[Aztlan] NEW FINDINGS IN THE PUUC REGION OF THE YUCATAN (RE-POST)

[David Hixson]

Dear Listeros,
 
It's nice to see the great work that's being done by Ringle, Bey, Gallareta and their crews getting the press it deserves.  The Kiuic project, in addition to being an important archaeological project, is also working on sustainable development through ecological protection and responsible research models.
 
However, I'd like to remind folks that this new news regarding the importance of Northern Yucatan and the Puuc during the Middle Preclassic is only the latest in a growing body of evidence that this region was highly populated and much more important during this early era of Maya civilization than previously thought.  Middle Preclassic ballcourts are now known to have been extremely common at even minor sites throughout the region (see the work of Tony Andrews and the "CostaYuc" project).  In my own survey of the seasonal wetlands west of Chunchucmil, I found two middle preclassic ballcourt sites with substantial monumental architecture - coeval with the later phases of the Olmec civilization.
 
So, we seem to be returning to the questions that were first raised back in the 1970's and '80's when E.W. Andrews highlighted the importance of NW Yucatan in his study of Komchen (outside of Dzibilchaltun).  At that time, Komchen was relatively unique (now it is only one of dozens and dozens of significant Middle Preclassic sites in Yucatan), which lead other scholars to propose various reasons for the area's precociousness.  [For example, see "Praise the Gods and Pass the Metates" by Rathje.]
 
It will be very exciting to see what new (or re-vamped) models are developed in the coming years to account for all of this new data on early Maya civilization in the northern Maya lowlands.
 
-Dave
__________________________________________
David R. Hixson
PhD Candidate
Tulane University
Department of Anthropology
chunchucmil at yahoo.com
 
"Nothing more useless than a bored archaeologist"
-Douglas Adams