Archaeological Investigations at Holmul, Petén, Guatemala
Preliminary Results of the Third Season, 2002

Salvage excavations at K’o

The site of K’o is one of several ceremonial centers ringing Holmul, located about 4.5 km to the southeast on a ridge overlooking the access across the Yaloch lake and bajo area (Bajo Jobal; see GIS-paths model above, Figure 5). The ceremonial core is composed of a large, formally laid out plaza with palace-like buildings, and a main temple. It was first reported by this project in 2000 (Estrada-Belli 2000, 2002). The actual mapping of the site is planned for 2003.  One of the secondary pyramid structures was noted in 2002 because of a fresh looters’ trench into its back (the looting must have been pre-2000). Justin Ebersole’s investigation of this looters’ trench revealed the remains of three well-preserved phases of construction and the presence of a looted vaulted tomb (Figure 27). This chamber measured 2.33 meters long by 0.73 meter wide by 1.37 meters high and had been completely emptied by looters or possibly in ancient times. The floor of the tomb was of fine plaster with remains of burning and red paint on the walls. This burial was dated stratigraphically to Phase II of the building. The looters intruded on an earlier phase of the building, which was not possible to explore due to risk of collapse. Outside of the looted tomb, in the eastern profile of the trench, a cache was found in the narrow space between the Phase II and III façade of the building which was decorated by apron moldings and steps. The Phase II building appeared to have a stairway onto which the offering was buried. Later a vertical wall was built over the stairway enclosing the cache. Three Balanza Black vessels were deposited in this cache (Figure 28, shown below). It is then apparent that this was a dedicatory offering for the new construction (Phase III). One of the vessels was a basal flange bowl with incised geometric decoration. The second was a plain black bowl with round appliqués and the third, buried under the basal flange bowl was a frying pan bowl with a saucer spout. These vessels date the cache clearly to the Early Classic period and thus the stratigraphically earlier looted tomb must date to a phase immediately preceding, perhaps also within the Early Classic period, judging from the architectural style of the vault.

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