f eet l ong , b roken o ff s hort a t b oth e nds, a nd e vidently f orming a t o ne t ime part
o f
t hick, d ust
a b uilding .
B eneath
u nder which t he
f or
b rought
1 8
t o
i nches,
l ight .
b locks and d iscovered,
t he
m ound was
wall
was
a c ement
c omposed o f
when a s econd
D igging d own f or
c ement
f loor
8 i nches
l imestone b locks f loor
6 i nches
a f urther 3 f eet
a nd
m arl
t hick
was
t hrough l imestone
marl d ust, a t hird f loor, a lso 6 i nches t hick, was b eneath which t he mound c ontinued t o t he g round l evel.
N othing was f ound i n e xcavating t his mound w ith t he e xception o f a v ery f ew p otsherds, n early a ll o f which were o f t he r ough, c oarse, u ndecorated d omestic v ariety. T his would a ppear t o b e a h ouse m ound which h ad b een a dded t o a nd enlarged o n a t l east t hree o ccasions. T he f irst house was b uilt o n a s tucco f loor c overing t he t op o f a l ow s tone s ubstructure; 3feet o f masonry were a dded t o t his, o n which a s econd h ouse was c onstructed o n a s tucco f loor; l ater s till, a s econd a ddition was made t o t he mound, 1 8 i nches
i n h eight,
c overed with a s tucco f loor ,
two h ouses h ad p robably b een o f a dobe o r wood, s tone.
F inally
t his
a lso
was
wrecked
a nd
b ut whereas
t he f irst
t he l ast h ouse was o f
c overed
i n
b y
a c ap
o f
masonry, o n t he f lat s ummit o f which i t i s p robable t hat a f ourth h ouse was b uilt, f or , a s t he mound h ad n ot b een u sed f or s epulchral p urposes i t
i s
o nly
r easonable
i n m aking t he
l ast
t o
s uppose
a ddition t o
t hat
i ts
t here m ust h ave b een s ome
o bject
h eight .
I t i s impossible t o d etermine j ust h ow l ong a n i nterval e lapsed b etween e ach o r i t
e nlargement
m ay h ave
r epresent
probably
a rchitectural a t
e ach
not
t his
m ound .
might
T he
h ave
Unfortunately
t wo .
m ay h ave
epochs
r ecovery
a fforded
t he
I t
b een a f ew y ears
T he v arious p eriods
c ultural
e laboration .
l evel
d ating.
o f
b een a c entury o r
o f
b ut
e ntire v essels
v aluable
c eramic
o f o ccupancy
s tages
c ontent
d ata
f or
o f
l ocal
o r p otsherds
s tratigraphic
a ffords n o
c lue o f
t his
n ature, f or n ot o nly were t he s herds p ractically a ll o f t he d omestic v ariety,
b ut v ery f ew w ere
f ound,
a nd n one b elow t he m iddle
M OUND This p yramidal
mound was i n s hape,
s ituated c lose 3 6 f eet
1 9 t o Mounds
i n d iameter
a nd
l evel.
N ear
s urface,
p ortions
owing
t he
t he
t o
s urface,
o f
t he
a h uman
m aterial w ere
o f a ny g reat a ge .
i n
c enter,
i n
T he
a d epth
s keleton
which
a p oor
a t
t hey
w ere
were
1 6,
5 f eet
and was b uilt t hroughout o f r ubble a nd e arth . ground
f loor.
1 7 a nd h igh
i n
1 8. t he
I t was c enter ,
I t was d ug d own t o t he o f
f ound,
2 f eet t he
b uried a nd
s tate o f p reservation ,
b eneath
b ones
t heir
o f
t he
which,
n earness
t o
t hough p robably n ot
c orpse h ad b een b uried i n t he f ully extended
1 54
d orsal
p osition ,
a nd
r eddish y ellow ware , d iameter ,
7 .5
d ish a nd
t he
t o n umerous
cm
i n
t he
d epth ,
s kull t ree
o ver
f ace
was
p laced a l arge
p olished b oth within a nd w ithout .
which
a nd
i t
s tood
c overed
o n
a l ow
were
r oots w hich s urrounded
d ish o f
I t was 3 8 c m i n
a nnular
b adly
s hallow b ase .
b roken ,
B oth
o wing
t his
p robably
t hem.
B eneath t he s outhern margin o f t his
mound a c ircular o pening 2
f eet i n d iameter was f ound, which a t f irst a ppeared t o b e t he o pening o f a c hultun , o r c hamber h ollowed o ut i n t he l imestone , m any o f which a re f ound
i n t he d istrict,
b ut which p roved
mouth o f a c ylindrical h ole ,
o n e xcavation t o b e t he
p robably a n o ld well,
f illed w ith r ubble a nd e arth,
6 f eet d eep .
I t was
a mong w hich w ere a f ew r ough p otsherds.
M OUND 2 0
T his
was
o ne
o f
a g roup
m iles s outheast o f N ohmul,
o f
f our
small mounds
s ituated a bout 2
t wo o f which were e xcavated .
I t was
c onical
in s hape, a lmost c ircular, 8 f eet i n h eight, 3 5 f eet i n d iameter, a nd was c onstructed t hroughout o f marl d ust a nd r ough b locks o f l imestone . N ear t he c enter o f t he m ound , b eneath t he l ayer o f v egetal m old which c overed i t, c oarse r ed
l ay a small c lay whistle . T his, which was m ade o f r ather p ottery, 9 .5 cm i n h eight, r epresented a h uman f igure
s tanding upright with t he a rms h eld s traight d own b y t he s ides.
The
f ace c losely f orehead was
t he I n
t his
c ase,
h owever,
r epresented r ound
e ar
r esembled t hat f rom Mound 1 5, a lready i n b oth c ases c overed b y a v ertically t he u pper part o f
t he f ace a nd u pper j aw o f
p lugs
were worn
i n
t hree r ows o f b eads c overed t he f ront
t he h eaddress was p resent a nd
s ome
t he e ars
d escribed , a nd s triated b and .
m ythological a nimal .
Small
a nd a v ery e laborate n ecklace o f
o f
t he
c hest,
f rom which d epended
a c urious s quare o rnament which r ested o n t he f ront o f t he l oin c loth, t he f ree end o f which f ell a lmost t o t he a nkles. T he f ront o f t his f igure,
which h ad b een t urned u ppermost,
was
m uch weathered ,
d oubtless
f rom e xposure t o t he r ain , b efore t he f ormation o f t he l ayer o f v egetal mold which l ater s erved t o p rotect i t. S o g reat was t he weathering t hat i t had worn a h ole t hrough t he wall o f t he whistle, t he
l eft
c heek .
mouthpiece,
T he b ack o f
while a bove,
t wo h oles p ierced
b oth o f w hich t hree n otes S cattered v egetal
o ver
m old were
t he
a ll
t he wall ,
s urface
n umerous
o f
t his
f ragments
o f
m ound
i mmediately
a rms,
o uter s urfaces
o f
l egs, l arge
o ne
o r
a nd
b eneath
t orsos
c ensers o f
o f
t he t he
c oarse
o f which w ere m uch w eatherworn.
T he mound was d ug d own t o t he g round l evel, was
b y c losing
c ould b e p roduced.
f igures u sed t o a dorn t he p ottery,
j ust b ehind
t he whistle was p rolonged b elow i nto a
b ut n othing f urther
f ound w ithin i t.
M OUND
T his a n exact
m ound was
s ituated c lose
d uplicate i n s ize .
2 1
t o Mound 2 0 ,
O n t he s ummit,
1 55
o f which i t
was
a lmost
c overed o nly b y t he v egetal
mold ,
was
f ound
a s mall v ase s tanding o n 3 s hort
t he f orm o f ah uman f ace . f lat
b eads
o n o ne o f
l egs,
8 .5 cm l ong ,
i n
T he h eaddress c onsisted o f a b and o f r ound
which t he f ingerprint o f
t he maker h ad b een s o
c learly l eft u pon t he wet c lay t hat, were h e s till a live, i t would b e p ossible
t o
i ts
a p rojecting
r oot
mouth
i dentify
s mall
p lugs .
r ound
s ides.
a s
T he
s lip,
b y
i t .
nose
l abrets
T he f ace i s
a p ortrait,
h im
T he
a re worn ,
i s
i s
l ong a nd h ooked ,
s een .
A t
i s
a marked
o uter s urface
o f
l ack
t his
b een worn o ff b y l ong exposure, c lay,
o f
v ase
s ymmetry
h ad
b een
d iameter c enser ,
a v ery b y
a s
2 cm
t here
small i n
a re
t hree
e ach o ther a round t he u nusual; water
j ar
o f
T his
small
b ody o f
m ade o f h ard ,
v essel
m ight
well
b etween i ts
c overed
b y
b e t wo
a white
may
h oles
t hree o f s tone,
measuring
p ossibly p laced
t he v essel .
a t
O ne o f
well-polished l imestone ,
c omposite
t he
b ut c an b e t raced s till i n p rotected
s pheroidal
d epth .
o f
c ircular e ar
Most o f b oth c oats h ad
Within t he v ase were f our malacates,
a nd
l arge
m odeled w ith c onsiderable s pirit a nd
t here
a nd o ver
e ach angle
a nd i n t he e ars
o ver which a c oat o f b lue was p ainted.
p laces.
r im ,
n ose
o rnament
s ilhouette
o utline
o ne o f
3 cm
h ave
b een u sed
e qual
d istances
t he m alacates i t
a nd
o nly
i s
h igh
i n
a s
i s
v ery
i n t he f orm o f n eck
w ith
a
f rom a
e verted
while t he h ole t hrough i ts c enter f orms t he worm o f a s crew .
T his
i s t he o nly i nstance r ecorded o f a m alacate o f t his t ype f ound a nywhere i n t he Maya a rea , i ndeed t he o nly i nstance which would s eem t o i ndicate t hat t he p rinciple o f t he s crew was known t o t he a ncient Maya; which s uggests t hat t his m ound m ay d ate f rom a fter t he c onquest . Moreover , t he
r emarkable
s ymmetry
o f
t he
o utline
o f
t his
l ittle
o bject,
e specially when c ompared with t hat o f t he o ther malacates, s uggests v ery s trongly t hat i t was t urned o n a l athe a nd may have b een a t rade p iece o f S panish o rigin. S cattered o ver t he s urface o f t he mound, m old l ayer ,
were n umerous f ragments o f r ough ,
a rms,
f aces,
l egs,
t he f ace v ase, s lip,
a nd o rnaments .
a nd a f ew o f
j ust under t he v egetal
f igure-decorated c ensers,
T hese a ll s howed t he s ame t echnic a s
t hem s till r etain t races
o f
white a nd
b lue
i n p rotected p arts. T he
m ound was
d ug d own t o t he g round l evel,
b ut w ith t he e xception
o f a f ew s herds o f r ough d omestic p ottery n othing e lse was
f ound within
i t. M OUND
2 2
T his m ound f ormed o ne o f a g roup o f t hree s ituated a bout m iles s outheast o f N ohmul . I t p roved t o b e i n m any ways t he most i nteresting o f
a ll
t he
mounds
i n
t his
d istrict.
a pproximately 5 0 f eet i n d iameter a t t he l ong,
l ow,
c rescentic r idge,
I t
was
b ase .
1 5 f eet
i n h eight,
T o t he w est
o f i t
a nd
w as
a
f rom t he n orthern h orn o f which i t was
s eparated b y a small mound 1 2 f eet i n h eight
b y 3 0 f eet
i n d iameter .
T his l ast was c ompletely d ug d own t o g round l evel a nd was f ound t o b e b uilt o f m arl d ust, r ubble, a nd l imestone . A f ew f ragments o f p ottery were
f ound
p olychrome .
i n
i ts
s tructure,
s ummit was f lattened , o r
a dobe
i ncluding
r ed
ware,
b lack
Nothing f urther was f ound i n t his mound,
ware,
which,
a s
a nd i ts
may h ave f ormed t he s ubstructure f or a s mall wood
h ouse .
A small exploratory e xcavation was made i n t he s outhern h orn o f
1 56
t he c rescentic m ound . W ithin a f oot o f t he s urface, a nd b uried i n t he m arl d ust a nd l imestone b locks o f which t he mound a ppeared t o b e b uilt, was
a v ery n eatly
c hipped t riangular a rrow h ead o f
f lint,
m easuring 5 .5
c m i n l ength , w ith n arrow i ndentations o n e ach s ide h alf a n i nch f rom t he b ase, n o d oubt t o r etain i n p lace t he c ord which b ound i t t o t he s haft . a nd
T his
a rrow
was
t he o nly a rrow h ead f ound i n t he e ntire a rea .
d o n ot
heads a re not f ound a t t he o ldest s ites. have
b een
b urial
e rected
place
o ccurrence .
d uring
d uring
W ith
t he
t he
c hert,
9 .5
cm
i n
P eriod,
t hem
s quared ,
n ot
a n
a s
a
uncommon
a r oughly c hipped t riangular s pear l ength .
E xcavation was b egun o n t he s ummit o f o f
a rrow
Maya O ld Empire P eriod a nd u sed
f or 3 f eet t hrough a l ayer o f v ery s olid m any
a s
I n t his c ase t he mound may
R eoccupational
t he a rrow h ead was
o r j avelin h ead o f
s tone,
T he b ow
a ppear t o h ave b een k nown t o t he e arly Maya ,
b ound
M ound 2 2 a nd
c ontinued d own
m aterial c omposed o f
t ogether
b y
f riable
b locks
m ortar .
o f
L ater ,
excavation was b egun a t t he western e dge where t he c onstruction was s imilar
t o t hat o n t he s ummit,
u ntil a t a d istance o f a bout 6 f eet f rom
t he e dge o f t he mound a pocket o f s oft s andy material r emoving which t wo v essels were f ound b uried w ithin i t .
a ppeared, o n T he f irst o f
t hese was a r ound b owl, o r d ish, 3 6.5 cm i n d iameter b y 9 cm d eep.
I t
s tood o n a f lat a nnular b ase, was o f c omposite s ilhouette o utline, a nd was c olored a d eep r ed t hroughout, a nd o rnamented o ver t he o uter s urface o f t he r im b y b lack g eometrical f igures . T his v essel h ad b een " killed" b efore unusual
b urial ,
method,
a s
b y s craping a t riangular h ole i n i ts
i n most
v essel t o b ring a bout i ts T he was
I t was
o n which ,
b rown,
p urple,
c ylindrical
m ade o f v ery h ard ,
c overed t hroughout,
wash ,
t he h ole
i s
b ottom ,
a n
merely p unched i n t he
c eremonial d emise.
s econd v essel was
d iameter .
c ases
i n f orm ,
t hin ,
b oth i nside a nd o ut,
a s a b ackground , a nd b lack.
2 2 cm h igh b y
1 1
f ine-grained y ellow
cm i n
c lay a nd
w ith a p ale r eddish-yellow
were e xecuted v arious
d evices
i n
r ed,
Around t he o uter s urface o f t he r im o f t he
v essel i s p ainted a b road purple b and 2 .5 cm d eep, b elow b y t hin b lack l ines.
b ordered a bove a nd
A round t he o uter s urface o f t he b ase i s a
d ecorative b and 3 .75 cm d eep,
c omposed a bove o f two t hin b lack l ines
a nd b elow o f t riangular s paces e nclosed i n t hick, e ach s pace h olding a r ed o val with a b lack c enter .
s tepped b lack l ines, T he c entral z one o f
t he v essel h as u nfortunately b een b adly worn , b ut a s eated h uman f igure c an c learly b e made o ut h olding s ome u nidentified o bject i n h is h ands . T he
f ace,
t he
e yes
p resented a re
o blique
i n p rofile, a nd
i s
t horoughly
t he n ose
l arge ,
u n-Maya
t urned u p ,
i n
a nd
c haracter , s hapeless .
a s An
e normously h igh a nd e laborate h eaddress i s w orn p rojecting b ackward i n t he f orm o f f eather d ecorations which b lend w ith o ther f eathered p lumes and a n u nknown o bject t o c ompletely c over t he e ntire s urface o f t he z one. O n c ontinuing e xcavation f rom
t he
c enter o f
t he m ound t hrough v ery
s olid material, a t ad epth o f 5f eet b eneath t he s urface, s everal
p artly
b roken-down
b uilding w ere e xposed . s ides
with
y ellow
walls
which h ad
T hese were
s tucco .
1 8
T hey
e vidently
i nches
a ppear
t hick a nd t o
have
b uilding whose o pening f aced t oward t he west. b uilding s tones
h ad a nd
b een
t ightly
mortar .
p acked w ith s olid
Through
t he
1 57
n orth
p art
c overed
e nclosed
o n
o f
a
b oth
a small
The i nterior o f t his
m asonry wall
t he t ops o f
f ormed
o f
c omposed o f t he
s quare
b uilding
an
i rregularly
s haped h ole,
2 f eet 3 i nches
b y 2 f eet,
h ad
b een m ade .
T he c ement f loor o f t he b uilding r ested o n a t hick l ayer o f b lack earth. O n e ach s ide o f t he o pening i n t he n orth wall a f lat f lag was exposed , c overing i n b oth c ases i n t he m arl which u nderlay i t . i n width a nd 3 f eet s eries o f f ive s mall
r ound o penings i n t he b lack e arth a nd E ach o pening m easured 2 f eet 2 i nches
1 0 i nches i n d epth . B oth o pened b elow i nto a c hambers h ewn o ut i n t he m arl, a ll o f which w ere
p artially f illed with s andy material, g reat v ariety o f o bjects.
i n a nd o n which were f ound a
Chamber 1 . - This c hamber was f ormed b y t he b ottom o f t he r ound h ole t o t he north o f t he n orth wall o f t he b uilding . I t was c ircular i n s hape, 2 f eet 2 inches wide, a nd t he c oncave f loor was 6 inches h igher t han t hose o f c hambers 3 a nd 2 . f illed with
l oose,
m ixture o f s and, i n
a ll
t he
f inely
m arl
o ther
d ivided
d ust,
T he b ottom o f t he c hamber was
material
a nd h umus,
c hambers.
I n
which a ppeared
a nd t he s ame
i t
were
b uried
t o
m aterial was 1 0
h ootie
b e
a
f ound
s hells,
Ampullaria insularum, a nd p art o f t he r im o f a l arge p olished r ed-ware b asin w ith a v ery e verted r im . Chamber 4 f eet
which was j ust
2 .
- T his
c hamber m easured 6 f eet 6 i nches i n l ength b y
i n b readth a nd 3 f eet v aulted .
I t
was
2 i nches a t
t he h ighest p oint
c onnected w ith c hamber
l arge e nough t o a dmit
t he p assage
o f a man ,
o f
t he
1 b y a n o val
a nd was
r oof,
o pening
f illed
a lmost
t o t he r oof w ith s oft s andy material, i n w hich were f ound a n umber o f h ootie s hells, a nd a f ew p otsherds o f r ed ware a nd p olychrome p ottery , b ut n othing e lse. Chamber
3 .
- T his
c hamber
was
a ll, a s not o nly was i t t he l argest, t han a ll t he o thers c ombined. f eet
7 i nches i n b readth ,
p art
o f
i ts
a nd
s lightly a rched
t ubular
s haft
which
was
f illed
a lmost
t o
r oof .
o pened
t he
t he
m ost
i mportant
o f
I t m easured 8 f eet 1 i nch i n l ength, 4 3 f eet
r oof
2 i nches
I t
4 b y means o f n arrow oval o penings, t he
e vidently
b ut i t c ontained more a rtifacts i n h eight
a t
c ommunicated w ith
t he
h ighest
c hambers
1 a nd
a nd with t he s urface b y means o f
a bove within t he with
sandy
b uilding .
material,
T he
i n
c hamber
which
were
s cattered i rregularly a t v arious l evels a g reat v ariety o f o bjects o f p ottery, f lint, b one, obsidian, and s hell. T en c omplete o r a lmost c omplete p ottery v essels were f ound.
The f irst o f t hese was a small
n early c ylindrical v essel o f p olished r ed w are with a n e verted r im . m easured 9 c m a cross s tood o n t hree c onsiderable b y
l egs,
t ime
t he
m outh b y
b ut
b efore
1.5 cm i n h eight .
t hese h ad evidently b een b roken i t
was
b uried,
t heir r emoval h ad worn q uite smooth .
a s
t he
T his
m arks
I t
O riginally i t h ad l eft
v essel h ad
away o n
s ome
t he
b ase
p robably
b een
u sed a s a c enser,
a s i ts i nterior f or a bout 2 i nches f rom t he b ottom
was
t he
b lackened b y
s imilar t o t he f irst. b y
1 2 c m h igh, T he
t hird
s urfaces
o f
i ncense.
T he s econd
v essel
t ime
was
was
c ylindrical
i n
s hape,
v ery
1 4 .5 cm i n d iameter b y
I t s tood o n t hree oval h ollow l egs o riginally,
c aused
b y
t he
b reaking
a way o f
which
d own f rom u se a fter t he f racture had o ccurred . s ome
v essel
I t was o f p olished r ed ware, 1 4 cm i n d iameter
a nd h ad b een o riginally s upported o n t hree h ollow l egs.
9 .5 cm i n h eight. r ough
smoke
b roken a way f rom
t he
r im o f
1 58
h ad
t he
b een smoothed
A small p iece was a t
t he v essel a nd t he
r ough s urface
l eft b y t his had b een c arefully smoothed. h ard , well-baked l ight-red p ottery . A fter i t i ncised i n l ow
r elief
o f c artouches a bove,
o n i ts
T he v essel was o f t hin, h ad b een b aked t here was
o uter s urface a d esign c onsisting o f a r ow
a nd b elow a n arrow b and ,
u nadorned .
B etween t hese
t he s urface was d ivided i nto 6 panels b y v ertical l ines.
O n t hree o f
t hem a monkeylike a nimal i s d epicted s itting o n t he g round, d rawn u p,
i ts
l ong
t ail
i s a v acant s pace, t he t hird ,
c urled
o ver t hat
t wo o val d ots .
u sed t o f ill i n t he a rtist
m eans
o f a nother ,
O ver
t he h ighly
t he
t ail o f
o ne o val d ot,
A lternating w ith t he
which a ppear t o r epresent m ythological a nimal,
b ehind i t .
i ts l egs
o ne
m onkey
a nd o ver t hat
m onkey p anels
o f
a re t hree
c onventionalized h ead o f
s ome
b ut s o o verlaid with d etail a nd o rnamental d esigns b ackground
t o r epresent .
t hat
i t i s
d ifficult
t o b e s ure what
t he
When t he c arving o n t he s ide was c omplete a
c oat o f b lack wash was a pplied t o t he
v essel,
This was
t he r aised parts o f t he c arving
then p olished
s o t hat
o nly
b oth
w ithin a nd
w ithout.
t ook t he p olish, t he s unken a reas f orming t he b ackground r emaining a d ull b lack,
i n s ome p laces
f illed i n w ith c ross-hatching .
T he f ourth v essel was a l arge r ound p olished r ed-ware b owl 2 1.5 c m in i ts
g reatest
d iameter,
1 9.5
cm a t
i ts
s lightly e verted
r im,
1 7.25 cm d eep.
On o ne s ide i s molded a human f igure 1 8 cm h igh .
head,
i n t he
which i s
r ound,
p rojects s lightly a bove t he r im a nd i s
t hat o f a n i ndividual w ith n arrow e yes,
l arge r oman n ose ,
p rominent
T he f lat h eaddress
a s
t o s uggest a s hort
b eard .
s ome p laited material over t he f orehead, r ound e ar o rnament. r ope .
a nd The
a nd a c hin s o i s
f ormed o f
and i n e ach e ar i s a l arge
A round t he n eck i s a twisted b and s uggesting a
T he l imbs, which a re r epresented i n h igh r elief o n t he s ide o f
t he v essel ,
a re
t he knees.
T he f ingers a re a pplique,
l ong a nd
g ourd w ith a l ong s tem ,
t hin ,
t he a rms
b ent
a t
t he e lbows,
t he l egs a t
a nd i n t he r ight h and i s h eld a
s uch a s was u sed f or a r attle .
O n t he o pposite
s ide o f t he b owl i s a n a lmost e xactly s imilar f igure .
I n t his
f lat
b eads
i n
h eaddress
i s
o rnamented
with
a r ow
o f
c ase
f ront
t he
o f
t he
f orehead,
t he e ars a re p erforated with l arge
h oles
b ut
o rnament,
a round
b eads,
t he h ands h old a
t he n eck
small r ound b owl o ver t he
i s
a s tring o f
l ower a bdomen ,
l arge
a nd t he
l egs
a re
h old no e ar c rossed
o ver
e ach o ther i n a m ost u nnatural p osition . T he i nterior o f t his v essel was h alf f illed with s andy material i n which t he f ollowing o bjects w ere f ound
b uried.
A n ine-pointed
s tar
o f
mother-of-pearl,
2 .5
cm
i n
d iameter; t he anterior h alf o f a small c owrie; p arts o f f our b one g ouges o r p olishers, t he c utting e dges o f t wo o f t hem 2 cm b road, o f o ne 1 cm, a nd one t erminating i n a s harp p oint; o ne b orer, made b y f iling what a ppears t o b e t he t ooth o f a y oung a lligator t o a f ine p oint; a t himble-shaped o bject o f b one; a s ection, 1 1.5 cm l ong, c ut f rom t he h ollowed-out l ong b one, p robably o f a l arge f eline, n iculy p olished,
p ossibly u sed a s a n o rnament;
a v ery
l ong c anine
t ooth o f
s ome r odent, p robably a g ibnut; t wo s ections, e ach 2 cm l ong, c ut f rom t he r ib o f s ome l arge a nimal a nd h ollowed ; a p ortion o f t he l eg b one o f s ome
l arge
b ird
f rom which t he a rticular e nd h as
p ortion o f a s imilar b one e venly
c ut
t hrough
b een n eatly s liced ;
b elow,
p olished
a nd
a
b ored
a bove, with t wo small h oles e vidently f or s uspension ; a s maller p iece o f b ird's b one 3 cm i n l ength, p olished a nd h ollowed o ut; t wo c rab's c laws, o f
p ierced
a small
t hin
f or
s uspension
b one
i n l ow r elief a nd w ere r ecovered a s
p laque
b oth
with
c olored r ed . t he b one was
a t
t he f ront
g eometrical
a nd
t he
d evices
b ase;
e ngraved
p ortions u pon
i t
U nfortunately o nly a f ew p ieces o f t his v ery b adly d ecayed , b ut e nough r emained
159
t o
i ndicate
t hat
p iece o f s hell, o ver ,
a nd
c m i n
l ength ,
t he
workmanship
3 cm i n l ength,
p ossibly
u sed
a s
was
v ery
f ine;
a f lat
1 cm i n b readth,
a b orer ;
f our s mall
s pindle-shaped
n icely p olished a ll
c lamshells
a nd a ll p erforated n ear t heir u pper margins
a veraging 4 b y t wo
small
h oles, e vidently f or s uspension; part o f t he c rown o f a t ooth o f s ome g raminivorous a nimal, The
f ifth
p ossibly a d eer.
v essel
r emoved f rom c hamber 3 was a l arge,
s hallow,
p olished b lack-ware d ish, 3 8 cm i n d iameter a nd 7 .5 c m d eep . T he s ixth was a p olished r ed-ware d ish, 3 3 cm i n d iameter a nd 6 .5 cm d eep. I t was d ecorated a round g eometrical f igures i n
t he i nner s urface o f t he r im b y a b and o f y ellow a nd r ed, o utlined b y t hick b lack l ines.
T he s eventh v essel was a lmost exactly l ike t he s ixth, was
s lightly
s maller ,
m easuring
o nly
3 0 .5
cm
i n
e xcept t hat i t
d iameter .
T he
e ighth
was a p olished r ed-ware d ish m easuring 3 5 .5 c m i n d iameter b y 7 .5 c m i n d epth . T he o uter s urface o f t he r im was d ecorated b y a y ellow b and 5 .5 cm i n b readth o n which t he f igures were p ainted
i n
r ed
a nd
b lack .
T he
l ast t wo v essels c onsisted o f a p air o f p olished r ed-ware d ishes e ach 3 3 c m i n d iameter b y 6 c m d eep, u pon w hich n o d ecorations w ere p resent. T he
l ast
s ix v essels
s tood u pon l ow a nnular b ases,
a nd a ll were o f
c omposite s ilhouette o utline. I n
a ddition
s cattered i ntervals
t o
t hrough
t he
t he
p ottery
s andy
t he
f illing
f ollowing o f
t he
o bjects
c hamber,
were
a t
f ound
i rregular
a nd d epths:
A l arge h ootie s hell p erforated with 1 1 r ound h oles o f v arying s izes. A p erfect obsidian knife, 6 .5 cm i n l ength . P art o f t he l eg b one o f s ome l arge b ird . l ength,
A c hair-shaped p iece o f r ed o cher,
s craped .
A s ingle
t ubular p olished j ade b ead,
c ylinder o f b aked c lay 2 .5 cm i n l ength b y t arsal
2 cm i n
t he s urface o f which exhibited marks a ll o ver o f having b een
b one
b oth e nds,
o f a d eer .
A s ection o f
which may h ave
object with v ery
b one,
2 cm l ong,
e venly
b een t aken f rom a h uman u lna .
t hin walls,
I t i s smooth i nside, oblique l ines. I ts
1 .5 cm i n l ength.
1 .25 cm i n d iameter.
A T he
c ut a t
A c ylindrical
3 .2 cm i n l ength b y 2 .4 cm i n d iameter.
b ut d ecorated p resent c olor
o utside b y a n umber o f i ncised i s a d eep b lack, b ut t his had
o riginally b een c overed b y a white wash , o ne o f r ed . I t i s d ifficult t o d etermine
o ver which was s uperimposed t he material f rom which t his
o bject was made, and i ts u se i s unknown, t hough i t may possibly have b een a s omewhat unusually s haped e ai p lug. T hree r ound p laques o f s hell , t he l argest o f which was 4 cm i n d iameter , a nd p erforated n ear t he margin b y t wo small h oles p laced c lose t ogether ; t he o ther t wo w ere n ot p ierced. t he
l argest
l arge
T hree p laques o f s hell i n t he f orm o f s ix-rayed s tars, 3 cm
r ound h ole
i ndentations.
i n
d iameter,
and
e ach p ierced
o rnamented o n
A s imilar o bject
t he
t hrough
u pper
t he
s urface
c enter b y a
b y
l ines
a nd
i n t he f orm o f a n e ight-rayed s tar,
p erforated b ut n ot d ecorated.
T he a pex o f a small c onch s hell which
h as
a nd d ecorated w ith s unken l ines.
b een g round d own ,
small
t riangular
f rom t he b een u sed .
c ore,
s pear
p olished , h eads
2 0 cm l ong,
o f
f lint .
A f lint
k nife ,
s truck
T hree
s traight
which s hows n o i ndication o f h aving e ver
Two u nfinished a x h eads
o f
f lint,
o ne
1 1.5 cm,
t he
o ther
1 3
cm i n l ength. An o val o bject, 7 .5 cm i n l ength, o f h ard l imestone, s haped l ike a n a x h ead with a b lunted c utting e dge , p ossibly u sed a s a
1 60
s moother .
F our
s pindle-shaped
o bjects
o f
f lint,
v arying
f rom
1 3 .5
cm
t o 1 0 cm i n l ength a nd f rom 3 .25 cm t o 3 cm i n b readth . T he e nds were c hisel-shaped, a nd t hey may h ave b een u sed i n t his way, o r h afted a s small axes f or f ine work . h ad
e vidently
T hese implements,
b een s ubjected
t o
o n b oth b ack a nd f ront,
a c onsiderable
a mount
o f
a ttrition ,
a s
t he p rojecting r idges o f t he f lint were worn d own and p olished. s ame c ondition i s
f requently f ound i n f lint a xes a nd i s p robably d ue t o
f riction against t he withy o r s plit-stick h aft. p iece o f
s late,
The
6 .5 c m i n l ength,
A smooth o val f lat
p ossibly u sed a s a p olisher.
T he s econd c ircular s haft o pened i n t he r oof o f t his c hamber 9 , a nd i mmediately f eet d eep, c hamber . o bjects .
b elow t his o pening was a w ell-like h ole i n t he f loor,
f illed with t he s ame s andy
material a s was
f ound i n
3
t he
I n t his were b uried, a t v arious l evels, t he f ollowing Twenty t riangular-bladed s pear h eads o f f lint, v arying f rom
1 3 t o 2 2 cm i n l ength .
T hese h ave a ll b een s truck f rom a c ore,
a nd
except f or a l ittle f inishing n ecessary i n s ome c ases t o b ring t he implements t o a f ine p oint, a nd t he f ormation o f t he h andle b y which t o h aft t hem ,
l ittle work was r equired i n o rder t o f it
t hem f or u se .
T hey
m ay h ave b een employed a s s pear h eads, o r a s d aggers f or h and u se, f or which p urpose t hey were p erhaps even b etter a dapted. A s ingle l eafs haped s pear h ead,
2 0 cm i n l ength, a nd a f lint knife s truck s traight
f rom t he c ore a nd u naltered ,
m easuring 2 1.5 c m i n l ength .
A v ery
l arge
e ccentrically s haped o bject o f f lint r esembling a c rescent, f rom o uter e dge o f which p roject t hree t riangular s pikes, o ne a bove a nd o n e ach s ide,
t he s paces
b etween t hem b eing s errated.
3 4 .25 cm i n l ength b y 3 5 .5 c m i n b readth a nd weighs n ot t he l argest,
I t
t he o ne
measures
6 p ounds .
T his,
i f
i s p robably t he h eaviest e ccentrically s haped f lint
f ound i n America. C hamber 4 was b readth, r oof,
3 f eet
a nd 2 f eet
8 i nches
9 i nches
which was s lightly a rched.
v ery n arrow
o rifices,
i n
l ength
i n h eight
a t
b y
3 f eet
t he h ighest
4 i nches p oint
o f
i n t he
I t o pened i nto c hambers 3 a nd 5 b y
h ardly a dmitting
t he
e ntry
o f
e ven
a small
m an .
I t was f illed with s imilar s andy material t o t hat f ound i n t he o ther c hambers,
which
o f a ny k ind w ere C hamber d iameter.
r eached n early
t o
t he
r oof,
i n
s hape
a nd
i n
which n o
a rtifacts
f ound.
5 was
c ylindrical
a nd
3 f eet
5 i nches
I t o pened i nto c hamber 4 b y a n oval a perture
f eet 5 i nches b y 1f oot 4 i nches,
i n
measuring 2
a nd was f illed with t he s ame s andy
m aterial u p t o t he l evel o f t hat f ound i n c hamber 4 . I n i t w ere b uried f our t riangular f lint s pear h eads o r d aggers a nd a s ingle f lint k nife, a ll 3.
p recisely
I n
s imilar
r emoving
t he
t o
t hose
e ast
f ound
s ide o f
t welve
t he
well-like
h ole
M ound 2 2 t here w ere f ound,
t hrough t he m aterial o f which i t was T hirty h ootie s hells,
i n
c ompounded,
s mall h ammerstones
t he o f
i n
c hamber
s cattered
f ollowing o bjects .
f lint,
v arying f rom
5t o 7 .5 cm i n l ength , a t riangular-bladed s pear h ead o f f lint 7 .5 cm i n l ength, a s ection o f t he s lightly c urved l ong b one o f s ome a nimal n eatly
c ut
without. p eriods
o f
e xcavated
i n
t wo
This
l ongitudinally,
mound
c onstruction . i n
t he
m arl .
e ach
r epresents T he N ext,
s eries t he
o f
t hree
1 61
h alf
c ertainly
well
p olished
t wo
u nderground o penings
t o
a nd
w ithin
p ossibly
c hambers t hese
was
w ere
a nd
t hree f irst
c losed,
a nd o f
o ver
t hem was
which
a s mall
b uilt
a s olid s ub-structure,
s tone-walled
b uilding
was p artially p ulled d own a nd o ver i ts
was
o n
t he
t runcated s ummit
e rected ,
a nd
f inally
t his
r uins was e rected a s olid c ap o f
m asonry. p eriod
f or
b urial p urposes, a s n o t race o f h uman b ones was f ound within i t,
The
a nd
j udging
mound b y
t he
h uman b ones
a nd
d oes
n ot
s tate
o f
t o h ave
p reservation
i f p resent s hould h ave
T he w ide
r ange o f
f unction,
s eems
b elonged
a ppear
t o
a s ingle
t he
b een a t
t he a rtifacts t o
o f
b een u sed a t b one
l east
a rtifacts
b uried,
i n t he c hultunes,
preclude
t he
p ossibility
i ndividual,
a nd
t he
b een
i n
u se
f or
f racture o f
t he l egs o f
p articularly
t he
f lint,
which h ad
t riangular
s pear
t heir i s
h aving
t hat
t hey
a small t emple, a o f t he o bjects h ad
p eriod
b efore
t hey
were
t he r ough s urfaces l eft b y t he
b een smoothed
h eads
a nd
l arge
had p robably b een made e specially f or
s howed n o i ndications
b oth i n m aterial o f
p robability
a c onsiderable
n otably t he two t ripod v ases,
d iscovered ,
r ecognizable a s s uch.
c onstituted a c eremonial c ache p laced b eneath p ractice n ot i nfrequent among t he Maya. S ome evidently
a ny
o ver .
O thers,
e ccentrically
t he
o ccasion,
a nd
s haped
a s
t hey
o f e ver h aving b een u sed.
T he f inal s tage o f
t he
c onstruction o f
t he
mound,
t he c overing
o ver o f t he o riginal b uilding a nd i ts s ubstructure, a lmost c ertainly t ook p lace i n Holmul V p eriod, f or t he c ylindrical p olychrome v ase f ound w ithin t hat p art
o f
t he m ound i s
t ypical o f
t his e poch.
V essels o f t his t ype have b een f ound a t H olmul a nd Uaxactun, Guatemala,
a t
S an Antonio,
s outh o f B ritish H onduras, c ontemporaneous Unlike Mound 1 ,
o n t he R io Hondo,
i n
i n t he
with a ll o f which s ites N ohmul was n ot
b ut a lso i n c lose
o nly
t rade c ommunication.
t he f ragment o f a p olychrome
which a lmost
a nd a t Pusilhä,
c ertainly h ad
c ylindrical
b een i mported,
v ase
t his
f ound
i n
w as p robably a
l ocal product, a s t he f igures d epicted u pon i t a re s impler i n d esign and
c ruder
i n execution t han t hose
o f
s imilar v ases
f rom t he o ther
s ites mentioned, and s eem t o r esemble more c losely t hose o f C opan I , where
a pparently
p roducts t he
o f
t he
t ype
U axactun ,
c rudeness
o f
o riginated,
H olmul ,
t han
a nd P usilhä ,
t he Nohmul
v ase
may
b e
t hose t hough
o f
t he
i t
i s
m ore
f inished
p ossible
t hat
a scribed
t o p rovincialism
c hambers
b elong u ndoubtedly
r ather t han t o a ntiquity. T he
v essels
f ound
t o H olmul I II p eriod .
i n
t he
s ubterranean
T he l arge b owls,
c ompound s ilhouette o utline,
b lack ,
p olychrome a nd r ed ,
p rominent f lange a nd l ow a nnular b ase,
c haracteristic o f t his epoch .
w ith a re
T he c ounterpart o f t he r ound p olished
b lack-ware p ot with s pout f or p ouring o ut t he c ontents was f ound b y M erwin
i n H olmul ,
a nd
a scribed
b y V alliant
t o
P eriod
I II .
T he
t ripod
b lack-and-red ware c ylindrical p ots a re f ound a t H olmul i n t he s ame p eriod. A t T zimin Kax, i n t he Western D istrict o f B ritish H onduras, T hompson f ound i n V ault I II a c ylindrical b lack-ware v ase w ith f igures o f
t he s pider monkey e tched u pon i ts exterior,
e rect
a nd
l egs
d rawn u p
i n a q uite
1 62
t ypical
s quatting with t ail
a ttitude,
which
s o
c losely
r esemble a lmost
t he b e
d ecorative P usilhä ,
m onkeys
t he
work
motif
e tched o f
o n t he p anels
t he
s ame
o n p ottery i s
f ound a t
i n s outhern B ritish H onduras,
museums
i s
o f
s omewhat
Nohmul,
d istances
a s
t hat
s pider
S anta Lucia,
t hey
m ight
monkey
a s
a
i n Guatemala,
C opan .
o f f lint a re o f
r are o ccurrence
a nd t he p rovenance o f most o f t hose now i n v arious d oubtful.
T here
i s,
b elieve t hat m ost i f n ot a ll o f t hem were h ood
t he v ase T he
a nd a t
L arge e ccentrically s haped o bjects i n t he Maya a rea,
o f
a rtist.
t hough
t rade
t hey
may
p ieces.
l ater
The
h owever,
s ome
r eason
t o
m anufactured i n t he n eighborh ave
t raveled
d iscovery
o f
t his
c onsiderable o ne
i n
c lose
a ssociation with Holmul V pottery i s p articularly i nteresting a s i t s eems
d efinitely t o f ix t hem i n t his p eriod. O f
s hell
t he o ther o bjects f rom t his mound,
d isks
b ones,
a nd
s tars,
c arved
b ones,
t arsal b ones o f t he d eer,
s hort
a nd c owries w ere f ound a t H olmul,
s ections
were f ound i n t he C ayo D istrict o f B ritish Honduras, S an Andres,
o f
P eriod , a nd
small
l ong
a t S an Antonio,
a nd m any o ther M aya s ites.
On t he whole, p arts
o f
while d isks a nd s tars o f s hell
t his
i t s eems s afe t o d ate t he t emple a nd s ubterranean
mound i n Holmul I II,
which ,
a ccepting
C hristian
c orresponding t o t he P eten
t he T hompson-Teeple
Chronology,
l asted
f rom
c orrelation
a bout
3 00
Maya
b etween Maya
A .D.
t o
7 00
A .D.
C ontemporaneous with t his p eriod a t Holmul, Vaillant g ives C opan I , U axactun I I , C hukumuk I I, a nd i n t he v alley o f Mexico , E arly T icoman , M id a nd E arly Z acatenco ,
a nd G ualupita I .
T he wrecking a nd c overing i n
o f t he t emple and s ubstructure probably t ook place a t a c onsiderably l ater p eriod, n ot l ess t han a c entury i ntervening b etween t he t wo, a s i s i ndicated b y t he c ylindrical v ase, t he o nly a rtifact u seful f or s tratigraphic d ating f ound i n t his p art o f Hol mul V , corresponding t o t he a pproximately
f rom
7 00
A .D.
t o
8 00
o f the mound . T his i s Maya Great Period, A .D.
a nd
t ypical dating
c ontemporaneous,
a s
V aillant b elieves, with C opan I I, Uaxactun I II, C hama I I, Valloch, Mounds 1 6 a nd 1 7 i n B ritish H onduras, P iedras N egras, a nd i n t he v alley o f M exico w ith L ate T icoman a nd G ualupita I I. There a re s everal Maya s ites, extending f rom s outhern Mexico t o S panish Honduras,
with which Nohmul a ppears t o have b een i n more o r
l ess d irect c ontact o ver a l ong p eriod, r eaching p robably f rom t he P eten Maya t o t he Maya R eoccupational E poch . I n s ome c ases a rtifacts i n
t he
f orm
o f
o rnaments
a nd
p ottery
v essels
were
b rought
i n f rom
o utside a s t rade p ieces t o Nohmul; i n o thers a n ew f ashion i n t he f abrication a nd o rnamentation o f p ottery v essels was i ntroduced a nd g enerally a dopted. The H olmul, t he
c losest
c ontact
i n G uatemala ,
t wo a re s eparated b y
t hree days j ourney, n earest p oint
o n
a ppears
t o
h ave
b een
b etween
N ohmul
n or i s t his s urprising when i t i s r emembered l ess
t han
1 00 m iles
i n a d irect l ine,
a nd t hat Holmul i s o nly about
t he R io B ravo
t o w hich d ugouts
3 0 miles
a nd t hat
o r a bout f rom
t he
c ould f ind t heir w ay u p
t he N oh U kum R iver f rom N ohmul. T he
e ngraved s hell d isk a lmost
c ertainly
c ame
f rom H olmul,
a s
t he
h ead engraved upon i t i s n early a n exact d uplicate o f a s imilar o ne
1 63
f ound t here b y M erwin ; i ndeed , s o c losely d o t hey r esemble e ach o ther t hat t hey a ppear t o h e t he work o f t he s ame a rtist. T he d iameter o f t he Holmul s pecimen i s o ne-fifth cm l ess t han t hat f rom Nohmul. nose a nd c hin,
i n p rofile,
a re a lmost exactly a like,
T he
d ependent n ose
ornaments a nd l arge r ound e ar p lugs a re worn b y b oth, a s i s t he t ight b eaded c ap with a n o ctopus-like o bject a bove i t, a nd t he s ame c rescentic o bject
i s
s een
b ehind t he
a ngle o f
t he m outh i n b oth.
T he f ragment o f a p olychrome c ylindrical v ase f rom Mound
1a nd t he
t hree-legged v ase o f b lack i ncised ware f rom t he c hamber b eneath Mound 2 2 n ot improbably c ame f rom H olmul a s t rade p ieces, a s b oth t ypes a re f ound i n c onsiderable n umbers t here, b ut d o n ot a ppear t o h ave b een m anufactured a t N ohmul , where t hey were e vidently m ore h ighly v alued t han a mere h ome p roduct which c ould b e e asily d uplicated, a s a f ragment o f o ne was c onsidered v aluable e nough f or a b urial c ache, while
t he o ther,
t hough b adly
i nclude i n a c ache B lack ware
b roken,
was s ufficiently p recious
t o
b eneath a t emple.
s pouted
v essels,
p olychrome c ompound s ilhouette b owls,
and t hree and f our f ooted v ases a re found a t b oth s ites, r ed s hell b eads,
c arved b one,
t arsal b ones a re
c ommon t o t he
F rom C opan i n H onduras
while small
small s ections o f l ong b one, a nd d eer's t wo.
i t
i s
n ot improbable t hat t he j ade m odel o f
as tela and v ery l arge s pherical jade b eads were imported d irect, a s b oth r esemble v ery c losely s imilar o bjects f ound i n a c ache b eneath a s tela i n O ld C opan . hands
a re i n t he
u pper j aw,
i s
I n b oth c ases
s ame p osition,
t he s ame ,
t he j ade f igure i s i n t he r ound , t he h eaddress,
t he e ar p lugs
o f
b oth
a re
d ouble
b elow b y a s tring o f b eads p assing o ver t he c hest, s imilar ,
a nd b eneath e ach i s t he s ame
s ubstelar
c ache a t
C opan w as
l ike t hat a t Nohmul, v essels
o n t hree
a jade c arving.
f eet,
a nd
c onnected
t he b elts a re v ery
t ripartite o rnament .
a S pondylus
t he
a s erpent's h ead a nd
I n t he s ame
americanus s hell c ontaining ,
P olychrome c ylindrical v ases,
a nd p ottery d ecorated w ith t he s pider m onkey a re
c ommon t o b oth s ites. A t Pusilh a bout
1 30 m iles
molded
and Lubaantun i n t he s outhwest o f B ritish Honduras, s outh o f N ohmul,
f igurines,
a nd
we f ind p olychrome
t he s pider monkey d esign,
c ylindrical
insularum s hell i n which r ound h oles have b een d rilled, c ontaining a s pondylus s hell h olding j ade A t T zimin K ax ,
i n t he
o n f our s wollen f eet t he
s pider
h ouse t he
monkey
f loors
a re
a lso o f
footed p olychrome painted
o n
G uatemala,
t heir c ome
o rnaments.
W estern D istrict i ncised
o n
p resent .
A t
G uatemala
a nd
v essels
o f
B ritish H onduras,
b lack
w are .
Y alloch ,
n ear
S uperimposed t he
F rom
a g rave
a t
b oth d ecorated with i ncised d esigns t his
o f
a re
S anta
t hree-footed c ylindrical v essels,
t he
v essels
f rontier
B ritish H onduras,
t he o ther o f b lack , t wo
v ases a lso
s tucco b etween
f ound
f our-
a nd c ylindrical v ases with h uman f igures
exteriors.
t wo
and a c ache
a nd o n t hree h ollow p yramidal f eet a re f ound ;
d esign
P eten D istrict
v ases,
a lso a n Ampullaria
t ype
C ruz,
o ne o f
Q uiche, r ed w are,
v ery s imilar t o
f ound i n t he s ubterranean c hamber b eneath
M ound 2 2. A t
S an A ntonio ,
n ear
t he
m outh
1 64
o f
t he R io H ondo ,
t he n earest s ite
t o N ohmul,
f rom which i t
t hree-footed
i s
c ylindrical
d istant
v ases
b y
i n
r iver a bout 2 0 m iles,
r ed
ware
and
p ottery .
T he n earest a pproach t o t he f ine
which i s
o rnamented with two human f igures,
c hamber
b eneath
M ound
2 2,
c omes
i ncised
r ed-ware
b owl t he o utside o f
f rom
t he
s ubterranean
f rom Q uirigua i n G uatemala ,
where
l arge c ensers were f ound e ach d ecorated with a h uman f igure , a nd l imbs
i n a pplique,
t he h eads
i n t he
t he
P eriod,
i n
c ommunication,
a s
t he
a nd t he
with Maya
f igure-decorated
c ensers f ound a t a ll t hree p laces a re a lmost i dentical. h ave b een c lose c ontact
t wo
b odies
r ound .
With T zibanche, t o t he west o f t he B accaler Lagoon, I chpatun o n t he C hatumal B ay, N ohmul was, a t l east i n R eoccupational
a re f ound
b lack-ware
T here must
w ith t he s eacoast a nd p articularly t he c ays a nd
t he r eef f rom whence were d erived t he c onch, Nephronais g oascorenensis s hells,
o livia,
s pondylus,
a nd
a ll o f which were e ncountered i n t he
m ounds. N ohmul was p robably o ccupied f rom t he P eten Maya P eriod u p t o t he c lose o f t he Maya R eoccupational P eriod; i ndeed i t was i n a ll p robability
i nhabited b efore
t he
o ne
a nd
l ong
a fter
t he
o ther ,
e ven u p
t o t he p resent d ay. The s ite p resents everything t hat t he Maya I ndian c ould d esire. l and i s i deal f or t he c ultivation o f maize, t here i s a n ample
T he
s upply
o f
g ood
d rinking
water
i n
r easonable d istance o f two r ivers, s eems
p robable,
t herefore,
t hat
i t
t he
l agoons,
was
s cattered
i n
t he
v essels,
a nnular t o
t he
b ase .
b owls
T hese
p ottery
o f
o f
t he H olmul
o n f our c ascabel
s hould
b elong
L othrop's
t o
t he
Q C omplex ,
o f
t his
I P eriod f eet,
l ate,
within
s ometi mes
I t
i ntermission
i s
a rea . f ound,
p re-Maya
p eriod,
which
v ery
i ndeed
i ncluding
a nd p ots with a wide i s
matter o f f act t he s pecimens o f a ll t hese t ypes unquestionably
i s
a s n umerous Maya v illages
f orest o ver a g reat p art
C haracteristic p ottery s pouted
i t
i nhabited without
f rom t he e arliest t ime t o t he p resent day, a re
a nd
i n b oth o f which f ish a bound.
a s
a nd
c onform
e arly.
A s
a
f ound a t Nohmul a re l ate
a s
t he
Maya
R eoccupational P eriod, a n a pparent a nachronism, d ue p robably t o t he f act
t hat a ll
o riginated, a ttached
t o
t hree
t ypes p ersisted l ong a fter t he p eriod i n which t hey
p ossibly
o n
a ccount
o f
s ome
c eremonial
Holmul
I II
P eriod
i s
r epresented
a t
N ohmul
c omposite s ilhouette b owls w ith a n o utside b evel ; ware ;
s ignificance
t hem .
b owls w ith s pouts
b y
p olychrome,
b lack l acquer i ncised
f or p ouring o ut t he c ontents;
a s cutate p ot l id
w ith p arrot-head h andle, a nd e ffigy b owls . T his f its i n a pproximately w ith t he P eten M aya P eriod , which , a ccepting t he T hompson a nd T eeple c orrelation ,
l asted
r epresented a t v ase d epicting examples o f
f rom
a bout
N ohmul b y t wo h uman f igures,
3 00
t o
7 00 A .D .
t hese v ases f rom P usilhä,
c losely t o t he Y alloch v ases,
T he H olmul V p eriod
i s
v arieties o f t he p olychrome c ylindrical o ne r esembling t he C opan t ype a nd s ome a nd t he
t he o ther a pproximating more
m ore
c arefully e xecuted s pecimens
f rom P usilhä. H olmul V c orresponds O ld Empire,
a pproximately
t o t he G reat P eriod o f t he Maya
which l asted f rom a bout t he e nd o f
1 65
t he e ighth t o
t he e nd o f
t he n inth c entury A .D. T he
Maya
R eoccupational
P eriod
i ndeed t he r egion h as p robably n ever c lose o f
c overed b een
m any
w ithout
c enturies
t he s o-called " Old Empire" t o t he p resent d ay.
was
c ertainly
and
t here
i s
i nhabited s ome
b y
r eason
c overed w ith p laster ,
Maya t o
I ndians
d uring
b elieve t hat
a t
i nhabitants
t he
N ohmul; f rom
t he
This r egion
s ixteenth
c entury,
t hey s till e rected s telae
o n which f igures a nd h ieroglyphs
w ere p ainted,
a s
l ate a s t he m iddle o f t he n ineteenth c entury, f or o ne o f t hese , n ow i n t he Museum o f t he American I ndian , N ew Y ork , was f ound a t I ndian C hurch o n t he R io Nuevo.
The s tucco h ad b een a pplied t o a n a ncient s tela i n
t he f orm o f an a lligator's h ead, and upon i t p ainted v arious d evices, which a t
t he
t ime o f i ts r emoval h ad a ll b een o bliterated b y w eathering
except a t t he b ase o f t he s tela, where t he a ccumulated v egetal h umus p rotected i t . S eventy y ears a go , o r a bout t he m iddle o f t he n ineteenth c entury, t his s tela was s aid t o have b een i n such a g ood s tate o f p reservation t hat i t was g enerally r eferred t o b y t he n atives a s t he " painted t ombstone."
1 66
C HAPTER 3 M ETHODS b y N orman Hammond,
R ichard B ryant, M ark H odges, • Logan M cNatt a nd L aura J . K osakowsky
S ite D esignation a nd R ecording S ystems O ver
t he
d ecade
o f
i nvestigations
a t
N ohmul
r eported
h ere s everal
d ifferent ways o f d esignating s ites and c ontexts were f ollowed: i n 1 973-1974, when N ohmul was o nly o ne o f a n umber o f s ites b eing s tudied i n t he c ontext o f a r egional s urvey, e ach s ite was g iven an O peration number . 4 ,
S an E stevan was O p. 1 , C howacol O p. 2 , N ohmul Op. 3 , C olha O p.
S anta R ita O p.
s ite
was
8 ,
e tc .
d esignated
T he g eneral s urface
s ub-Operation A ,
c ollections were l abelled a s O p. 3 A ( 1), e tc . w ith t o
s ub-Operation B :
3 H,
were
p art
a t N ohmul
o f
t he
c ollection f rom
t hus O p.
3 A;
e ach
s pecific s urface
T est excavations b egan
i n 1 973 a ll s uch s ub-Operations,
d etailed excavation
o f
S tr .
1 39.
O p .
3 B
C ontexts
within e ach s ub-Operation were n umbered f rom ( 1) o nwards, s o t hat a t ypical
c ontext
m ight b e O p. When
d esignation
h alfway
t hrough
t he
1 973
s eason
a t
N ohmul
3 K ( 27).
t he
C orozal
P roject's
work
b ecame
c oncentrated
a t
N ohmul
i n
1 974 i t was c lear t hat t he u se o f o nly O p. 3 and i ts 2 5 p ossible s ubo perations would n ot b e e nough, a nd t he s eries O p. 3 00 was t herefore b egun; work o n t he r emaining s tructures i n t he P l. 1 37 Group, a part f rom S tr . s eries o f 3 11
1 39
which r emained a s O p.
t est e xcavations
( although
O p.
3 ,
was d esignated O p.
3 01.
T he
i n t he N orth S ector s ettlement were O p .
3 04 was
t he
' Port
Mound' and O p.
3 09
t he
3 02-
S tr.
2 77
i nvestigation, b oth o utside t he North S ector), a nd O p. 3 12 was a t est p it i n t he G reat P laza o f
t he East G roup o f
The f ield r ecording s ystem was
t he s ite c entre.
c onverted
c atalogue f or a ll C orozal Project material,
i nto
a r unning
f ield
with a c atalogue n umber
f rom C l t o ( eventually) C 992 b eing i nscribed on s herds, s hell,
b one,
s tone a nd a ny o ther a rtifacts o r e cofacts . T hus, C 350 was f rom O p . 8 A ( 2) a t S anta R ita a nd C 351 f rom O p. 3 C ( 14) a t Nohmul, C 352 f rom O p. 3 C ( 1) a t Nohmul a nd C 353 from O p. a pproach t o
t he
c ataloguing o f
1 1A ( 4) a t K ichpanha . material p ersisted
This r egional
t hrough t he
1 976
s eason. T he
1 978 e xcavation o f N ohmul S tr .
s ub-Operations
A-M;
t he
e xcavation
2 0 was
d esignated O p .
s upervisors
were,
3 13,
w ith
however,
u nfamiliar w ith C orozal P roject n omenclature a nd p rovisionally a ssigned c ontext a nd c atalogue n umbers u sing a U niversity o f P ennsylvania s cheme with which t hey w ere c onversant; while t his h as b een c orrected p ublication o f O p . 3 13 i n t his v olume b y c onversion o f c ontexts n ormal yet
s ystem ,
t he
e xcavated
m aterial
b een r eturned t o t he P roject
i ncompatible
with
t he
r est o f
( as
a nd o f
e xcavation
l ate
1 984),
r ecords
i n t o
t he t he
h ave
n ot
and t hus
r emain
t he N ohmul work a nd a lso u navailable
f or
c onsultation. F or
t he
N ohmul
P roject
o f
1 982
a nd
s ucceeding y ears
a n ew
f ormat
was u sed: o perations were d ivided i nto s eries, e ach l abelled ' A',
1 67
' 1 3 ',
e tc ,
a nd w ithin e ach s eries
a ssigned .
c ontexts
i n t he s equence 0 001-infinity were
T hese c ontexts a lso s erved a s
e xcavated
m aterial ,
a nd
t he
n eed
f or
c atalogue n umbers i nscribed o n
a c oncordance
was
t hus
o bviated .
E xcavations i n t he m ain ' acropolis' p latform , S tr . 1 , w ere d esignated Op. A , t he s alvage e xcavation o f S tr . 9 was O p. B , t est e xcavations a round
t he
G reat
P laza
a rea
were
Op.
C ,
t he
s ettlement
a rea
t est
e xcavations were O p. T , s urface c ollections O p . S , a nd t he r aised-field i nvestigations w ere O p. M ; o ther l etters r emain t o b e a ssigned. L arge o perations s uch a s O p . A r equired n umerous s ingle
t rench,
excavations, t he f irst t rench, S urface
b ut
in
two d igits o f C 0 9--,
c ollections
M and
were
c ontexts w ithin a
had
numerous
F or Ops. C , M a nd T ,
t he
l ast
s imply
two
t o
t he
t o
c ontext,
a ssigned n umbers
f rom
small
t herefore, t he
e .g.
p it
C 0 9
S 0 001
o r 1 2.
o nwards,
t heir g rid c oordinates .
Each c ontext was where
T we
t he c ontext n umber were a ssigned
a nd
i dentified b y
s upervisor ,
C ,
e ach with f ew c ontexts.
e .g .
a nd were
Ops.
entered
p rimary
i n
t he
s ite
o n
i ts
l ocation ,
d ata
and c ontext were r ecorded.
n otebook
o f
t he
n ature,
r elevant
r elationships
A C ontext C ard was f illed o ut, o n s ite o r
in t he f ield l aboratory, r epeating a ll t his i nformation, a nd with s paces f or t he a ddition o f c eramic and o ther a nalyses a s e xcavated material was p rocessed a nd p assed t hrough t he h ands o f s pecialists. The C ontext C ards f orm t he b ase f or t he c omputer f ile a t R utgers University,
which
c an p rint o ut
d esired c ategory o f
a ny i ndividual c ard o r c ollate a ny
d ata f rom t he
e ntire
f ile .
A s tratigraphic d iagram ( Harris Matrix) was c ompiled f or e ach excavation: where t he matrix i s s hort, i t i s p ublished a longside t he d rawn s ection o f O p .
A ) i t
i s
s tratigraphic b oundaries
t he o peration i n t his
p rinted
o n a s eparate
r elationships,
t o
a nd i nterpretation o f
Where
radiocarbon
b efore p resent
i s
s ubtracting
o btained
b y
T he
which
we
t he e vents
dates
r adiocarbon y ears
v olume ;
s heet .
are
where
i t i s l ong ( as f or
m atrix r ecords h ave
t hen
r eported,
years
p hase
r ecorded. t hey
are
( bp) a nd/or b efore a d/bc 0 ;
1 950
o bserved
a dded
f rom
t he
g iven t he
f ormer.
in
l atter Where
c alibration o f d ates o n t he t reering c urve h as b een d one, t he d ate i s quoted as AD or BC. In b oth c ases t he l aboratory number and s tatistical e rror h ave b een q uoted . i n
c alendar
e quivalent o nly ; a nd
y ears
i n
AD/BC,
b ut
r adiocarbon y ears
o bsidian h ydration
d ates
we
Obsidian h ydration d ates a re h ave
a d/bc a re
f or
q uoted
t hen
p urposes w ith
l aboratory n umber a lso. S ummary
o f O perations
1 973:
O p.
3
1 974:
O p.
3 ,
1 978:
O p.
3 13
O ps.
a t N ohmul
3 00-312
1 982:
O ps.
A ,
B ,
S
1 983:
O ps.
A ,
C ,
M ,
S ,
T
1 68
q uoted
b y y ears:
o f
t heir
t he
g iven
a pproximate
r ough
c omparison
s tatistical
e rror
E xcavation R ecording C onventions Excavation p lans a nd s ections
r equired a s et o f c onventions t o
t ranslate observations a nd i nterpretations o n t o p aper . h ere
d erive
f rom
excavation,
modified
s edimentary ' context'
t he
a nd was
B ritish
t radition
o f
f or
d ifferent
k inds
t he
n egative
c ontexts
e ncountered
defined
a s
smallest
the
n atural o f
Those u sed
s tratigraphic
c onstructional,
i n
Maya
unit
o f
a rchaeology .
A
s tratigraphic
observation, whether a l ayer, t he c ut f or a p osthc ile o r g rave, o r
t he
c ontents o f a b urial o r c ache: a s a n example, t he c ut i nto existing l ayers ( or b edrock) f or a g rave would b e o ne c ontext, t he b urial i tself a nother, f ourth ; h ole
t he b ackfilling o f b ecause
t he
t he p it a t hird a nd t he s ealing l ayer a
e ventual
f ill
o f
m ight well b e l ong s eparated
i tself,
s eparate
c ollocation
o f
c ontext
c ontexts
t he f our c ontexts
a n egative
c ontext
i n t ime f rom t he
n umbers
a re
which f orm a n
e ssential.
a pparently
c omprising a b urial,
s uch a s
c utting o f
A ' feature'
c oherent
n oted a bove,
a p ost
t he h ole i s
whole :
a
t hus
would f orm a s ingle
f eature, a s would t he f ill, f loor and p ost h oles o f a house p latform. F eatures
a re,
d issolved
h owever,
b ack
i nterpretation numbers
a re
i nto p roves
e ncircled
t o e nclose t he s et
l imits
o f
s een i n F ig.
and t he
c onstruction h ave d ifferent k inds
O n
f eature
c ircles
c ontexts
p lans
numbers
a nd
i f
t he
i nitial
s ections,
c ontext
p laced
i n
s quares;
on
a re omitted a nd c orner b rackets u sed
u sed
f or
c onventions
d ifferent
f or
k inds
p laster
o f
s oil
d eposits
were
d eveloped
d eposit
f loors
l ong b een c ommon i n Maya a rchaeology,
o f
a nd c an b e
t he
o f f eatures.
c onventions
3 .1:
n ot o bservational,
c onstituent
e rroneous.
s tratigraphic matrices
T he
i nterpretive, t heir
b y
t he
c ombination o f B ritish a nd American c onventions,
and
c an b e
l imestone
while t hose f or P roject
f rom
a
o r i nvented i n t he
f ield a s n eed a rose. These r ecording s chemes a pply o nly t o excavated a nd s urface material a nd t he c ontexts f rom which t hey c ame: t he b uildings c omprising t he s ite o f N ohmul w ere l isted u nder a s eparate d esignation . This h as two c onstruction types, Platforms and S tructures, a d istinction d eveloped a nd d efined f or t he s ite o f L ubaantun b y H ammond ( 19751) . A P latform i s a n a rea o f t opographic m odification i ntended t o p rovide
a l evel
s urface
f or
f urther
b uilding
o r
f or
o ther
a ctivities:
i t u sually c onsists o f o ne o r more b odies o f f ill, q uarried i n t he v icinity, a nd d umped e ither i nto a d epression o r a round t he e dges o f a n e levation . b y
I n t he l atter c ase t he o ut .2r margins o f t he f ill a re h eld
r etaining
walls.
i t will h ave o ut o f o nly, T he
Where
a s loping h illside i t while a t
e ssential
f ormer
h elp
a P latform
r etaining walls t he u pper e nd d istinction
t o
c reate
a n
i s
o n a ll s ides,
s ituated while
o n
i f
t op
i t
o f
i s
a h illock
a f lattening
w ill h ave walls o n t he d ownslope a nd s ides t he f ill s imply a buts
b etween P latforms a rtificial
a nd
t opography,
a s p art o f t heir s urface i n many c ases,
t he n atural s urface .
S tructures embrace
i s
t hat
n atural
t he
r ises
a nd a re i n g eneral b road a nd
l ow ( although a t L ubaantun s ome o f t he P latforms w ere u p t o 1 1 m etres i n h eight a nd l ess t han t hat i n width). S tructures a re o ften more p roperly
d escribed
a s
' substructures' ,
t o s upport a b uilding, O ne
o r
more
c ombinations
S tructures r ange
i n
i n
t hat
t heir
p rime
f unction
i s
as uperstructure o f e ither masonry o r t imber . will
s cale
u sually
f rom
t he
1 69
s tand
s imple
o n
a P latform,
p lazuela g roup
o f
a nd
t he
s everal
h ouse-platforms b asal
( themselves
p latform
which
h as
p rovided a c entral p atio, c entres, o ther
wide
p ublic
s paces
r etained o ut
m asses
t he
o f
l ocal
f ill)
o n
a c ommon
m icrotopography
a nd
t o t he g reat c eremonial p lazas o f t he s ite
s urrounded
b y
h igh
s ubstructures
f or
t emples
a nd
b uildings.
T here i s o riginal
l ow
f lattened
o bviously s ome o verlap b etween t hese t wo c oncepts:
m apping o f
N ohmul
i n
1 973
t he
' acropolis' ,
S tr .
1 ,
i n t he
was
d ubbed
P l. 1 , a nd t he b asal p art o f t he main p yramid i n t he West Group, S tr. 6 5, was t ermed P l. 6 5. R econsideration t hat t hese two c onstructions a re
a rchitectural
r ather t han t opographical modifications i n t heir
e ssential f unction h as
l ed t o t he
c hange i n d esignation.
The P latforms a nd S tructures o f Nohmul a re n umbered i n as ingle s equence f rom 1 t o i nfinity, p receded b y t he a bbreviation P l. o r S tr . T he
s equence
b egins
i n
t he E ast
G roup
o f
t he
c eremonial
c entre ,
where
t he l argest c onstruction a t t he s ite i s S tr. 1 , with S trs. 2 a nd 3 o n t op o f
i t.
I t
i s
f lanked o n t he west
b y P l. 4 ,
S trs. 5 a nd 6 ,
a nd o n
t he south b y P l. 7 , underlying t he Great P laza . # 1 t o # 81 a re p art o f t he 1 973 map o f C entral Nohmul, # 82 t o # 276 a nd # 278 a re i n t he North S ector s ettlement a rea a lso mapped i n 1 973.
# 277 i s a l arge p artly-
d estroyed p yramid j ust o ff t he e dge o f t he N orth S ector m ap, w hich was i ncluded a nd i nvestigated i n 1 974. # 279 o nwards a re b eing u sed f or P latforms
a nd
S tructures
r ecorded
i n
t he
S tructures which h ave b een i nvestigated , o n t he b anks o f t he R io Hondo,
1 982-1983 s urveys.
s uch a s
t he
h ave n ot y et b een n umbered b ecause o f
t heir physical i solation f rom t he mapped a reas. n on-mound h abitation ,
o r
S tructure
number
a b uilding
p ostholes?
S ince
v itiated
omitting
t hey
b y
must
t o
-h idden
r eceive
known
s uch r emains
s ome
T he s pecial c ase o f
h ousemounds" r emains :
t he u nderstanding o f f rom
d esignation,
n ormal S tructure d esignation t o
S ome
" Port Mound" g roup
t hese
o nly
f rom
t he
s ettlement
t he
map,
we
h ave
a nd
f loors
s ystem w ould
i f
d ecided
evanescent
n one a ppear o n t he maps i n t his r eport),
c an we a ssign a
b uried t hey
a re
o n
t o e xtend
b uildings
o r b e i t t he
( although
a nd t o n ote t heir n ature i n
t he c atalogue o f P latforms a nd S tructures which w ill b e i ncluded i n t he f inal r eport. C onversion o f o bserved l andscape f eatures, p lans,
r ecorded a s c ontour
i nto t he Maler c onvention l ong u sed i n Maya a rchaeology f ollowed
e stablished u sage. S urveying M ethods The f old:
o bjectives
o f
t he C orozal P roject s urvey i n 1 973 were two-
t o c arry o ut a n a rea c overage o f t he r esearch a rea i n o rder t o
c onstruct a r egional m ap r elating s ites t o t he e nvironment a nd t o e ach o ther , a nd t o m ake d etailed m aps o f s pecified s ites within t he r egion . In t he e vent, r egional a t
t he
most e ffort was expended o n t he l atter o bjective,
m apping
b eginning o f
c onfirm o r g et a ppeared o n t he o f
b eing
b ased
t he
o n a erial
s eason,
a nd
f urther d etails o n a erial p hotographs.
1 :10,000 mosaics t aken i n 1 964,
p hotographs, o n s hort
o n
s orties
r apid
with
t raverses
t hereafter
t o
s ites t hat had b een r eported o r T he p hotographs t hemselves, a s et t ogether with t he o riginal 9 x 9 "
prints f rom which t hey h ad b een made, a l aydown s heet a nd s tereo v iewer , h ad b een t aken b y H unting A erial S urveys f or t he C orozal S ugar
1 70
F actory,
t he p redecessor o f B SI.
The 9 x 9 " p rints were g iven t o t he
P roject ( and a re c urrently o n f ile a t R utgers University, have
b een
a vailable
f or
l oan
t o
o ther
p rojects),
while
where t hey t he b ook o f
m osaics r emains w ith B SI i n B elize. While
m uch
c ould
b e
f rom t he photographs, h igh
s howing
u p
c learly
d one o n t he g round .
a ccomplished
b y
with mounds a s i n
o pen
E quipment
l and ,
u sed
s imply
t racing
s ites
d irect
l ittle a s 2 0m i n l ength a nd 2m d etailed
s ite
1 973 a nd
1 974
i n
1 0" A uto I ndexing T heodolite a nd T elmet
m apping h ad i ncluded
l evelling s taff
t o
b e
a n S T302
( loaned b y R ank
Pullin C ontrols), a nd 1 00m s urveyor's b ands and 3 0m S ilverline t apes p rovided b y R CF T ools L td. F or
small
a reas
s uch
a s
i ndividual
p lazas
a nd
p lazuela g roups,
t en m etre g rid was l aid o ut f rom a n orth-south a xis .
a
L evels were t aken
a t e ach 1 0m i ntersection a nd a c ontour p lan c onstructed . A t t he s ame t ime t he s hape o f e ach mound was noted b y measuring t he l ength a nd width
o f
t op
a nd
i n t o t he g rid . t hen
u sed
t o
b ase
f rom a c entral
T he d imensions, c reate
t he
p oint,
which was
i tself
s urveyed
sketch p lans a nd c ontour p lan were
c onventionalised
p lan
u sing
t he
' Maler'
c onvention c ommonly u tilised f or M aya s ites. For s lightly l arger a reas,
s elected g rid l ines were e xtended t o
n orth, west, s outh a nd e ast a s r equied, a nd f rom g rid p oints o n t hese l ines i n .
o ther s tructures a nd f eatures An
a lternative
method
f or
s uch a s
c hultunob were t riangulated
c overing
l arge
a reas
o f
s cattered
s ettlement, where t he t opography was f lat e nough f or c ontouring t o h e o f m inor importance, was t o p lace r anging r ods within e ach mound g roup o r p lazuela, t ops
o f
t riangulate t hese i n f rom two o bservation p oints o n t he
l arge
mounds
i n
t he
c eremonial
p recinct,
a nd
t hen
t o
u se
t ape
a nd c ompass t o map e ach m ound g roup f rom t he f ixed p oints. Where t here was d ense b ush , o n t he o ther h and , g rid l ines h ad t o b e c ut a nd s taked, a nd mounds were measured i n b y t ape f rom g rid p oints. were
l evelled i n t acheometrically ( although
t he D irectorate o f O verseas
S urveys a s
many
h ad
Large mounds
a lso
b een u sed
making o f t he n ew 1 :50,000 a nd 1 :250,000 maps o f B elize. t hese p oints,
a nd
f irst y ears o f
t he m aps,
t he
a t N ohmul w ere a ble
w ere u nfortunately n ot
C orozal P roject,
a nd
t o m ake u se o f
t hem).
F or t he N ohmul s urvey, u se
a s
t he
D ouglas
b aseline
r oad u p
s traight, pasture,
t owards
t hrough and
c onveniently
t he
when
b egun i n
r oad
i ts
b isected
o nly
1 973
r unning
t he
( Fig .
3 1
°E
1 982
3 .2) ,
o f
l ine t he
was
a rea
extended
c eremonial
m idway b etween t he E ast a nd
o f
West
i t
N f rom
s outh
j ust
p recinct, The
1 983
was t he
s easons
d ecided
t o
S an P ablo-
T his
r oad r an
u nder over
c rossing
c attle
1 km, t he
s ettlement
d esignated t he North S ector: t he b aseline was e astern v erge o f t he N orth S ector r oad, a nd a g rid g enerated f rom i t
a nd
s ettlement
G roups.
The d ata o n
a vailable d uring t he
t he S an V ictor-Buena V ista r oad .
a s ubstantial
b y
t rigonometrical s tations f or t he
i t
s acbe
a rea was
l aid o ut a long t he o f 5 0 x 5 0m s quares
t o c over t he major p ortion o f t he s ite.
The g rid
s quares were numbered f rom south t o n orth a nd l ettered f rom west t o e ast,
s o
t hat
t he
and t he o rigin o f
o riginal
b aseline a long
t he g rid a t
t he
t he
r oad b ecame
j unction o f
t he
' M' l ine,
t he S an P ablo-Douglas
r oad a nd t he North S ector r oad b ecame ' M100 '. Any p oint within a s urvey s quare c ould t hen h e p in-pointed b y a s ystem o f c oordinates:
171
t hus
' J120/
3 0/23'
r efers
s outhwest c orner i s J 120, o f t his c orner.
t o
a p oint
within
t he p oint i tself
t he
g rid
s quare
whose
b eing 3 0m e ast a nd 2 3m n orth
I t was k nown f rom t he a erial p hotographs o f Nohmul t hat e ven s o t his g rid would c over o nly t he c entral p ortion o f f urther
g rids
were
e nvisaged
( but
n ot
l aid
o ut
t he s ite,
o n
Alpha g rid t o t he west a nd t he B eta g rid t o t he e ast. b e a dded
and two
t he g round):
t he
P refixes would
t o r eferences w ithin t hese g rids.
I n t he a bsence o f h eight
d ata ,
a t raverse
was
b rought
u p
f rom
t he
R io H ondo a t D ouglas, which was a ssumed t o h ave a n e levation o f 5 .00m a bove s ea l evel; s ince Douglas i s 7 0km u pstream, t his s eemed a r easonable a ssumption .
B ack- a nd f ore-sighting b rought a l evel a t M 100
o f 2 2.54m above s ea l evel ( asl), and f urther s ighting d own t o t he M80 l ine g ave a n e levation o f 2 3.91m f or a p oint midway b etween t he two major g roups o f t he c eremonial c entre .
A ll e levations
i n t he
1 973,
1 974 a nd 1 978 r eports a re b ased o n t hese d ata. When t he n ew D OS a pparent
o ther words, b ut was
m aps
were p ublished i n t he l ate
1 970s,
i t b ecame
t hat a ll P roject e levations were a bout 5 .00m t oo h igh - i n t he r iver l evel a t D ouglas was n ot a t
a t s ea l evel .
F or t he
1 982 a nd
5 .00m e levation a sl,
1 983 s urveys
t he n ew e levations
have b een u sed, and s ubtraction o f 5 .00m will g ive a r easonable a pproximation o n t he o lder m aps . T he o ld m aps u sed i n t his r eport h ave n ot
b een
c orrected
f or
1 973
a nd
1 974
s easons,
b ut
h ave
b een
r eprinted
unaltered f rom t he o riginal d rawings. T he 1 978 p lan o f S tr. 2 0 h as a lso n ot b een c orrected , b ut s ince i t p roves n ecessary t o r edraft i t, a c orrect v ersion w ill a ppear i n t he N ohmul P roject F inal R eport . I n 1 973 i n t he N orth S ector t he s urvey p arty worked f rom s outh t o n orth a long t he r oad a s f ar a s t he b elt o f s wamp d ividing t he S an P ablo f rom t he S an V ictor s ector o f s ettlement. g rass a nd f airly f lat,
S ince t he
l and was u nder
most g roups were t riangulated i n f rom t he 5 0m
s tations a long t he l ine,
a nd
t he s tructures
t hemselves were
r ecorded
b y
t ape and c ompass, s pot heights were t aken, and a d irect c onventionalised m ap w as d rawn w ithout a p reliminary c ontour p lan. A t M80
t he s ame
t ime a s econd c rew
t hrough d ense
Dumpy
l evel
f oot o f S tr .
was
was
t hen
t heodolite s teepness
u sed This
l ay o ut
' M ' l ine s outh f rom M 100 t o
t he
o ld
m ilpa) .
' 80' l ine e ast a nd west,
l ine was a lso s taked a t 5 0m i ntervals,
extended
b ecause
o f
t o
t he
( second-growth i n
t heir
o f
a cross t he
t he
h eight
E ast o f
a nd
t he
West
main
G roups,
b uildings
A
t o t he
1( the ' acropolis' o n t he e ast) a nd b etween S trs.
6 5 o n t he west. g rid
c ut
c ane a nd h uamil
5 5 a nd a nd t he
u sing a nd
a
t he
s ides .
The f ollowing s urvey s tations were marked with n umbered s teel t ubes p oints
r ammed a lmost f lush with o f
M80 , M 128; 1 974.
t he
g round
t o
p rovide
more
d urable
r eference: M83, T 78,
M 88, T 80,
M 92, S 80,
M 96, Q 80,
M 100 , 0 80,
M 104, M 80,
M 109,
K 80,
M 114,
M 118,
J 80
N o f urther mapping was d one t his y ear,
1 72
M 111,
s ince n o s urveyor was
a vailable ; t he S an L uis m inor c eremonial c entre was s ketch-mapp (d b y t ape a nd c ompass a nd a c onventionalised p lan p roduced ( Fig . 3 .3) . I ts a ccuracy i s l ower t han t hat o f o ther C orozal P roject m aps. T he e stablished g rid p oints a nd maps f rom 1 973 were u sed f or a ll 1 974 e xcavations, N orth S ector
b ut S tr . 2 77 was a dded t o t he s outhwest c orner o f t he mapped a rea i n t he c ourse o f e xcavations. T he ' Port
M ound ' o n t he R io H ondo was l ocated b y a erial f rom a n a ssumed 5 .00m a sl a t t he r iver e dge. 1 978 .
T he
m ain s urvey t ask was
p hotograph,
t he p lanning o f
S tr .
2 0 ,
a nd
l evelled
m ost o f which
was d one b y t he e xcavation s upervisors w ith t he h elp o f M ark H odges a nd B asilio A h. A t heodolite was u sed t o e stablish k ey p oints a nd e levations ( from t he o ld b ase p oint), a nd d etails w ere t aped i n. 1 982-83. r eport:
S urvey was d irected b y Mark H odges
a nd L ogan McNatt,
who
When m apping o f s ettlement a t N ohmul r ecommenced i n 1 982 a fter a n h iatus o f n early a d ecade, i t was f ound t hat many o f t he s teel p ipes i nstalled a s p ermanent m arkers i n 1 973 h ad b een r emoved, o r c ould n ot b e r elocated . W e d ecided t o g enerate a n ew s urvey g rid , i nto which t he 1 973 maps c ould b e s ubsumed ( Fig . 3 .2). T he e xtant g rid o f c ane r oads i n t he c entral p art o f t he s ite was u sed f or t he main axes, with t he r esult t hat t he g rid l ies 3 8 °4 8' e ast o f t rue n orth ( vs. 3 1 ° f or t he 1 973 g rid) .
A s ite
d atum a t
a n a ssumed
2 0 .00m e levation ,
t he c ontours o n t he n ew 1 :50 ,000 D OS m ap, S heet 4 , d own f rom t he 4 7m t rigonometrical s tation a top w ithin
1 m etre .
i n m etres
a bove
E quipment
d erived
A ll e levations a re g iven w ith r eference t o t his s ea
l evel
u sed
f rom
a nd f rom a t raverse S tr . 2 , i s c orrect d atum
( asl) .
i ncluded
a D ietzgen
1 0"
t heodolite,
a L eitz
t heodolite , a K &E t ransit, L eitz t ransits ( in 1 983) , a ll w ith 7 -metre f ibreglass s tadia r ods ( staffs); 1 00m a nd 5 0m f ibreglass t apes, a S uunto K B-14 c ompass a nd P M-5 c linometer f or r apid w ork i n t he b ush. G rid p oints were s et e very 5 0m a nd s taked with s teel p ipes s unk f lush w ith t he g round e very 5 00m . S everal o f t hese w ere s tolen b etween t he 1 982 a nd 1 983 s easons, a nd t he 1 5cm n ails u sed a s t emporary m arkers f or t he 5 0m s tations w ere o ften s tolen o vernight. While t he i nitial p lan h ad b een t o m ap s ettlement s ystematically a long c ruciform t ransects, o ne r unning s outh f rom t he N orth S ector t hrough t he s ite c entre a nd o n t o S an L uis, t he o ther c rossing t he r idge f rom t he R io H ondo t o P ulltrouser Swamp West, i t b ecame c lear t hat i t w ould b e f ar m ore c ost-effective a nd d iplomatic t o m ap a reas a s t hey
b ecame
c leared o f
c ane
o r h uamil
d uring
t he
d ry
s eason .
T he
e stablishment o f a g rid a long t he c ane r oads was t hus t he f irst t ask , a nd a reas w ithin t he g rid were f illed i n a s a nd when t hey b ecame a vailable;
t his
W hile t his
t actical a pproach w as m eans
c ontinued i n 1 983.
t hat w e s till d o n ot h ave a c omplete
t ransect
o f
t he s ite e ither a long o r a cross t he r idge ( although t he l atter a t l east w ill b e c ompleted i n 1 985) , t he N orth S ector h as b een l inked w ith t he s ite c entre a nd t he C entral S ector o f s ettlement m apped t o t he s outh o f i t ( Figs 3 .2, 3 .7), p roviding a s trip s ome 4 km l ong which s amples
173
s ettlement
a t
Nohmul
f rom
t he
s ite
c ore
t o
t he
e dge
o f
t he
d ividing t he S an V ictor a rea f rom t he main p art o f t he s ite. a lready e xists
a l arger
1 982
most
i ncluded
edge
o f
t he
t o
b e
o f
North t he
m ore
c omplete
o ccupy
m apping was
t he
S an
s ampling ,
where
e xistence
s light
r aised
s outh o f
P ablo
o n t he s urface :
s ame
o n
o f
S ector,
f ormer
d etected
r esidences
t he
a n a rea west
d emonstrated c ould
a nd
o f
T his i s
s ettlement
t han
f or a ll b ut a h andful o f M aya s ites.
I n i t
a rea ,
swamp
a nd
h abitation
t his
c entre;
a djacent
c hultunob o f
t o
i n 1 983
t he
e astern
s ub-surface
e ven
where
n o
d ebris m ounds
' non-mound' h abitation w as f ound
h ummocks
p latforms
t he s ite
v illage
i n
t he
f urther
microtopography
s outh
d ifference s eems t o l ie i n t he l ower i nvestment
a nd
west.
a s
T he
i n t he h ouses
t he o nly
l acking a
b asal p latform, a nd t his may well r eflect s ome s ocial d istinction within t he N ohmul c ommunity . P ottery f rom t he p osthole t ests i n t hese l ocations ( Fig . 3 .4) was o f Late Formative t hrough Late C lassic d ate, a lthough t he weathered c ondition o f m uch o f be
p laced
moundless,
in
a g eneral
' Classic'
i t m eant
c ategory.
t hat
i t
c ould o nly
A f urther
h ummocky t errain r emains t o t he n orth ,
a rea
o f
a nd w ill b e m apped i n
1 985. I n
t he
c entral
p ortion
East and West G roups o f d uring March 1 983, s urprising p aucity
o f
N ohmul,
a s ubstantial
t he c eremonial c entre was
a rea
b etween
s tripped o f
t he c ane
a nd much o f t his was mapped a lthough t here was a o f
s tructures .
s ite d atum w as m apped ,
A nother
l arge
a rea s outheast
a nd n umerous p lazuela g roups,
o f
t he
s ome o f impressive
s ize, w ere r ecorded . R econnaissance o f t he d ownslope t o t he R io H ondo , i n p reparation f or f urther m apping i n 1 985, s howed t hat l arge p lazuelas a s
w ell
a s
small
s tructures
e xtended
d own
i nto
t he
o ld
f loodplain
a nd
t o within a f ew metres o f t he wetlands a nd t heir r aised/channelised f ield c omplexes.
A erial R econnaisance N ohmul
i s a l arge s ite ,
a nd a t a ny o ne t ime m uch o f i t i s o bscured
b y s ugar c ane o r h uamil s econd g rowth . T he wetlands s urrounding t he s ite o n t he west i n t he R io Hondo v alley, o n t he e ast i n Pullt r ouser Swamp, hard
a nd
o f
t o t he n orth i n a b elt
access
a nd
b ordered
l inking t he r iver a nd t he s wamp,
b y d ense s tands o f
mangroves
a re
a nd o ther
v egetation. Over t he c ourse o f t he d ecade i n which p arts o f N ohmul h ave b een mapped a nd i nvestigated b y e xcavation , a erial r econnaissance h as b een c arried o ut a s a nd when a ircraft h ave b een a vailable: t his
i ncluded
a nnual
v isits
s uccessive C ommanders a vailable a s p art
o f
o f
b y
t he
l ate H al C .
B all
f or many y ears
i n E l Q uetzal ,
a nd
B ritish F orces i n B elize a lso m ade h elicopters
r outine m issions.
A g eneral v iew o f t he E ast Group a t Nohmul i s i n F ig. 3 .5, where t he f lanking q uarry/aguada h ollows c an b e s een, while i n F ig. 3 .8 t he much smaller s ize o f t he S an V ictor m inor c entre a t t he n orth e nd o f t he N ohmul t he
s ettlement
s imilar-sized
l ocations
a rea
S an L uis
i s
a pparent
c entre
c an b e s een i n F ig.
a t
1 .7).
1 74
( compare
t he
s outh
t he
p lan ,
l imit
o f
F ig .
N ohmul ;
3 .3 ,
o f
t heir
L arge a reas o f d rained f ields ( also c alled c hannelised, r aised, o r r idged f ields b y v arious a uthors) l ie i n t he wetlands o f Nohmul, a nd a erial
r econnaissance
h as
s o
a lthough e xcavation b egan f ields
a ppear
t o
l ie
f ar
i n o ne
b een
t he
c omplex
o nly i n
way
1 983
i n d iscrete patches,
o f
e xamining
( see
F ig .
a nd c ontaining f ields
averaging 3 0 b y 2 0 metres
most
s triking
a r ectangular
i s
T he
e ach n ot a bove 4 00m o n a
s ide,
pattern
t hem ,
3 .14) .
grid
i n a rea .
( Fig.
3 .9),
The
on
an
o rientation s kew e nough f rom t hat e asiest t o a ccommodate i n t he a rea t o s uggest
d eliberate
a lignment
o n
s ome
o utside
p henomenon .
P recise
a zimuth w ill b e m easured i n 1 985. The
g rid
pattern
h as
a v ariant
i nternal c anal f rom o ne e nd, c anoe access ( Fig . 3 .11), ( Fig .
3 .10)
i ntended
a nd
t o
t he
b e
i n
which
f ields
h ave
a n
w ith v ery e asy
while t he more widely-spaced i sland f ields
c loser-packed
s erviced
b y
o nes
c anoe.
( Fig .
An
3 .12)
o verall
l evel o f t he R io H ondo i n L ate F ormative t imes, P aul B loom a nd a ssociates, a nd e arlier d ate
s ome
c reating U -shaped p latforms a re
r ise
a lso
c learly
i n t he r elative
n oted a t S an A ntonio
may h ave i solated s ome f ields o f
b y
t his p eriod
b y f looding t heir l ower p ortions.
Channelised
f ields
s uch
a s
t hose
i nvestigated
b y
T urner
a nd
Harrison ( 1983) in P ulltrouser Swamp East a re f ound i n t he R io Hondo swamps n ear Douglas ( Fig. 3 .13), where t hey f orm a f ringe b etween d ry r idge u sed f or milpa a nd o pen-water swamp.
There i s
a lso a mosaic
f ormation o f i rregularly-shaped f ields; t he a rea s outh o f D ouglas v illage, e xposed m uch m ore c learly i n a 1 977 RAF p hotograph t han i n o ur 1 983
o ne
( Fig .
3 .14)
h as
c anals
n ow
c hoked
with
v egetation .
T he u pper
l ayers o f s ediment i n a t rench ( Op. M01) a cross t hree f ields and two i nterstitial c anals y ielded T erminal C lassic/Early P ostclassic p ottery, s uggesting t hat s iltation h ad p roceeded a f air way b y t his p eriod. F urther s tudy
o f
t he f ield
c omplexes
i s p lanned f or
1 985.
S urface R econnaissance The
s urvey
c rews
mapping
t he
Nohmul
s ettlement
a lso
made
s ystematic s urface c ollections f rom a ll mapped l oci a nd f rom s ome l ocations n oted e n r oute . C ollection was o pportunistic, n ot r andom; s amples were t otal u p t o 1 00 s herds, b ut a maximum o f 1 00 were t aken f rom e ven t he most a bundant s urface exposures. c ollections h as n ot b een f ully a nalysed , b ut t he b asis
o f L aura K osakowsky 's
e valuations
i n t he f ield l aboratory s hows
h eavy Late and Terminal C lassic p resence, L ate/Terminal ( Swasey,
F ormative
( Chicanel
The d ata f rom t hese a ppended l ist o n t he
s phere)
a
t ogether with s ubstantial o ccupation .
X e and Mamom s pheres) a re p resent,
E arlier
p eriods
b ut i n a lmost a ll
c ases
f ound o nly where l ooting o r b ulldozing h as b rought d eeply b uried m aterial t o t he s urface ; t he implications o f t his a re s erious f or t he s tudy
o f
e arly
c onstruction a ppear
i n
i s
t he
e xplosion o f
Maya
d emography.
s uch
t hat
v ast
b ulk
t he L ate
The
masking
o nly L ate F ormative o f
s urface
F ormative,
n oted
( 1977) a nd f ound i n m any o ther r egions,
a nd
e ffect
l ater
c ollections:
t he
f or n orthern
B elize
m ay b e
b oth l ess
o f
l ater
material
w ill
d emographic b y
Hammond
e xplosive
t han
h as b een a ssumed, a nd a t l east partly a n a rtefact o f availability o f e arlier
m aterials .
s tudying t his
S ystematic
d eep
s ampling p roblem .
175
t esting i s
t he
m ost o bvious
way o f
S urface f inds i ncluded n ot o nly p ottery, b ut a w ide r ange o f o ther o bjects a nd materials. A f ew examples a re g iven h ere i n F igs. 3 .163 .23 .
L ithics
a re among
t he
c ommoner f inds,
a nd d iscarded f ragments o f b ifaces. o f
i n m ost
c ases h eavily w orn
The a xe i n F ig. 3 .16-3.17 i s o ne
s everal u nusual i n b eing i n v ery f ine a nd u nshattered
a re o f L ate F ormative
' tear-drop' s hape,
a nd o f a c hert
c ondition ;
which
i n
a ll
c olour
i s i dentical with t he C olha s ource 3 9 km t o t he s outheast. T he p olish s hown in F ig. 3 .17 has b een i dentified b y H arry J . S hafer o n s imilar s pecimens f rom Pulltrouser Swamp a s t he p roduct o f c utting t hrough d ense f jnegrained marl, p erhaps i n t he c utting o f c anals a nd t he c onstruction o f
d rained f ields.
S uch a c ause would b e p lausible o n
t ools f ound a t N ohmul. While
C olha
was
t he
p rincipal
F ormative a nd L ate C lassic p eriods, a l arger s ources
a rea a lso
C uello
o f
t he
Maya
o ccurred .
l ithic
c ollections
b ought i n f rom C olha . L ate h ave
l owlands,
T he
work
o f
s hows
c hert-tool
f actory
i n n orthern B elize m uch
l ocal
B ecky
t hat
manufacture
McSwain
o nly
i n
t he Late
a nd p robably i n f rom
l ocal
( in p rogress) o n
c ertain c lasses
o f
t he
t ool w ere
A t Nohmul t he p roduction o f t ranchet a dzes,
a
F ormative t ool t ype which was a p rime p roduct a t C olha , s eems t o o ccurred l ocally : t he d istinctive " orange p eel" s harpening f lake
which was t he f inal s tep i n a dze manufacture o ccurs a t Nohmul ( Fig . 3 .18) o n l ocal c hert a s well a s o n C olha-type c hert . Occasionally,
important
p ottery v essels a s well a s
s herds
a re
f ound o n t he s urface . T hree examples i llustrated h ere a re ( 1) t he f irst c omplete S wasey o r X e v essel f rom N ohmul ( Fig . 3 .22) , f ound n ear t he f ormer s ite o f S tr. 2 77 o n t he S an P ablo-Douglas r oad i n t he m id1 970s when a b urial was d ecorated exposed
i n
b owl t he
o f
e xposed b y b ulldozer a ction ;
Late/Terminal
s ame
s tretch
t hick-walled b owl f ound a t While
l acking
o f
C lassic r oad
( Fig.
S an V ictor,
s tratigraphic
c ontext,
d ate,
( 2) a f ine r esist-
a lso
3 .23);
f rom
and
o f unknown d ate t hese
f inds
a b urial
( 3)
a re
a u nique
( Fig. o f
3 .24).
v alue
i n
s uggesting w here f urther i nvestigation s hould b e c arried o ut. E ven m ore o ccasionally, a f ind o f m ajor i mportance i s m ade i n t he c ourse o f s urface c ollection . T he b est example f rom Nohmul i s t he small
g reenstone
s tatue
o f
t he
s un g od,
K inich A hau,
f ound
s urvey c rew o f H odges a nd McNatt i n 1 983 o nly a f ew y ards s ite
d atum
s urface
o f
3 .21) s hows a h unch
a nd t he
g rid c ane H e
i s
s quared e ye s ockets, b ehind
t he
d eity
i n
b y
I t
e yes.
h ad
a ction .
w ith k nees
i dentified
a s
s tylistically
w ith a L ate F ormative d ate,
t his
way .
date i s a ccepted,
d rawn u p,
K inich Ahau
a nd c urled e lements,
S everal
T he N ohmul
T he
s tatue ,
s tatue a nd b y
( Figs.
t he m ain
a pparently b een e xposed i n
b ulldozer
t he d eity s eated,
b ack.
f rom T ikal,
o rigin .
r oad
b y
f rom t he
t he
3 .19-
t he s uspicion o f t he
R oman
nose,
r epresenting j aguar e ars,
s imilar
s tatues
e xist,
n otably
a lthough n one d epict a s pecific i f
i ts
p utative
L ate
F ormative
i s a lso important a s a n e arly d epiction o f t he s un
g od i n h uman f orm , r ather t han t he c omplex m onster f ound o n p ublic a rt s uch a s t he C erros a nd Lamanai m asks. T he m aterial i s a g reen s chist o f h ighland o rigin ,
t he G uatemalan h ighlands
b eing m ore
l ikely
t han t he
Maya M ountains, b ut t he T ikal p arallels s uggests t hat t he c arving was c arried o ut w ithin t he n ortheastern Maya l owlands ( Clemency C oggins, p ersonal
c ommunication,
1 984).
1 76
S urface c ollecting will c ontinue d uring t he 1 985 mapping o f N ohmul , a nd w ill c ontinue t o a dd t o o ur k nowledge o f t he s ite , p erhaps a gain i n s urprising w ays.
1 77
N OHMUL P ROJECT C ERAMIC E VALUATIONS S -Series
1 983:
S urface C ollections
( 1982)
S 0001
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t S 809/ W 91
C hicanel; E arly C lassic?; L ate C lassic
S 0002
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t S 920/ W 42
L ate C lassic;
S 0003
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t S 969/ W 55
( Chicanel); L ate C lassic; T erminal C lassic
G eneral s urface
L ate C lassic;
e roded C lassic
L ate C lassic;
e roded C lassic
S 0004
c ollection
T erminal C lassic
m ound a t S 949/ E 17 S 0006
G eneral s urface
c ollection
m ound a t S 968.5/ W 1098 S 0007
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t S 985/ W 1087
C hicanel; E arly C lassic?; L ate C lassic; e roded C lassic
S 0008
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t S 1034/ W 1095
C hicanel; L ate C lassic; e roded C lassic
S 0011
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t W 175/ S 213
L ate C lassic;
G eneral s urface
m ound a t S 35/ W 725
C hicanel?; ( Early C lassic); L ate C lassic; T erminal C lassic
G eneral s urface
L ate C lassic;
S 0012 S 0013
c ollection c ollection
T erminal C lassic
T erminal C lassic
m ound a t S 95/ W 660 S 0014 S 0015
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t N 96/ W 489
L ate C lassic
G eneral s urface c ollection
C hicanel;
L ate C lassic
m ound a t N 60/ W 587 S 0016 S 0017
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t N 65/ W 470 G eneral s urface
c ollection
L ate C lassic ( Swasey/Bladen);
( Mamom);
m ound a t N 1100/ W 1000
C hicanel;
S 0019
G eneral s urface c ollection
E arly C lassic; L ate C lassic C hicanel; E arly C lassic;
m ound a t N 775/ W 1075
L ate C lassic
S 0020
G eneral s urface c ollection
( Mamom);
m ound a t
C lassic; L ate C lassic L ate C lassic
S 0021
S 100/ W 590
G eneral s urface c ollection
F loral P ark;
C hicanel;
E arly
m ound a t S 235/ W 25 S 0022 S 0023 S 0024
. eneral s urface
c ollection
C hicanel;
F loral P ark;
E arly
m ound a t S 15/ W 688
C lassic;
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t S 305/ W 504
E arly C lassic;
G eneral s urface
E arly C lassic?;
L ate C lassic
( Late C lassic);
T erminal C lassic
c ollection
L ate C lassic L ate C lassic
m ound a t S 193/ W 564 S 0025
G eneral s urface l ooted a reas
S 0026
c ollection
o f S tr.
a t N 145/ E 102 G eneral s urface
2 0,
c ollection
m ound a t N 596/ W 976
( west
( SwaseyiBladen); L ate C lassic;
M amom ;
C hicanel:
T erminal C lassic
o f e xcavation E ) S 0027
G eneral s urface
c ollection
C hicanel;
F loral P ark
m ound a t N 1150/ W 1025 S 0028
G eneral s urface
c ollection
M amom ;
m ound a t N 775/ W 1075
C hicanel;
L ate C lassic
178
E arly C lassic;
S 0029 S 0030 S 0031
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t N 1000/ W 36 I solated s urface f ind i n c ane r oad a t S 500/ W 1025
T erminal C lassic
G eneral s urface c ollection f rom l ooters b ackdirt f rom
L ate C lassic
F loral P ark/Early C lassic
m ound a t N 998/ W 51 S 0034 S 0035 S 0036
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t W 1025/ N 600 G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t N 960/ W 78 I solated s urface f ind i n c ane r oad a t S 825/ W 1025
S -Series S 0032 S 0033
L ate C lassic;
T erminal C lassic
L ate C lassic T erminal C lassic
( 1983)
G eneral s urface c ollection P latform a t S 390/ E 1433 G eneral s urface c ollection
C hicanel;
L ate C lassic
( Bladen);
M amom ;
a t S 750/ E 1162
T erminal C hicanel; F loral P ark; ( Late C lassic?) C hicanel; L ate C lassic
C hicanel;
S 0034
L ooters p it i n m ound a t S 360/ E 1183
S 0035
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t S 347/ E 1418
S 0036
1 m2 s urface c ollection m ound a t S 365/ E 1383
S 0039
G eneral s urface c ollection n orth m ound a t S 1000/ E 1377
L ate C lassic
S 0040
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t S 360/ E 1382
L ate C lassic ;
T erminal C lassic
S 0041
1 m2 s urface c ollection n orth m ound, p lazuela g roup a t S 290/ E 1375
L ate C lassic ;
T erminal C lassic?
S 0042
1 m2 s urface c ollection s outh m ound S 294/ E 1051, p lazuela g roup a t S 282/ E 1046
e roded C lassic
S 0043
G eneral s urface c ollection n orth m ound, p lazuela g roup a t S 290/ E 1375
L ate C lassic
S 0044
1 m2 s urface c ollection a t S 342/ E 1417
e roded C lassic
T erminal C lassic C hicanel; L ate C lassic; T erminal C lassic L ate C lassic
S 0046= G eneral s urface c ollection S 0048 w est m ound S 305/ E 1362, p lazuela g roup a t S 290/ E 1375 1 m2 s urface c ollection S 0047
L ate C lassic
w est m ound S 305/ E 1362 p lazuela g roup a t S 290/ E 1375
L ate C lassic
S 0048= G eneral s urface c ollection S 0046 w est m ound S 305/ E 1362. p lazuela g roup a t S 290/ E 1375
L ate C lassic
S 0049
e roded C lassic
G eneral s urface
c ollection
e ast m ound, p lazuela g roup a t S 290/ E 1375
179
e roded E arly C lassic;
e roded
( Early?)
S 0050
1 m2 s urface
c ollection
e roded C lassic
m ound a t S 385/ E 1433 S 0051
G eneral s urface
c ollection
L ate C lassic;
T erminal C lassic
L ate C lassic;
T erminal C lassic
n orth m ound S 267/ E 1039, S 0052
p lazuela g roup S 282/ E 1046 G eneral s urface c ollection s outh m ound S 294/ E 1051, p lazuela
S 0054
g roup S 282/ E 1046
G eneral s urface m ound a t
c ollection
L ate C lassic
S 218/ E 1164
S 0055
G eneral s urface
S 0056
m ound a t S 376/ E 1093 1 m2 s urface c ollection
c ollection
L ate C lassic;
T erminal C lassic
e roded C lassic
e ast m ound S 275/ E 1056, p lazuela g roup S 282/ E 1046 S 0057
G eneral s urface
S 0059
m ound a t S 226/ E 1184 1 m2 s urface c ollection
c ollection
S 0060
m ound a t S 218/ E 1164 1 m2 s urface c ollection
( eroded C hicanel?);
L ate C lassic:
T erminal C lassic? e roded L ate C lassic? L ate C lassic?;
e roded C lassic
m ound a t S 226/ E 1184 S 0061
G eneral s urface
S 0068
W est P yramid a rea, L ouisville 1 m2 s urface c ollection
c ollection
C hicanel?;
L ate C lassic
e roded C hicanel?
m ound a t N 23/ E 1189 S 0069 S 0070
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t N 23/ E 1050
L ate C lassic;
T erminal C lassic
G eneral s urface
L ate C lassic;
T erminal C lassic?
c ollection
m ound a t N 43/ E 1072 S 0071
1 m2 s urface
c ollection
e roded C lassic
( Early a nd L ate?)
m ound a t N 40/ E 1200 S 0072
1 m2 s urface
S 0073
m ound a t N 29/ E 1028 1 m2 s urface c ollection
S 0074
m ound a t N 23/ E 1050 1 m2 s urface c ollection
S 0075
c ollection
e roded L ate C lassic e roded C hicanel;
e roded C lassic
m ound a t N 43/ E 1072
( eroded C hicanel?); C lassic?
G eneral s urface
L ate C lassic
c ollection
e roded
m ound a t N 23/ E 1189 S 0076 S 0078
G eneral s urface
c ollection
C hicanel;
( Early C lassic?);
m ound a t N 40/ E 1200
L ate C lassic
1 m2 s urface
e roded C hicanel?;
c ollection
L ate C lassic
m ound a t N 196/ E 1270 S 0079 S 0083
G eneral s urface
c ollection
m ound a t N 196/ E 1270
e roded C hicanel; e roded L ate C lassic; e roded C lassic
1 m2 s urface
e roded C lassic
c ollection
m ound a t N 378/ E 1277 S 0084
G eneral s urface
c ollection
C hicanel;
L ate C lassic;
m ound a t N 312/ E 1310
C lassic?
S 0085
1 m2 s urface c ollection m ound a t N 312/ E 1310
L ate C lassic;
S 0086
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t N 378/ E 1277
C lassic
G eneral s urface
L ate C lassic;
S 0087
T erminal C lassic
e roded L ate C lassic;
c ollection
m ound a t N 29/ L 1028
1 80
T erminal
T erminal
T erminal C lassic
S 0091 S 0092 S 0093 S 0095
S 0096
G eneral s urface c ollection m ound n ear M 01, D ouglas S urface c ollection f rom
T erminal C lassic;
( Early C lassic); L ate C lassic; T erminal C lassic C hicanel; ( Floral P ark); E arly C lassic ; L ate C lassic arly C lassic; F loral P ark; S urface c ollection f rom b ottom E L ate C lassic o f f urthest l ooters t rench , w est s ide, P latform 2 78 M amom ; C hicanel; F loral P ark; G eneral s urface c ollection b ulldozed m ound a t N 596/ W 976 T erminal C lassic l ooters t rench, P latform 2 78 S urface c ollection f rom w est l ooters t rench, P latform 2 78
S 0097
S urface c ollection f rom
L ate C lassic
S 0098
l ooters b ackdirt a t m ound a pprox. S 250/ E 950 ( not m apped y et) G eneral s urface c ollection
C hicanel
S 0099
S 0103
L ate C lassic
e ast m ound S 275/ E 1056 p lazuela g roup a t S 282/ E 1046 G eneral s urface c ollection f rom p latform a t a pprox. S 500/ E 1550 S urface c ollection f rom l ooters b ackdirt f rom e astern
t rench, P latform 2 78 G eneral s urface c ollection m ound a t N 355/ E 1333 S 0105= 1 m2 s urface c ollection S 0106 m ound a t N 355/ E 13333 S 0107 G eneral s urface c ollection
S 0104
L ate C lassic
L ate C lassic
L ate C lassic; C hicanel;
T erminal C lassic
e roded C lassic
T erminal C lassic
w est m ound S 290/ E 1029 S 0108 S 0111
S 0113 S 0114
p lazuela g roup a t S 282/ E 1046 G eneral s urface c ollection p lazuela g roup N 271/ E 1440 1 m2 s urface c ollection w est m ound S 290/ E 1029 p lazuela g roup a t S 282/ E 1046
T erminal C lassic e roded C lassic
T erminal C lassic
G eneral s urface c ollection S tructure 7 8 G eneral s urface c ollection
C hicanel;
P robable m ound o n e astern e dge o f S an V ictor R d, a pprox. N 2900/ W 400
181
F loral P ark
T he C eramic S equence a t N ohmul Preliminary
a nalyses
excavated i n 1 982 a nd
o f
1 983,
t he
c eramics
s uggests
f rom
Nohmul,
a r elatively
B elize,
l ong s equence
o f
o ccupation b eginning s ometime i n t he E arly F ormative, a nd e nding i n t he T erminal C lassic ( or Early P ostclassic). T he s ample f rom N ohmul c urrently under s tudy i ncludes o nly r im a nd d iagnostic b ody s herds, n umbering a pproximately 1 0,000 f rom a t otal o f 2 3,500 s herds o riginally excavated
a nd s orted i n t he f ield.
c ollections
o n m ounds
e xcavations
i n
t he
c eremonial
c entral
T he c eramics
m apped t hroughout
a n umber
o f
t he
m ounds,
p recinct .
c ome
f rom s urface
t he s ite ,
small
s cale
a nd
s cale
e xcavations
T he T ype:
l arge
v ariety
m ethod
t est
o f
p it i n
a nalysis
a nd c lassification i s u sed. T he E arly F ormative There
i s
o nly
s canty
o ccupation a t N ohmul ,
e vidence
f rom s urface
a s
y et,
o f
E arly
F ormative
c ollections a nd d eep p it e xcavations
in t he c entral a rea o f t he s ite.
O f e ighty-seven s urface c ollection
s amples f rom a ll o ver t he s ite, o nly 3 .4% c ontained i dentifiable E arly Formative s herds, a s d id o ne excavation t rench i n t he c entral a rea, while
v irtually
e xcavations Of
n one
were
unearthed
i n
t he
small
s cale
the
handful
o f
sherds
identified
a s
s o p oor a s
t o
o f
t he
Early F ormative
s herds
t o
e ither
( Kosakowsky 1 983) o r t he l ate ( Kosakowsky & Valdez 1 982). C onsejo
( Red)
G roup
o r
t he
e arly
r ender
Early
p reservation o n a n umber i s t hese
t est
p it
i n N ohmul m ounds. Formative,
impossible
a ssignment
Swasey
S phere
E arly F ormative " Bladen-Bolay-Xe" S phere I n a ll c ases t he s herds b elong t o t he
C hicago
( Orange)
G roup,
a lready
i dentified
a t o ther n orthern B elize s ites, s uch a s C olha ( Adams & V aldez 1 980) a nd C uello ( Kosakowsky 1 983), and p reviously i dentified a t Nohmul ( Pring 1 977) . b oth
V essel
f orms
o n
t hese
" Swasey" a s w ell a s A b owl
example
o f
Formative/ evidence
f rom
s herds
s eem
t he
S an
Pablo-Douglas
a Consejo
R ed
b owl
l ate
o f
Early
E arly
t o
i ndicate
t he
p resence
o f
" Bladen-Bolay-Xe" S phere s herds.
t hat
F ormative
F ormative
i n
i s
r oad
( Fig .
3 .22)
t ransitionally
f orm,
o ccupation
a nd
a t
may
p rovide
Nohmul,
e xtensive e xcavations a re n eeded t o c orroborate
i s
a g ood
e arly
E arly
f urther
a lthough
more
t his.
T he M iddle F ormative T here a t
i s
N ohmul .
c ontained t rench sherds
s lightly
O f
t he
s herds
o f
e xcavations, are
i dentifiable
m ore
e vidence f or a M iddle F ormative
e ighty-seven
1 983
s urface
t he Mamom s phere,
a s
a nd
t est
c learly
2 ( out within
J oventud R ed
o f
1 2)
t he
s herds .
c ollection
d id 2 ( out p it
Mamom H owever ,
m ound
S phere, i n
o f
a ll
1 1)
o ccupation
s amples,
6 .9%
c entral a rea
e xcavations . i ncluding
d eposits
t he
T he
e asily Mamom
s herds have b een s tratigraphically r edeposited with Late F ormative c eramics, s o t here i s n o c lear e vidence y et o f t he e xtent o r e xact l oci o f Middle F ormative o ccupation .a t Nohmul, a nd t he s ample s ize i s t oo small , t o d etermine c eramic a ssociations with o ther s ites ( see F ig. 5 .44).
One
t ransitional
t est
p it
mound
Mamon/Chicanel
e xcavation p ottery
1 82
d id
s imilar
u nearth a g ood t o
T zec
s ample
c eramics
f ound
o f a t
T ikal
( Culbert,
p ersonal
c ommunication) a nd s uggests
t he p ossibility o f
t ies b etween N ohmul a nd t he P eten p erhaps a s e arly a s M iddle F ormative .
t he end o f
t he
T he L ate F ormative A s
i s
t he
c ase a t
m ost o ther n orthern B elize s ites,
t he amount a nd
d istribution o f L ate F ormative c eramics a t N ohmul e scalates, a c oncomitant
r ise
V irtually
excavated
a ll
Chicanel S phere,
s uggesting
i n p opulation a nd s ettlement e xtent a t t he s ite. c ontexts
a t Nohmul
c ontain
p ottery
o f
t he
a t l east i n t he l owest s tratigraphic l evels, a nd o f
t he e ighty-seven s urface c eramics ( see F ig . 5 .43).
c ollections,
2 9.8%
have
Chicanel
S phere
A lthough t he s herd m aterial h as o nly b een a nalyzed p reliminarily i n t he f ield, i nitial examination s uggests a f ull r ange o f s tandard C hicanel S phere
t ypes a nd f orms,
w ith
c lose a ssociations t o o ther s ites
i n B elize a nd t he P eten. Excavations
i n
u nearthed a s equence
t he o f
o ther known C hicanel 0 08 ,
main
whole
a cropolis
( Structure
v essel p ottery
c eramic
s equences.
i s a n i ncurving s ided b owl w ith
c aches
1 )
o f
l argely
N ohmul
t ypical
T he e arliest c ache,
o f
F eature
s lightly r estricted o rifice a nd a
s harp medial b reak o r a ngle a t t he s houlder. I t h as a n i nteriorly t hickened r im a nd s lightly p ointed l ip . I t i s s lipped b oth i nteriorly a nd e xteriorly with a mottled, f ireclouded, d ullish b lack, s lightly waxy s lip. ( Munsell c olor 5 YR2.5/1 b lack t o 5 YR3/1 v ery d ark g ray). F ireclouded
a reas
a re
c ream
t o
o range
i n
c olor .
( Munsell 7 .5YR6/4
l ight b rown, 7 .5YR6/6 r eddish y ellow, 1 0YR7/4 v ery p ale b rown, a nd 1 0YR6/4 l ight y ellowish b rown). P aste i s medium g rained with small i nclusions p laced
o f c alcite a nd h ematite.
w ithin
S lightly
t he
l ater
t he a cropolis. ( see
F ig.
T hough c ache t he
h ad
p attern
T erminal
i n
two l ost
i s
G roup
t ime
One i s
8 .73);
t hey
P olvero
t wo
f laring f rom
F ormative
T he b owl h as F ig .
c aches
a t ypical a ll
o ther
p eriod
b een
were
p laced
i n
t he
b owls
o r
t he
s lip
s ites
i n
d ishes
t hey t he
( Kosakowsky
l arge
r ound
o rifice
l ip. t his
a rea
1 983;
l ip
b eginning
P ring
1 977)
1 971) .
b owl
F igs.
w ith
8 .7,
s lightly
8 .72).
I t
i ncurving h as
a n
s ides
a nd
i nteriorly
exterior i s u nslipped, m edium t o
A t a
u nrestricted t hickened
b evelled i n r im and s quared l ip, a s well a s a s hallow r ing b ase. o range s lip.
i n a nd
a s econd c ache F eature 0 07, was p laced c onsisting o f a
s ided
( see
o f
t o
Maya
s et
b uilding
F eature 0 15
o nce p ossessed,
c ontinuing a t s ome p laces i nto t he Early C lassic ( Adams s imilar t ime,
t entatively
8 .64) .
" flying s aucer" c ache,
s ided
v irtually
k nown
( see
a nd t he i nterior i s a s lightly waxy
( Munsell c olor 2 .5YR5/8 r ed) .
s ized c alcite
l ater v essels o f
i nclusions.
A lthough
t he Aguacate
o r T he
r eddish-
T he p aste i s c oarse w ith
t he
b owl
( Orange) Group,
i s o r
s imilar t he
i n
f orm
M inanha R ed
v essels i n t he Hermitage C omplex a t B arton R amie ( Gifford 1 976),
t he
Nohmul v essel has a m uch c ruder, waxier, l ess g lossy s lip t han t hese l ater c eramics a nd h as b een p laced t entatively i n t he S ierra G roup, a s a n a s y et unspecified v ariety o f t he P uletan R ed-and-Unslipped t ype. T he
r im,
l ip,
a nd
b asal
c onfigurations,
s lightly o range c ast t o t he F ormative
f or
t his
t aken
r ed s lip s uggest
v essel.
1 83
i n
c onjunction
a d ate
w ith
t he
i n t he T erminal
S till y et
l ater
i n
t ime ,
p erhaps
t he
m ost
i nteresting
c eramic v essel
f ound a t N ohmul was p laced i n a c ache o n t he a cropolis .
T he c ache,
Feature 0 11, c onsisted o f t he f ragmentary b ase o f a t ripodal c ylindrical v essel, w ith i ts o val s upports m issing . T he b asal m olding i s
a dorned
w ith
a pplique
" coffee
w ith T eotihuacan c eramics f ragmentary
a nd
g lossy
r emain
s lip
i n
p oor
o f
b eans" ,
t he
3 rd
c ondition,
( Munsell
c olor
a d ecorative
c entury A .D . t hough
t races
1 0YR2/1
s tyle
a ssociated
T he v essel i s h ighly o f
b lack) .
a b rownish-black
T he
p aste
i s
f airly
f ine g rained a nd a n u nusual o range c olor ( Munsell 2 .5YR6/6 l ight r ed, 5 YR6/6 r eddish y ellow) . A nalysis o f t he p ot i s c urrently u nderway t o d etermine m ore a bout F igs. 8 .69, 8 .70). The f inal l ip
p ossible T eotihuacan
c ache excavated f rom t he a cropolis
" flying s aucer" c ache ,
b owls
o r
c onnections
d ishes.
F eature 0 03,
B oth h ave
d irect
a nd
r ound
C hapter 8 -
i s a nother l ip t o
c onsisting o f
r ims
( see
t wo f laring s ided
l ips .
T he
e xteriors
a ppear t o b e unslipped ( though h eavily e roded) and t he i nteriors a re s lipped
a waxy,
T he p astes
n on-glossy
r ed
( Munsell
a re s oft a nd f ine g rained .
t entatively
a s
i n
t he
S ierra
G roup
c olor
2 .5YR5/8,
T he v essels h ave
( see
F igs
8 .67,
4 /8, b een
4 /6
r ed) .
i dentified
8 .68) .
Analysis o f t he Late F ormative c eramics f rom Nohmul t hus would s eem t o i ndicate
s trong t ies
with t he e xception o f T he
" Proto-classic"
T he
1 982
a nd
i n t he d irection o f t he C entral P eten,
t he p ossible T eotihuacan
1 983 e xcavations
a t
N ohmul
e vidence o f a " Proto-classic" s ettlement a t
s tyle
d id
v essel .
n ot u nearth a ny
t he s ite,
c lear
a lthough p revious
work a t Nohmul ( Anderson a nd C ook 1 944; P ring 1 977a, b ) s uggests l ocalized " Floral P ark S phere" c eramics ( see F ig. 2 .23) . I ndeed a n umber o f
o f
1 982
a nd
F loral P ark
1 983
small q uantities h ave v irtually n one more
s urface
c eramics f rom
c ollections
( 9 . ,1% o f
t urned u p i n t he
t he
e xcavation n eeds
t est
t o
p it
o f
t he
a s mall
s urface
q uantity
s amples) a nd
c entral a rea e xcavations,
e xcavations
b e u ndertaken
c lassic" p roblem i n t erms
p roduced
e ighty-seven
i n
i n
o rder
mounds . t o
t hough
A g reat
a ddress
t he
d eal
" Proto-
c eramics a t N ohmul .
T he E arly C lassic T here i s a d ecline i n t he q uantity o f Early C lassic c eramics a t N ohmul
c ompared
e ighty-seven a nd
w ith
s urface
t he
L ate
t here a re small q uantities
a lthough
t he
p attern
F crmative
c ollection f ound
i n
s ituation .
s amples t hroughout
t he
t est
O nly
c ontain E arly t he
p it
1 7 .2%
C lassic
o f
t he
p ottery,
c entral a rea e xcavations,
m ound
e xcavations
t ends
t o
b e Late F ormative p ottery o verlain b y Late C lassic r ather t han E arly C lassic o f
c eramics.
T zakol
p ottery
T his
m ay
r ather
b e t han
a f unction
o f
t he
e vidence
o f
d emographic
r egional d istribution d ecline
a t
N ohmul.
t o
T he l ittle E arly C lassic p ottery p reliminarily a nalyzed c ontinues suggest c eramic t ies with the r est o f n orthern B elize a nd t he
c entral P eten,
a nd p laces N ohmul w ithin t he T zakol S phere.
1 84
T he L ate C lassic t o T erminal C lassic/Early P ostclassic There T erminal with
i s
a dramatic
C lassic
t he
r ise
i n
t he
( Early P ost-classic)
E arly
C lassic.
7 0.1%
q uantity
c eramics
o f
o f
Late
C lassic
t o
a t N ohmul when c ompared
e ighty-seven
s urface
s ample
c ollections c ontain Late C lassic ( Tepeu 1 and 2 ) p ottery, while 3 2.2% c ontain T erminal a rea e xcavations
C lassic .
A ll
t est
A lthough p reliminary a nalysis b e a s hift
i n c eramic a ssociations
f rom P eten s tyle Y ucatan .
T here
p lates,
however
d istinct
p it
m ound
e xcavations
a nd
c entral
a lso u nearthed L ate a nd T erminal C lassic m aterial.
c eramics,
a re
s ome
d uring
a ssociations
i s
s till
b y
t he e nd o f
with g reater
d iagnostic T epeu Tepeu t o
3 t imes,
the
north
u nderway, i nfluence
1 a nd
t here
a ppears
t he L ate C lassic , c oming
2 s tyle
f rom
b asally
Nohmul
c eramics
have
r ather
t han
t he
t o
t o
a way t he
r idged more west,
c orroborating a rchitectural e vidence e xcavated a t N ohmul. L ate P ostclassic E ffigy f ound i n t he
b y
t he
i ncensario N ohmul
s herds
P roject
r eported
i ndicate
b y
t hirteenth t o s ixteenth c enturies,
h ave y et
b een d iscovered.
1 85
G ann
c ontinued
a nd Gann
h abitation
( 1939) o f
t he
a nd s ite
b ut n o l oci o f o ccupation
F ig.
3 .1
C onventions
u sed
e xcavation p lans
i n C orozal
a nd
s ections .
1 86
P roject
a nd Nohmul P roject
[ I >
p las ter e roded e dge
h umus and t opso i l
A o °c p O C 30. 0
o.
0
l i gh t s o i l d ark s o i l
I.
m id d en
E
V l imes tone b edrock
l imes tone
mar l
mor tar
c lay
0
p las ter and g rave l
l ayer
p las terc ut e dge
f eature
v o id o r r oot h o le
p ottery
OS
F ig.
3 .1
1 87
b one
F ig.
3 .2
S urvey map
o f N ohmul,
1 973-1983,
u sed a s ab asis f or t he g rid, a nd t he Maler a rchitecture.
c onvention
1 88
s howing t he
c ane
r oads
t he l imits o f s urvey s o f ar,
u sed
t o
i nterpret
mounds
a s
1 t i
„ ,.
0
CN
.
-
2-
- w Z >
CI
W O ) • .CL
>
•
.
3
_
-
2 • g
e
g
8
-
-
0
-
-
. -
-
-
4 0%
-
e
• •
-
ea
*
11
•
_ -
-
.
°
-
.
• . .• •
• •
\ . _ _ _ • 0
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a . a11 1
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L _, . ,
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-, I r-
//
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U
. , * „ , • . r . . 7 u . : T . ; Z . e .
.
1
W IN M O M 1 1 1 1 1 11
1
1
I
/
_
I
1
1
1
s
s ea
t
r----i 1 1
= NM I M O W W WI 1 •K
#
/
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I1 L ._ _ _ __
. / /
•
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b i
I
.1
e , ,J I- 4 -1
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T-1
G R ID O R IG IN N S Op/ Ew 00
3
•
•
-
•
>
•
o e-
• 7 6
3 70 0
2. . 0 0 " 0 1 0
0
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o -
--
7 7 7 1
1
NOH MUL
S TR . 2 0
2 7
2 . 0 0 COROZAL
P ROJECT
OP 3 1 3 D 2 CHAS(
J ULY
2
A P CHASE
3
111111 _
1 974
F i g . E . 3 1
6 55
4
5M
1 11111
F ig.
8 .32
O p.
C 08,
p lan o f
e xposed
c onstructions.
656
E 1 , 1 : 7 ZE 1 9 83 NOH :V 1 ' ,Z B Ope ra t i on CO8
-
S upe rv i sed : CMC ,
p l an D rawn : C MC
N150 .96 E96 3 4
N14714 E98 .45
0
2
3 metres
F ig.
8 .32
6 57
F ig.
8 .33
O p.008,
s ection t o s how
a nd o verlying d eposits.
6 58
r elationship o f S trs.
2 0 and 3 00
NO Ope ra t i on C08
: 7 2E 1 9 83
3 D
,
-
S upe rv i s ed : CMC
s e c t i on D rawn : C MC
N1 51 .28
N153 .5 0
E96 . ▪ 75
E1 01 .2 ▪ 8
L 1 1 3_ 0823
0
1
2
3
I
metres F ig.
8 .33
6 59
F ig.
8 .34
O p.
C 08,
s tratigraphic m atrix.
66 0
OPERAT I ON
C08
0801 0803 0814 1 -1 0802
1-
0804
0817
0810
0811
0812
COLLAPSE
0808
STR . 2 0 0809
F 0 02r0-8
1 0 i ' 08 .18
RESURFAC IN G OF STR . 20A
1
0815 1 1. 1 1 .
•••
« ma
m om
a m ,
mo m
••••
. 1 •••
ma w .
0813 4 1 1.•
M N.
« MO
o w.
« me
: Im aN
Imm
k
•
1 9805 i
••••
•• .
e m .
m u.»
••• •
m
o .
STR .s 1 9 & 20A
•••• •
081 9 0820 0822 0823
F ig.
8 .34
en.
L EVELL IN G
F ig.
8 .35
O p .
C O8 f rom t he w est :
t he f oreground ,
a nd
c ollapsed walling
t he e astern s ide
0 .01 a nd 0 .10m u nits) i n t he m id g round, s cale r esting o n t he
t op o f
662
f rom S tr .
o f S tr .
3 00
2 0 i s i n
( scales
i n
with t he f urther
t he s urviving f ill
o f S tr.
3 00.
tr ) C.1 •
• ' 2 40
6 63
F ig.
8 .36
O p. C08: S tr . 3 00 i n c loseup, w ith t he w est f ront a t l ower l eft and t he s outh wall a t r ight ( scale i n 0 .01 u nits) .
T he
l imestone
b lock h earting a nd
t he l ower w estern t errace
6 64
t he
a nd 0 .10m
m arl
c an b e s een i n t he c entre.
f ill
o f
6 65
F ig.
8 .37
O p. C08: t he a rea b etween S tr. 2 0 ( to l eft) a nd S tr . w ith t he r emains o f t he p laster f loor w hich a buts S tr .
3 00 3 00
a nd u nderruns S tr . 2 0 . P ost-occupation e rosion a nd h umus d eposits a re i n t he n orth s ection ; t he t est p it t o e xamine t he u nderlying d eposits was d ug a djacent t o t he l arge r ock p rojecting f rom t he north s ection . V iew f rom t he s outh; s cales
i n 0 .01m u nits.
666
c n • • e x ) . • • g x .
6 67
F ig.
8 .38
O p. C 08: s herd f rom c ontext C 0802, f rom a b arrel-shaped o range-slipped v ase w ith g ouged-incised d ecoration i n t he f orm o f T he
two g lyphs f rom a p resumably l onger i nscription .
upper
g lyph
a ppears
t o
b e
a z otz'
b at,
with
a l u
particle s uggesting sacrificial a ssociations . T he l ower may b e a f ish/turtle/frog/toad h ead, a nd may have a c oefficient
o f
2 a t
t he
l eft .
T he
c ontext
d ates
t he
s herd
and i ts inscription to t he Terminal C lassic/Early P ostclassic p eriod a fter A .D. 8 00; s ome f eatures o f t he g lyphs a re period
s imilar
A .D.
t o i nscriptions
8 50-890
( 10.1.
-
a t
S eibal
1 0.3.0.0.0.
d ating in
t he
t o
t he
Maya
c alendar), and t he f orm o f t he v essel and i ts d ecoration a re c onsonant w ith a l ate n inth-century d ate . ( Epigraphic i nformation f rom p ersonal c omments b y P . a nd D .
S tuart).
668
M athews,
L . S chele
F ig.
P ' .3b
6 69
F ig.
8 .39
o p. B ( 1982): t he 1 979 t rench t hrough w est, s howing p ost-excavation c ollapse.
6 70
S tr .
9 ,
f rom
t he
F ig.
8 .39
h7 1
F ig.
8 .40
O p. f ill was
B :
P lan o f
o f
t he
S tr .
9 a fter exposure .
s ubstructure
c leared
from
s uperstructure i n
i s
the
1 979.
6 72
n ot
s hown .
s outhern
The e arth/rubble C ollapsed interior
S ections a re o n F ig.
8 .41.
m asonry o f
t he
NOH MUL B EL IZE Ope rat ion B ,1 982 S truc tu re 9 S upe rv ised : AP , IW D ra wn :L McN , E RG
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