Abstract
Investigations at the Maya site of Ceibal, Guatemala, documented an artificial plateau, measuring 600 x 340 m in horizontal dimensions and 6 to 15 m in height. Unlike highly visible pyramids, such horizontally extensive constructions covered by the rainforest are difficult to recognize on the ground, but airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) revealed its planned form. Excavations carried out over many years provided data on its construction sequence, fill volumes, and labor investments. The initial construction of the plateau occurred around 950 B.C. when a formal ceremonial complex was built in its center. This was the period when the inhabitants of the Maya lowlands were adopting a new way of life with greater reliance on maize agriculture, full sedentism, and ceramic use. The inhabitants of areas surrounding Ceibal, who retained certain levels of residential mobility, probably participated in the construction of the plateau. In this regard, the Ceibal plateau is comparable to monumental constructions that emerged before or during the transition to agriculture or sedentism in other parts of the world. The data from Ceibal compel researchers to examine the social implications of monumental constructions in the Maya lowlands before the establishment of centralized polities with hereditary rulers. Unlike pyramids, where access to the summits may have been limited to privileged individuals, the horizontal monumentality of the plateau was probably more conducive to inclusive interaction. The Ceibal plateau continued to be built up during the Preclassic period (1000 B.C.-A.D. 175), and its fill volume substantially surpassed those of pyramids. Large-scale construction projects likely promoted organizational and managerial innovations among participants, which may have set the stage for later administrative centralization.
Highlights
Pyramidal buildings are commonly viewed as the hallmarks of Maya and other Mesoamerican civilizations
Small Harvard University Project (HP) excavations in plazas were dug to bedrock, but most HP excavations placed over structures were limited to surface layers. These results indicated that the plateau was constructed throughout the history of Ceibal, but its initial construction started at the beginning of the Middle Preclassic, and a substantial part of its fill volume was placed during the Preclassic period
The primary focus of the Ceibal-Petexbatun Archaeological Project (CPAP) excavations was the southern part of the Central Plaza, where we identified the earliest formal ceremonial complex known in the Maya lowlands
Summary
Pyramidal buildings are commonly viewed as the hallmarks of Maya and other Mesoamerican civilizations. 0.1–0.3 0.1–0.3 0.8 0.6 0.6 area where Real fills have been documented, consisting of the Central and South Plazas, the East Court, the A-24 Platform, and Structure A-2 (Fig 3) If areas beyond this limit, including the South Terrace, were shaped during the Real phase through the carving of bedrock, the initial stage of the plateau would have been substantially larger. We combined the Cantutse and Xate phases for volume calculations because the differentiation of ceramics from these phases was sometimes difficult These estimates suggest that a considerable portion of the plateau was constructed during the Real and Escoba phases of the Middle Preclassic period. The first historically-known Ceibal ruler, who is retrospectively mentioned in a text, dates to A.D. 415 [70]
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