15
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
1 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: found
      Is Open Access

      Excavations in Nakum Structure 99: New Data on Protoclassic Rituals and Precolumbian Maya Beekeeping

      research-article

      Read this article at

      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          Structure 99, located on top of a large platform occupies a major and prominent part of the North Group complex of the Maya site of Nakum situated in the north-eastern area of Guatemala. Archaeological excavations realized in this structure during a few field seasons have revealed interesting data about the very last moment of Nakum's development during the Terminal Classic period (AD 800-900/950). It also revealed important traces of architectural and ritual activities from the still enigmatic Protoclassic phase (ca. 100 BC-AD 300). Scattered ceramics, stone tools and human bones found on top of Structure 99 -associated with the final hours of its occupation as well as Protoclassic offerings discovered in the lowest layers of this construction, including intriguing clay heads and jade pendants- are evidence of important ceremonial activities and beliefs that everything in the world is alive. By caching or destroying artifacts within the building, it is symbolically animated or killed by the Maya. This paper presents the results of the most important research conducted in Structure 99 that contributes to our knowledge on the ritual and architectural activities of two crucial periods in the history of Nakum: the Protoclassic and Terminal Classic. Among numerous findings described in this article, there is one that merits special attention. It is a cylindrical ceramic artifact lately identified as a beehive, providing a new perspective on beekeeping by the ancient Maya. The artifact is dated to the Protoclassic phase and is one of the oldest beehives discovered in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.

          Translated abstract

          El Edificio 99, ubicado en la cima de una gran plataforma ocupó un lugar prominente en el complejo denominado el Grupo Norte del sitio maya de Nakum, en el noreste de Guatemala. Durante los recientes trabajos de campo que se llevaron a cabo en esta parte del sitio, se han revelado algunos datos interesantes sobre el último momento del florecimiento de Nakum durante el Clásico Terminal (800-900/950 d.C.). Además se hallaron vestigios importantes de la actividad constructiva y ritual perteneciente a la enigmática fase Protoclásica (ca. 100 a.C.-300 d.C.). Tanto la cerámica dispersa, las herramientas de piedra y los huesos humanos encontrados en la cima del Edificio 99 con fecha del Clásico Terminal, así como las ofrendas colocadas debajo de esta construcción, que incluyen intrigantes cabezas de barro y colgantes de jade, son evidencia de actividades ceremoniales muy importantes y creencias religiosas según las cuales cada cosa del mundo está viva. Al esconder o destruir diversos artefactos en el edificio, los mayas animan o matan simbólicamente esta construcción. Entre los numerosos hallazgos efectuados en el área del Edificio 99, hay uno que merece una atención especial. Es un artefacto cilíndrico de cerámica, identificado en última instancia como una colmena, que proporciona una nueva perspectiva sobre la apicultura de los antiguos mayas. La pieza en cuestión data de la fase Protoclásica y constituye una de las colmenas más antiguas descubiertas en toda Mesoamerica.

          Related collections

          Most cited references64

          • Record: found
          • Abstract: not found
          • Article: not found

          Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España

            Bookmark
            • Record: found
            • Abstract: found
            • Article: not found

            Domestic and Political Lives of Classic Maya Elites: The Excavation of Rapidly Abandoned Structures at Aguateca, Guatemala

            The Aguateca Archaeological Project conducted extensive excavations of elite residences at the Maya center of Aguateca, which was attacked by enemies and abandoned rapidly at the end of the Classic period. Burned buildings contained rich floor assemblages, providing extraordinary information on the domestic and political lives of Classic Maya elites. Each elite residence served for a wide range of domestic work, including the storage, preparation, and consumption of food, with a relatively clear division of male and female spaces. These patterns suggest that each of the excavated elite residences was occupied by a relatively small group, which constituted an important economic and social unit. In addition, elite residences were arenas where crucial processes of the operation of the polity and court unfolded through political gatherings, artistic production, and displays of power.
              Bookmark
              • Record: found
              • Abstract: not found
              • Book: not found

              The Terminal Classic in the Maya Lowlands: Collapse, Transition, and Transformation

                Bookmark

                Author and article information

                Journal
                ecm
                Estudios de cultura maya
                Estud. cult. maya
                Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Filológicas (Ciudad de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico )
                0185-2574
                December 2014
                : 44
                : 85-117
                Affiliations
                [03] Ciudad de Guatemala orgnameInstituto de Antropología e Historia de Guatemala Guatemala bh26@ 123456hotmail.com
                [02] México Distrito Federal orgnameUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México México biblos.2@ 123456att.net.mx
                [01] Cracovia orgnameJagiellonian University Polonia j.zralka@ 123456uj.edu.pl
                Article
                S0185-25742014000200004 S0185-2574(14)04400000004
                5d5d9447-714f-43a6-accc-f7a5f8512a4b

                This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

                History
                : 12 August 2014
                : 04 June 2014
                Page count
                Figures: 0, Tables: 0, Equations: 0, References: 58, Pages: 33
                Product

                SciELO Mexico

                Categories
                Articles

                Protoclásico,Clásico Terminal,cultura maya,ritos de terminación,apicultura,colmena,Maya culture,Terminal Classic,Protoclassic,termination rituals,beekeeping, beehive

                Comments

                Comment on this article