Ceremonial Precinct Research Articles

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PRECLASSIC AND PROTOCLASSIC BURIAL PRACTICES AT IZAPA AND IN SOUTHEASTERN MESOAMERICA

AbstractExtensive investigation at the archaeological site of Izapa in southern Chiapas, Mexico, by the New World Archaeological Foundation yielded few burials at the site's core ceremonial precinct. Those found were located on the acropolis that supports Mound 30a and defines the north side of Izapa Group B. The majority of caches found in this zone date to the Protoclassic Hato and Itstapa phases (100b.c.–a.d.250). The shift in mortuary practices ca. 100b.c.was accompanied by several changes to the site's occupation and architectural patterns. Study of these mortuary traditions provides important insights regarding the reconfiguration of Izapa's political organization at the turn of the millennium. Comparisons of mortuary practices at Izapa with those of neighboring civic-ceremonial centers El Ujuxte, Takalik Abaj, and Kaminaljuyu during the Preclassic and Protoclassic transitions contextualizes the practices found at Izapa at a regional level.

Connecting Heaven and Earth

Abstract Most previous studies of Early Woodland ritual and ceremonialism in the Ohio region have focused primarily on Adena mound and earthwork enclosures and their attendant mortuary facilities. Recent investigations of other constructions, such as circular post structures, have demonstrated the feasibility of expanding interpretations of Early Woodland ceremonialism to include nonmortuary contexts. In the southern drainages of Lake Erie, small hilltop enclosures are potentially fruitful localities for the study of (non-Adena) ritual and ceremonialism. Recent investigations at the Heckelman hilltop enclosure reveal nonmortuary-ceremonial activity during the Early Woodland period. Archaeological remains point to the construction of an oval ditch enclosing clusters of freestanding (ritual) poles and pits that exhibit evidence of having been used for preparing and serving ceremonial meals. It is proposed that the Heckelman ceremonial precinct was the site of ritually charged activities bearing important cosmological significance for its users.

Connecting Heaven and Earth: Interpreting Early Woodland Nonmortuary Ceremonialism in Northern Ohio

Most previous studies of Early Woodland ritual and ceremonialism in the Ohio region have focused primarily on Adena mound and earthwork enclosures and their attendant mortuary facilities. Recent investigations of other constructions, such as circular post structures, have demonstrated the feasibility of expanding interpretations of Early Woodland ceremonialism to include nonmortuary contexts. In the southern drainages of Lake Erie, small hilltop enclosures are potentially fruitful localities for the study of (non-Adena) ritual and ceremonialism. Recent investigations at the Heckelman hilltop enclosure reveal nonmortuary-ceremonial activity during the Early Woodland period. Archaeological remains point to the construction of an oval ditch enclosing clusters of freestanding (ritual) poles and pits that exhibit evidence of having been used for preparing and serving ceremonial meals. It is proposed that the Heckelman ceremonial precinct was the site of ritually charged activities bearing important cosmologica...

Animal Management, preparation and sacrifice: reconstructing burial 6 at the Moon Pyramid, Teotihuacan, México

In 2004 the Moon Pyramid Project uncovered Burial 6, a massive offering cache at the core of the monument located at Teotihuacan's central ceremonial precinct. This dedicatory chamber included the remains of over fifty animals, the majority representing the most dangerous carnivores on the landscape such as eagles, felines (jaguars and pumas), canines (wolves, coyotes and hybrids between wolves and dogs) and rattlesnake. Faced with this extraordinary faunal assemblage, we investigate the dynamic ritual processes which took place during the dedication ceremony. We reconstruct not only the chaîne opératoire, the acquisition, preparation, use and deposition of each animal, but also attempt to recreate individual life histories of some of the animals deposited in this burial. This type of analysis allows us to appreciate and understand the truly complex types of interactions the Teotihuacanos had with these highly symbolic animals; including the practice of animal management and captivity within the urban center. This study demonstrates the heterogeneity of the animal population interred in the offering chamber, which involved both wild and tamed animals sacrificed alive as well as faunal products manipulated and prepared extensively prior to their deposition. Such a reconstruction of the ritual processes prompts us to question the significance of such a deposit within the context of the arising metropolis at Teotihuacan.

The Ceremonial Precinct in the Upper City of Hazor

The Ceremonial Precinct in the Upper City of Hazor

The materiality of spiritual engagement: art and the end of Ohio Hopewell

This paper addresses the question, ‘If art makes society, under what conditions does society cease to make art?’ The answer, I suggest, lies in art's loss of social efficacy. The case I use to explore the cessation of art is that of the Ohio Hopewell. In southern Ohio, between AD 1–400, a ceremonial system known as Ohio Hopewell developed, flourished, and was then entirely abandoned. This ceremonial system was characterized by elaborate material objects (art) made from exotic materials, communal rituals involving pageantry and burial of the dead that were held in large geometric earthwork enclosures, and large-scale offerings of objects in these ceremonial precincts. After AD 400, art, the large earthen enclosures, and elaborate offerings ceased to be made for a considerable period of time in the Midwestern US. This paper draws on theoretical, historical, and ethnographic information to make the argument that the collapse of Ohio Hopewell and its art represents a radical transformation in how people perceived materiality. The paper argues that the cessation of art represents a widespread and active rejection of ritual authority and of the power of material objects to mediate with the spiritual world.

Technological and Material Characterization of Lapidary Artifacts from Tamtoc Archaeological Site, Mexico

ABSTRACTTamtoc is a very important archaeological site in San Luis Potosi, in the Central region of Mexico. The pre-Hispanic Huastec culture developed in this site (900-1100 A.D.). During the archaeological excavations, a large amount of lithic artifacts were recovered from burials and offerings. Among them, pieces of semitransparent crystalline objects of color blue, green, yellow and white and green stone pieces were discovered in one of the most important ceremonial precinct, inside a water reservoir of the monument 32 “The Priestess”. The aim of this work is to measure the composition of the artifacts for provenance study and to establish the manufacturing technique and tools used to produce them. For material analysis, a combined analysis involving X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Raman spectroscopy was applied. The main elements as well as some traces can be measured by XRF while the mineral identification can be established by Raman. The results indicate that most of the pieces are calcite with traces of rare elements.On the other hand, experimental archaeology using a well established methodology of optical and electron microscopy examination of the manufacturing traces was applied. From this technological study the specific use of tools and materials were established for this site.

SOCIAL MEMORY AND THE ORIGINS OF MONTE ALBAN

AbstractThe founding of Monte Alban marked the beginning of the urban revolution in Oaxaca and a reorganization of Zapotec culture and society, which soon had repercussions among Mixtecs and other Otomangue groups in highland Oaxaca. While local factors contributed to Monte Alban's origins, the architectural expression of the city's core, consisting of a main plaza with leaders’ dwellings on each side and a ceremonial precinct at one end, comes from the Mixe-Zoque area, probably La Venta or highland Chiapas. One of the earliest architectural monuments at Monte Alban is the Danzantes Wall with carved stones that portray founding participants, including many chiefs from valley communities, as interpreted, imagined and remembered by the city's leader or leaders, years after the event. The wall was short-lived, partly dismantled within a few generations of its completion, and the carved stones reused, erasing the narrative's original significance. In contrast, elements of the city's core layout persisted at least until the end of the Late Classic as a template, remembered and repeated, sometimes with modifications at Monte Alban and elsewhere, of how a city should be.

ONSET OF THE EARLY CLASSIC PERIOD IN THE SOUTHERN MAYA LOWLANDS: NEW EVIDENCE FROM PUNTA DE CHIMINO, GUATEMALA

AbstractDesecration of Punta de Chimino's ceremonial precinct arounda.d.430 was associated with the appearance of green Pachuca obsidian, pyrite mirror fragments, dart points, a Tikal-style vessel cache, and a peculiar grave with Mexican semblances. A structurally housed Protoclassic stela was removed in an apparent fire ritual and monumental masks adorning the E-Group range building were effaced in a termination rite involving large quantities of refuse. Disuse of the E-Group range building and unfinished refurbishment of the observatory pyramid suggest the site was promptly deserted. The forsaking of this time-honored ceremonial place coincided with reduced settlement in the Petexbatun region and abandonment of the nearby Pasión centers of Ceibal, Itzan, and Chaak Ak'al. Punta de Chimino's findings shed further light on these abandonments, suggesting that they were triggered by amplified central lowland involvement in Pasión River affairs by the end of the fourth centurya.d.

Lithic Industry in a Maya Center: An Axe Workshop at El Pilar, Belize

AbstractCahal Tok (Place of Flint) is a limestone rise with some structural evidence, associated with the previously designated LDF Chert Site, close to the ceremonial center of El Pilar. Excavations uncovered evidence that during the Late Classic period, specialized flintknappers produced bifaces, primarily chert axes, at the Cahol Tok locus, first on a cleared limestone shelf then on a prepared cobble platform. Small flakes remained in situ whereas much of the larger debris was deposited to the east off the edge of the platform and into the LDF debitage dump. The identification of a specialized manufacturing locale near the ceremonial precinct of a major center is unusual in Maya archaeology. Central control of an important industry may be implied, although knapping could equally well be organized more independently. We expect that small industrial areas are actually present at most large sites, but may often be difficult to recognize.

A Ritual Spindle Whorl Deposit from the Late Classic Maya Site of E1 Pilar, Belize

Excavations near the ceremonial precinct of El Pilar, an important Maya center in Belize, exposed a Late Classic period concentration of almost 200 broken limestone spindle whorls. A program of experimentation demonstrated that the whorls were purposely destroyed, possibly as part of a ritual event or events. Such rituals may have been part of a strategy to enhance the status of spinners by honoring deities associated with spinning.

Using Refuse Disposal Patterns to Infer Olmec Site Structure in the San Lorenzo Region, Veracruz, Mexico

AbstractIn this paper, I use data gathered from recent excavations conducted in the San Lorenzo region to explore the nature of Olmec site structure. Most studies dealing with this topic have focused on ceremonial precincts at large regional centers. Recent archaeological investigations conducted at the low lying Early Formative period (1500–900 B.C., radiocarbon years) site of El Remolino provide a unique opportunity to study how the Olmec organized domestic space outside primary centers. Although no easily identifiable structural remains were found at El Remolino, refuse disposal patterns are used to infer architectural arrangement and also provide clues on site layout. In order to investigate variations in household spatial structure in the San Lorenzo region, the Remolino data are compared with results from household archaeological studies conducted in an elite precinct (the Group D area) at the regional center of San Lorenzo. Findings indicate that household spatial layout at El Remolino ascribed to a residentially dispersed house-lot type of spatial patterning, whereas spatial structure in the Group D area of San Lorenzo adheres closer to the more nucleated house compound type of spatial patterning.

Monumental Structure from Ceremonial Precinct at Taosi Walled-town in 2003

Monumental Structure from Ceremonial Precinct at Taosi Walled-town in 2003

Immigration and the Ancient City of Teotihuacan in Mexico: a Study Using Strontium Isotope Ratios in Human Bone and Teeth

Teotihuacan, in highland Mexico, is the earliest and largest prehispanic city in the New World, occupied primarily between ad1 and ad650. There are many distinctive areas within the city limits, including major ceremonial precincts, large pyramids and temples, residential areas, exchange sectors, thousands of residential compounds, and tunnels under the northern half of the city. Some of these residential compounds contain non-local architecture, artefacts, and burial arrangements known from areas on the Gulf Coast and in Oaxaca. The identity of the residents of these “foreign” compounds is uncertain. Were these local individuals adopting foreign customs, recent immigrants to the city, or a mix of locals and outsiders? After the fall of Teotihuacan, people with Coyotlatelco culture came to the city and contributed to its extensive looting. Some scholars have proposed a northern or western origin for these groups.We have measured the strontium isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr) in human bone and tooth enamel from individuals buried in various areas of the city for information on their original place of birth. Strontium isotope ratios are signatures for local geologies. Strontium in human bone and tooth enamel comes from the food growing in local geologies. Strontium isotope ratios in human bone reflect the source of a diet around the time of death; ratios in tooth enamel reflect the source of the diet around the time of birth. Differences between enamel and bone ratios in the same individual indicate differences in local geologies and thus a change in residence. Our study indicates that a number of the individuals were born outside the city. Comparison with other isotopic methods for assessing residential change is also made.

Jewish Place and Placelessness: Historical and Academic Challenges (or "What the Study of Jewish Space and Place Suggests to Me about the Aztecs")

This article explores ways in which insights developed within the field of Jewish geography raise important challenges both for the general history of religions and for more tightly focused studies of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican sacred space and architecture. Of particular concern are the ways in which Jonathan Z. Smith's exposure of the serious limitations of applying Mircea Eliade's famous model of sacred space to the specifics of Jewish sacred geography give Americanist scholars pause to reconsider the application of those familiar Eliadean categories to the case of the Aztecs' main temple and ceremonial precinct.

Early Formative Platforms at Paso de la Amada, Chiapas, Mexico

Recent excavations have revealed Early Formative platforms at the site of Paso de la Amada on the coast of Chiapas, Mexico. Platforms supported large, perishable structures up to 22 m long. These structures were not arranged in plaza groups or ceremonial precincts, but were scattered across the site. One of their functions may have been to control or integrate social units within the village, such as neighborhoods or lineages. It remains uncertain, however, whether these large buildings were residences for high-status families or public buildings shared by neighborhood members. From 1400 to 1250 B.C. a number of contemporary platforms probably served similar functions at the site, each in a separate segment of the community. Increasingly, however, these functions were centralized at a single large structure (Mound 6). This centralization persisted until 1100 B.C., when Mound 6 was abandoned and segmental social units emerged once again.

Reinterpreting the Great Pyramid of Cholula, Mexico

AbstractThe Great Pyramid of Cholula is both the largest and oldest continuously occupied building in Mesoamerica. Initial occupation of the ceremonial precinct began in the Late Formative period, and the first building stage of the pyramid dates to the Terminal Formative. The Great Pyramid was built in four major construction stages and at least nine minor modifications. Early stages shared stylistic similarities with Teotihuacan, but toward the end of its construction history external contacts shifted to the Gulf Coast, particularly El Tajin, and probably relate to occupation by ethnic Olmeca-Xicallanca. The fourth and final stage was contemporary with extensive construction on the south side at the Patio of the Altars, and dates to the Early Postclassic period. This period ended, however, with the partial abandonment of the pyramid when ethnic Tolteca-Chichimeca constructed a ceremonial center around their “new” Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl. The Great Pyramid continued as an important shrine dedicated to mountain worship and a rain deity until the Spanish Conquest. It remains one of the most important religious sites in Mexico, where the shrine of the Virgin of the Remedies attracts pilgrims to the church atop the pyramid mound during the annual festival. This paper summarizes the archaeological and ethnohistorical information available to reinterpret the construction history and ideological content of the pyramid throughout its long existence.

Big Pots for Big Shots: Feasting and Storage in a Mississippian Community

In small-scale societies, ritual feasts are often an important setting for social integration and status competition. Material evidence of feasting and food storage may be preserved in community ceremonial precincts, such as platform mounds. To identify food-consumption activities, ceramic samples from mound and village contexts at the prehistoric Lubbub Creek site in Alabama are compared. There are no significant differences in the distribution of decorated types, ware categories, or vessel shapes. However, the mound has a more restricted range of vessel sizes and disproportionately larger vessels than the village sample. These results, together with supporting feature and faunal data, suggest that mound activities included large-group feasts and food storage.

Big Pots for Big Shots: Feasting and Storage in a Mississippian Community

In small-scale societies, ritual feasts are often an important setting for social integration and status competition. Material evidence of feasting and food storage may be preserved in community ceremonial precincts, such as platform mounds. To identify food-consumption activities, ceramic samples from mound and village contexts at the prehistoric Lubbub Creek site in Alabama are compared. There are no significant differences in the distribution of decorated types, ware categories, or vessel shapes. However, the mound has a more restricted range of vessel sizes and disproportionately larger vessels than the village sample. These results, together with supporting feature and faunal data, suggest that mound activities included large-group feasts and food storage.

Early Maya architectural innovation at Cuello, Belize

Abstract While Classic Maya architecture has long been famed, its origins are obscure. Excavations at the Preclassic site of Cuello, Belize, have yielded a sequence of buildings for the period between 1000 BC and AD 400, which demonstrates the transformation of a domestic compound into a ceremonial precinct. Ephemeral constructions of earth and plaster give place to larger and more solid buildings faced with masonry, and eventually to solid stone‐fill structures with ashlar facing. Ceremonial architecture exhibits more, and more rapid, innovation than residential buildings.