A Summary of Excavation and Research at Tikal, Guatemala: 1956-61

Abstract

A long-term program of intensive excavation and study at the major lowland Maya center of Tikal is described in terms of procedure and results achieved to date. Work has centered on the principal ceremonial area of the site as well as on potential domestic areas. Considerable evidence of Postclassic activity has been encountered throughout a substantial portion of the site in the forms of disturbance of monuments positioned during the Classic, of “abnormal” re-use of monuments, both whole and fragmentary, of excavation for cached offerings and tombs, and of minor constructions for ceremonial purposes that were made probably of “robbed” masonry. The evidence is cited for Tikal having been a sort of pilgrimage center in probably still later times. A theme of “monument obsolescence” throughout much of Classic times is developed to account for the plentiful evidence of shattered, abandoned monuments of those times. Significant new monuments are discussed as to the contributions of their hieroglyphic texts while monuments are dealt with in general as to their changes in time, associations, and positional standards. Important patterns in burial and cache contents are handled as outstanding elements of Classic ceremonialism. The evidence of strong contact with Teotihuacán in late Early Classic times is discussed and in part illustrated. The scope and objectives of the excavations among ceremonial remains are contrasted with those carried out in contexts believed to be domestic. The difficulty of demonstrating residence is emphasized along with the problem of how to deal realistically with “settlement pattern” at a massive, culturally complex site like Tikal. Various other practical questions are cited which relate to the ambiguity of extant terms and concepts as they apply to the Maya area and to Tikal specifically.

Caracol, Belize, and Changing Perceptions of Ancient Maya Society

“…Other excavations were carried out by researchers at select academic universities throughout the 1950s-1970s. The University Museum at the University of Pennsylvania had carried out major projects in Guatemala at Tikal (Coe 1962;Coe and Haviland 1982;Sabloff 2003) and Quirigua (Sharer 1978(Sharer , 1990. We began our research at Santa Rita Corozal, Belize, under the auspices of the University of Pennsylvania in 1979, continued at Princeton University in 1984, and then at the University of Central Florida (D. Chase 1981Chase , 1990.…”

Onset of the Early Classic Period in the Southern Maya Lowlands: New Evidence From Punta De Chimino, Guatemala

“…According to Grube (2000:101), “More than half of the Fire Sequences are found in Initial Series [texts] recording the end of a Tun or K'atun.” These so-called Initial Series Fire Sequences describe patron-deity rituals involving sacred fire and the burning of incense (Grube 2000:105). Ritual burning associated with stela removal or defilement is well attested in the Maya region, and the earliest cases are documented at Tikal (Coe 1962:495; Jones and Orrego 1987; Pendergast 1988).…”

Metal Artifacts in Prehispanic Mesoamerica

“…The association of two fragments of a gold figurine with a dated stela certainly suggests that metal was present in northern Honduras by Classic times. However, Baker (1962) questions the validity of the association of the substela cache with the stela date, and recent work at Tikal (Coe 1962) suggests the re-use of both cache area and stelae. The style of the figurine legs suggests that they are of Central American origin, and that they were traded into Copan.…”