Cancuén Archaeological Project

Excavations

The primary goals of this season’s excavations focused on trying to generate a preliminary ceramic chronology, determining the rough extent and density of population south of the palace complex, and establishing approximately when the palace itself was constructed and/or occupied. In order to address these goals, test units were placed in areas with visible structure mounds and the palace itself. Twelve operations (totaling 66 excavation units) were conducted during our investigations. These investigations included: the collection and recording of surface finds from around the site and the adjacent riverbank, the placement of excavation units in the elite residential and plaza complexes of the palace as well as in the non-elite residential compounds of the outlying areas, and finally, the examination of looter’s trenches and the collection of materials taken from exposed areas which will be used for later analysis.

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