Sak Tz’i’, a Classic Maya Center: A Locational Model Based on GIS and Epigraphy

Abstract

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.Agriculture in the arid and semi-arid regions that comprise much of present-day Peru, Bolivia, and Northern Chile is heavily dependent on irrigation; however, obtaining a dependable water supply in these areas is often difficult. The precolumbian peoples ofAndean South America adapted to this situation by devising many strategies for transporting, storing, and retrieving water to insure consistent supply. Ipropose that the "elaborated springs " found at several Inka sites near Cuzco, Peru, are the visible expression of a simple and effective system of groundwater control and storage. I call this system "geologic water storage" because the water is stored in the pore spaces of sands, soils, and other near-surface geologic materials. I present two examples of sites in the Cuzco area that use this technology (Tambomachay and Tipon) and discuss the potentialfor identification of similar systems developed by other ancient Latin American cultures.La agricultura en las regiones dridas y semi-aridas que comprenden grandes partes de Perui, Bolivia y el norte de Chile depende en gran medida de la irrigacidn. Sin embargo en estas areas muchas veces es dificil encontrar unafuente confiable de agua. Durante los tiempos precolombianos los pueblos andinos de America del Sur se adaptaron a esta situacion usando diversas estrategias para obtener, transportar y almacenar agua con elfin de asegurar un suministro constante delfluido. En este trabajo sugiero que los "manantiales decorados" encontrados en varios sitios inkas cercanos a Cuzco, Peru, son la expresion visible de un sistema simple y efectivo de control y almacenamiento de aguas subterrdneas. A este sistema lo llamo "almacenamiento geol6gico de agua " porque el agua es almacenada en los poros de arenas, suelos y otros materiales geologicos cercanos a la superficie. Se describen dos sitios arqueol6gicos, Tambomachay y Tip6n, donde se utiliz6 este sistema de almacenamiento. Se debate ademas si sistemas similares fueron usados por otras culturas antiguas de la America latina. prings, fountains, rivers, and water in general played an important role in Inca architecture and beliefs. Water-related construction in Inca settlements is ubiquitous.MacLean (1986) listed water first in her assessment of natural features acknowledged in Inka landscape planning, and 89 of the 261 natural features listed as shrines and sacred places by Bernabe Cobo, a Jesuit chronicler of the early seventeenth century, are water related (Niles 1987:173). The ability to store and distribute goods, including water, contributed to the Inka's ability to maintain an empire.In much of southern Peru, precipitation occurs primarily during the rainy season (generally between Novemb...

Centering the Classic Maya Kingdom of Sak Tz’i’

“…Along with another carving, Lintel 3, the two lintels support the doorways of Structure 1 and lead into its three rooms with resplendent murals. By one interpretation, these paintings depict the battle, prologue, and aftermath of a conflict with the Sak Tz'i' kingdom in which these captives were taken (Anaya Hernández, Guenter, and Zender 2003;Bíró 2004;Martin and Grube 2008;Miller and Brittenham 2013). Against this view is the fact that each carving has a distinct date, and one, on Lintel 3, possibly mentions a capture some decades before-in other words, they allude to more than one conflict (for discussion of dates, see Miller and Brittenham [2013, 67] and Table 1 below).…”

Collective Memory in the Frontiers: A Case Study From the Ancient Maya Center of Minanha, Belize

“…It is clear, however, that we require more robust theoretical and methodological frameworks through which the positions of ancient frontiers may be determined. Conjunctive approaches combining the powers of GIS, Gravity and xTent modeling, Cost Allocation and Cost Extent modeling, Spatial Clustering analysis, and epigraphic information—as has recently been presented by Anaya Hernández et al (2003) and Hare (2004)—appear to be particularly fruitful. The development of a better understanding of the qualities of frontier communities would also aid in our recognition and understanding of past frontiers.…”

The Making of a Plaza: Public Spaces and Marketplaces at Tenam Puente, Chiapas, Mexico

“…The dates from Unit 7 suggest that the massive renovation of the Main Plaza occurred sometime from AD 667 to 777. This interval coincides roughly with a prolonged interval of conflict in the Western Maya region, including mutual captive-taking between Palenque, Toniná, and their allies; and the expansionist reigns of Baknal Chak (AD 688-727) of Toniná, K'inich Kan Balam of Palenque (AD 635-702) and Itzamnaaj Balam (Shield Jaguar III; AD 681-742) and Yaxun Balam (Bird Jaguar IV; AD 752-768) at Yaxchilán (Anaya et al, 2003;Martin and Grube, 2000;Taladoire, 2016). Significant construction activity also took place at Chinkultic ca.…”