A Maya Palace at Holmul, Peten, Guatemala and the Teotihuacan “Entrada”: Evidence from Murals 7 and 9

Abstract

Excavations at La Sufricaya, a minor ritual group in the outskirts of the Lowland Maya city of Holmul, have documented two mural paintings inside an elite building of Early Classic date (A.D. 300–A.D. 600). One of the paintings is mythological in nature (Mural 9). The second bears an inscription with references to calendrical and historical events. It commemorates a notorious arrival date at Tikal on 11 Eb 15 Mak (January 16, A.D. 378) on its first anniversary. The architecture and artifacts associated with the murals combine Maya and Teotihuacan decorative motifs, and offer several parallels with Tikal assemblages. The iconography, epigraphy, and archaeological associations of these murals are discussed in relation to the function of the palace complex. This important new evidence contributes to an understanding of which role relations with Teotihuacan may have played in regional politics in the Maya Lowlands during the Early Classic period from the point of view of a smaller site. The interpretations presented here focus on the concept of political intervention of Tikal in the affairs of secondary and tertiary sites.

Politics Through Pottery: A View of the Preclassic-Classic Transition From Building B, Group Ii, Holmul, Guatemala

“…The record is scarce, but Tokovinine (2006) identifies potential links between the site of Naranjo and Holmul in the Late and Terminal Classic periods. He also identifies the presence of a local title, Chak-Tok-Wayab ( Figure 3) (see also Estrada-Belli et al 2009: Figures 10 and 11), extending back to the Early Classic period at Holmul and forward through time to the Terminal Classic (also see Estrada-Belli et al 2009). One specific mention of this title was found on a stingray spine associated with the burial of an elite individual in Room 1, Building B, Group II at Holmul.…”

“…Due to the limited number of monuments in the Holmul region, few historical data are available. At La Sufricaya, several inscribed monuments and painted murals were found (all from Structure 1) to date to the Early Classic period (Estrada-Belli et al 2009). At La Sufricaya, several inscribed monuments and painted murals were found (all from Structure 1) to date to the Early Classic period (Estrada-Belli et al 2009).…”

“…With the discovery of a number of important tombs in the past 20 years, however, a picture of the Early Classic is beginning to emerge where economic and political importance are focused around the site of Tikal. While we know the "Entrada" event of a.d. 378 had an impact on nearby La Sufricaya (see Estrada-Belli 2010:134-139;Estrada-Belli et al 2009), as evidenced by its inscriptions, it may have also been felt slightly at Holmul, as per the inclusion of some Tzakol 3 sphere or Manik 3a complex ceramics associated with Skeletons 1 and 10 in Room 1 of Building B. We can see excellent examples of Tzakol 2 Sphere ceramics notably in the tombs of Tikal in the east platform of the E-Group in the Mundo Perdido complex 24,25,26,62,and 63) (Laporte and Fialko 1995), Rio Azul (Adams 1999), and Calakmul (Folan et al 1995;Pincemin 1994).…”

The Teotihuacan Anomaly: The Historical Trajectory of Urban Design in ancient Central Mexico

“…The task for archaeologists is then to identify which structure at Teotihuacan was the palace. Unfortunately, none of the big architectural compounds provides a close fit for a royal palace as known from other Mesoamerican urban centers (Christie & Sarro, 2006;Estrada-Belli et al, 2009;Evans & Pillsbury, 2004;Flannery & Varner, 2015;Inomata & Houston, 2001;Nehammer Knub, Helmke, & Nielsen, 2015;Redmond & Spencer, 2017;Sheehy, 1996;Smith, 2008). I limit discussion here to likely royal palaces, leaving aside the separate issue of elite but non-royal palaces such as the Palacio de Quetzalpapalotl (Acosta, 1964).…”

Place, Landscape, and Environment: Anthropological Archaeology in 2009

“…Another major theme in recent archaeological research on the Maya is networks of interaction, the positioning of cities and polities within them, and the effects of these networks on the fortunes of those polities. Interaction networks included short‐distance relationships between local communities, on the one hand, and long‐distance ties between Maya centers and Teotihuacan, in highland Mexico, as evident in murals and material culture from Holmul and surrounding sites in the Peten region of Guatemala (Estrada‐Belli et al 2009), on the other hand. Ancient Maya economies were based on some forms of specialized production and exchange, and Scott Speal (2009) notes from his study of stone‐tool assemblages from Belize that, whereas prestige goods were produced in workshops attached to elite households, utilitarian goods were largely produced in the hinterlands.…”