Documentation of Floor Assemblages from Aguateca, Guatemala

Introduction

Our understanding of ancient material culture is strongly conditioned by the pattern of abandonment at the sites that we study (see Sheets 1992). In the Maya lowlands where most settlements were abandoned gradually, archaeologists usually find structures nearly devoid of objects, and fragments found in middens and construction fills constitute a large portion of excavated materials. Under this condition, our ability to examine the daily practices of ancient people is severely limited. Although complete and reconstructible objects from burials and caves provide important information, they represent contexts quite different from daily lives. In this regard, rich floor assemblages of complete and reconstructible objects excavated at the rapidly abandoned center of Aguateca, Guatemala, represent an extraordinary data set. In particular, they lead to an understanding of Classic Maya domestic groups with resolution and clarity that have not been possible before. The goal of the present project is to document this remarkable set of objects as thoroughly as possible. Drawings and photographs of reconstructible objects from well controlled contexts will be bases for a contextualized understanding of Aguateca households and will also serve as sources of valuable information for Maya archaeologists who work at other sites.

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