[Aztlan] The Maya abandonment in the Puuc region

[michael ruggeri]

Listeros,

Archaeologists at the Labna-Kiuic Regional Archaeological Project are  
studying the Maya abandonment and collapse at sites in the Puuc  
region. The Maya had been in the Puuc region from 500 BCE but headed  
for the coast when they abandoned their cities there. Exploring at the  
site of Kiuic, the archaeologists in the study are looking at two  
pyramids and plantation palaces on ridges around the center. One is  
called "Stairway to Heaven," because of its long staircase down to the  
central plaza a mile away. The two pyramids and the palaces were late  
additions to the site in the 9th century when Maya centers to the  
south were being abandoned. Kiuic may have prospered due to  
immigration from the south. The archaeologists have found stone tools,  
knives, axes, metates and pots sitting in place, as if the inhabitants  
simply walked away suddenly. More studies will be done by the team to  
see if the abandonment was really that sudden and they will present  
their findings at the next SAA meeting in Atlanta.

There was a collection of spear points found in the central plaza but  
warfare does not seem to be the cause of the abandonment. Construction  
was halted suddenly in the central plaza and perhaps it was drought  
that caused the collapse.

USA Today has the story here;
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/columnist/vergano/2009-09-19-mayan-collapse_N.htm

A tiny URL;
http://tinyurl.com/moqek5

Mike Ruggeri

Mike Ruggeri's Maya World
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Mike Ruggeri's Maya Archaeology News and Links
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