[Aztlan] Salt and Nueve Cerros

[Karen Bassie]

The salt mine at Nueve Cerros is located below a salt dome called Cerro 
Tortuga. You can see the salt dome using Google Earth. If you set Google 
Earth for degrees, the salt dome is N 16, W90.6. Nueve Cerros ("nine 
mountains") is the Spanish translation of the indigenous name 
Bolontewitz which refers to the range of hills to the south and west of 
Cerro Tortuga. This was the name of this range of hills when the Spanish 
first arrived, and it is highly likely an ancient one- so you don't have 
to reinvent the wheel. The word of salt is atz'am. A great source for 
Mayan words is Terry Kaufman's dictionary that is posted on the FAMSI site.
Brian Dillon excavated at Nueve Cerros and published  Salinas de Los 
Nueve Cerros Guatemala: Preliminary Archaeological Investigations. 
Socorro: Ballena Press in 1977. You can also consult his dissertation. 
Anthony Andrews also gives an overview in his 1983 book Maya Salt 
Production and Trade. You can download Barbara Arroyo's report on the 
site at
http://www.asociaciontikal.com/sim1993/pdf/20.93%20-%20Arroyo.pdf