[Aztlan] SOIL SAMPLES AT THE MAYA SITE OF CHUNCHUCMIL MAY CHANGE VIEWS ON THE MAYA

[Bradley Russell]

Thanks for this info. Encouraged by the preliminary results from Chunchucmil, I worked with this same team to conduct soil sampling of a structure that I believe was a peripheral market located in a small outlier settlement just south of Mayapan.  I found virtually the same pattern in my testing as was recorded at Chunchucmil.   The structure (14J-5) was recorded during my survey of the area outside of the Mayapan city walls (up to 1KM out) and its form was unlike anything else recorded for the area.  It contained a number of rounded bench features that I believe represent market stalls.  An immediately adjacent group (14J-4) contained a very large domestic structure surrounded by numerous large storage structures that likely held goods intended for sale at the market.  This group contained more storage features than any other recorded in the survey.   The hypothesis that the 14J-5 group represents a market is supported by my soil sampling of the group which showed significantly elevated phosphate levels at the group.  Background phosphate levels at the site were found to be about 18 mg/kg.  Levels recorded at the market group were as high as 407 mg/kg, with an average of 106 mg/kg recorded across all samples taken from the group. Maps showing the group in question with the recorded phosphate levels and the group's general location can be found at the links below.  The group in question can be found in the orange shaded area at the far end of the southern survey transect in the first image.
 
http://www.famsi.org/aztlan/uploads/PC-Settlement-Patterning-W-Strs-Albarradas-LoRes.jpg http://www.famsi.org/aztlan/uploads/Market-Phosphates-LoRes.jpg Here is a brief description of the group from my forthcoming dissertation which will be out in May 08:  I identified a much smaller market at the center of the outlier settlement of D’zan Tun Ch’en.  This small market seems to have served the immediate need of those living in the small settlement.  Unlike the large open spaces utilized for markets in Mayapán itself, the market at D’zan Tun Ch’en was a permanent structure (14J-5) with individual benches placed along the walls to serve as market stalls (Figure 7.6).  This large structure was located on an unusually large and level altillo located, roughly, in the center of the documented settlement.  It was open to the public, not enclosed by stone albarrada walls as seen for contemporary residential clusters, which were notably restricted in their access.  The structure itself contained three rooms.  Each was constructed of a low cobble platform and divided by low stone wall lines.  The main room was accessed by a doorway along its east side and contained 6 semi circular benches measuring about 1m at their widest point.  These benches were found attached to all the four walls.  The north wall of the room contained an entrance to an attached round structure that seems to have served as a storage space.  The bench attached to this wall abutted the round structure and was smaller than the others.  Its smaller size and placement suggest that it may have served as something other than a market stall, perhaps as a small altar.  Attached to the main room, there were two other roughly rectangular rooms.  Both of these lacked the bench features seen in the main portion of the structure.  A single large metate was located just to the north of the structure.  Subsurface tests of the structure indicate that it may have been used as early as the Terminal Classic and into the Postclassic period.  That would be consistent with the known settlement history for this portion of the study area as reviewed in chapter 6.
 Brad RussellDept of AnthropologySUNY Albany p.s.  David, I am sending a copy of this directly to you as well as in past there have been issues with my messages getting posted by the system.  If it does not go through please pass it along for me.  Thanks.


 > To: aztlan at lists.famsi.org> From: michaelruggeri at mac.com> Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2007 10:28:58 -0600> Subject: [Aztlan] SOIL SAMPLES AT THE MAYA SITE OF CHUNCHUCMIL MAY CHANGE VIEWS ON THE MAYA> > > Listeros,> > A study by soil scientists at Brigham Young University at > Chunchucmil will revolutionize Maya studies. Soil levels at the Maya > site of Chunchucmil have phosporus levels 40 times higher than > background levels providing evIdence of a market economy and calling > into question the concept that the Mayas distributed through a > tribute system. Chunchucmil was 17 miles from the 2nd largest salt > works in Mesoamerica and lies in an extremely forbidding place for > agriculture yet reached 45,000 in population.> > The soil survey found that the Chunchucmil Maya carried salt over > sacbes in a long distance trading network in return for food.> > The Salt Lake Tribune has the story here;> http://www.sltrib.com/ci_7620583> > On a related note, Aztlan co-moderator David Hixon has done much work > at the Chunchucmil site and here are two of his web pages on the site;> > http://research.famsi.org/aztlan/uploads/papers/Hixson- > MayaNewsletter.pdf> > http://home.comcast.net/~drhixson/wsb/html/view.cgi-home.html-.html> > Mike Ruggeri> > > > Mike Ruggeri's The Ancient Americas Breaking News> http://web.mac.com/michaelruggeri> > Mike Ruggeri's Maya Archaeology News and Links> http://community-2.webtv.net/Topiltzin-2091/MIkeRuggerisMaya/index.html> > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________> Aztlan mailing list> http://www.famsi.org/mailman/listinfo/aztlan> Click here to post a message Aztlan at lists.famsi.org> Click to view Calendar of Events http://research.famsi.org/events/events.php> > 
_________________________________________________________________
Share life as it happens with the new Windows Live.Download today it's FREE!
http://www.windowslive.com/share.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_Wave2_sharelife_112007