Cancuén Archaeological Project

Conclusions and Foundation for Future Research

Excavations of the 1999 field season at Cancuén produced valuable new evidence that will help launch a decade of more intensive research at the site. Survey and mapping identified and cataloged all looter’s trenches and disturbances, as well as identifying residential groups, a ballcourt, and other mounds for future excavation. Looter’s trenches were cleaned and stabilized to prevent future destruction, and permanent guards at the site have dramatically reduced the risk of future episodes of looting and the loss of valuable information.

The abundance of ceramic evidence recovered will provide us with a strong chronology for the construction and inhabitation of the palace as well as residential areas. The ceramic data can also be utilized to demonstrate highland/lowland interaction and exchange. Lithic data suggests craft specialization, possibly lineage based, with the purpose of inter and intra-regional exchange.

As anticipated, FAMSI funding of this preliminary field season has been extremely successful in generating data for additional grant proposals. Based on data gathered during this season funding has been secured from the National Geographic Society, Vanderbilt University Development Grants Program, as well as an additional FAMSI award for continued survey of the terra incognita surrounding Cancuén. In addition, discussions with international development agencies are exploring the possibilities that this project and its strong community relations with the local villages may present for future regional development. Incorporating this data with that of future field seasons will allow us to address questions of Cancuén’s political and economic role in the Classic Maya world. This information is not only invaluable for the political history of Cancuén, but can be used to address larger issues of the importance of inter-regional exchange in the rise and fall of Classic Maya society, while also making a significant, positive impact on the indigenous population which inhabits the region today.

All project members are deeply grateful for the FAMSI support which has served in this case to meet the FAMSI goal and those of the project: to seed initial investigation that has provided the basis for funding future large-scale research in this previously unexplored region.

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