MAYA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF BELIZE, CENTRAL AMERICA
Historical Context
Ex-Archaeological Commissioner Elizabeth Graham points out that "For all the work that has been carried out we know tantalizingly little about the pre-conquest Maya in the (Dangriga) district." In fact, although the archaeological work that has been done has been largely exploratory, it has resulted in some preliminary conclusions. There is concrete evidence from the Pomona Valley of a flourishing Late Preclassic - Early Classic population in that location. Luxury items like jade and even agricultural necessities like flint had to be imported into the district, and many of the district's sites may have depended considerably for both subsistence and trade on their access to the sea. Such access may have been a factor in the longevity of some of the sites: Mayflower 3, close to Maintzunun, exhibits evidence of Postclassic occupation -an effigy of the diving god.
Ex-Archaeological Commissioner Elizabeth Graham points out that "For all the work that has been carried out we know tantalizingly little about the pre-conquest Maya in the (Dangriga) district." In fact, although the archaeological work that has been done has been largely exploratory, it has resulted in some preliminary conclusions. There is concrete evidence from the Pomona Valley of a flourishing Late Preclassic - Early Classic population in that location. Luxury items like jade and even agricultural necessities like flint had to be imported into the district, and many of the district's sites may have depended considerably for both subsistence and trade on their access to the sea. Such access may have been a factor in the longevity of some of the sites: Mayflower 3, close to Maintzunun, exhibits evidence of Postclassic occupation -an effigy of the diving god.
The Site
Maintzunun is too small to be considered as a minor ceremonial centre but much too large to be a simple residential structure. The first building at the site involved substantial labour and quarrying: large amounts of sand and boulders were used to construct a series of platforms which were surmounted by pole and thatch structures. A large pit was dug in front of the mound and burnt offerings of food were made. A subsequent phase of occupation was destroyed by fire; later excavations recovered a small cylindrical incised vessel in a pit dug into the debris, around which a platform was built to support a simple, thatch-roofed structure. The site's residents left a small incised slab, a "patolli board" on the surface of plaza 1.
Maintzunun is too small to be considered as a minor ceremonial centre but much too large to be a simple residential structure. The first building at the site involved substantial labour and quarrying: large amounts of sand and boulders were used to construct a series of platforms which were surmounted by pole and thatch structures. A large pit was dug in front of the mound and burnt offerings of food were made. A subsequent phase of occupation was destroyed by fire; later excavations recovered a small cylindrical incised vessel in a pit dug into the debris, around which a platform was built to support a simple, thatch-roofed structure. The site's residents left a small incised slab, a "patolli board" on the surface of plaza 1.
Archaeological Work
Maintzunun ("Small Hummingbird") is part of the Mayflower complex, which consists of two main sites: Maintzunun and T'au Witz ("The Place of the Local God of the Hill").
The complex was first recognized by Ernest Gongora, a tree planter with the Forestry Department. The site was later visited by Joseph palacio and surveyed by Elizabeth Graham who, at the end of the 1975 field season postulated that Maintzunun was first occupied during the Late Classic, c. 600 A.D., and abandoned during the Terminal Classic, c. 900 A.D.
In 1987 a group of Cambridge University students under the direction of the Department of Archaeology's Allan Moore worked at the site; their report is still pending. In the same year, in conjunction with
Eric Gibson of Trinity University, he led a student field school with four goals: clearing the site and mapping it, test pitting, and planning for future excavation.
Maintzunun ("Small Hummingbird") is part of the Mayflower complex, which consists of two main sites: Maintzunun and T'au Witz ("The Place of the Local God of the Hill").
The complex was first recognized by Ernest Gongora, a tree planter with the Forestry Department. The site was later visited by Joseph palacio and surveyed by Elizabeth Graham who, at the end of the 1975 field season postulated that Maintzunun was first occupied during the Late Classic, c. 600 A.D., and abandoned during the Terminal Classic, c. 900 A.D.
In 1987 a group of Cambridge University students under the direction of the Department of Archaeology's Allan Moore worked at the site; their report is still pending. In the same year, in conjunction with
Eric Gibson of Trinity University, he led a student field school with four goals: clearing the site and mapping it, test pitting, and planning for future excavation.
Locale and Access
Driving down the Hummingbird Highway from Belmopan you enter the Stann Creek (Dangriga) District, one of the most diverse areas in the country in terms of its fauna and flora. The rough road winds through cloud- shrouded, rain-forested hills interspersed with isolated milpas. En route you pass cacao and then citrus plantations as you enter Stann Creek Valley.
Maintzunun lies between swampy areas, banana and citrus groves and rain forest, among foothills above the coastal plain.Cockscomb Wildlife Sanctuary, with one of the largest populations of studied jaguars, is about 10 miles south of the site.
Public but relatively infrequent transport is available along the Hummingbird and Southern Highways, but private transport is necessary to reach the site, at which no facilities are available.
Driving down the Hummingbird Highway from Belmopan you enter the Stann Creek (Dangriga) District, one of the most diverse areas in the country in terms of its fauna and flora. The rough road winds through cloud- shrouded, rain-forested hills interspersed with isolated milpas. En route you pass cacao and then citrus plantations as you enter Stann Creek Valley.
Maintzunun lies between swampy areas, banana and citrus groves and rain forest, among foothills above the coastal plain.Cockscomb Wildlife Sanctuary, with one of the largest populations of studied jaguars, is about 10 miles south of the site.
Public but relatively infrequent transport is available along the Hummingbird and Southern Highways, but private transport is necessary to reach the site, at which no facilities are available.
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