Investigations of Middle Preclassic Public Architecture at the site of Blackman Eddy, Belize

Structure B1-4th

Str. B1-4th was constructed directly above Str. B1-5th. The architectural form was completely modified, however, it appears that the orientation and central axis of the structures remained the same. Str. B1-4th is a single tiered rectangular platform that is oriented eight degrees west of true north, with an inset staircase and an extended basal platform (Figure 7). The platform summit rises 1.58 m above the associated plaza surface. The basal platform was approximately .24 m in height and extended 4 m to the south. A basal platform surface was not encountered and may have been destroyed in antiquity. Alternatively, the surface may have been constructed of tamped marl. However, this scenario seems odd as the summit of Str. B1-4th consisted of a thick hard lime plaster. A highly fragmented stucco mask armature flanked the staircase. The nose armature of the mask was still in place and rests directly upon the associated basal platform (Figure 8). Interestingly, this appears to be the earliest documented mask found within the Maya lowlands to date (Brown and Garber, 1998). Ceramic analysis, as well as one radiometric date places this structure within the early Middle Preclassic time period.

The C-14 analysis of a piece of carbon from this phase yielded a date of (Beta-103959) 2520 +/- 50 BP and was calibrated to 800-415 B.C. (2 sigma). The summit of Str. B1-4th was in excellent condition. As stated above, it was composed of hard lime plaster underlain by a thick yellow marl sub-floor ballast. The construction fill beneath this consisted of dry laid fist-sized rubble with pockets of wet laid fill. The summit was severely burned over much of its surface. Postholes in the summit floor indicated the presence of a perishable superstructure. A rectangular hole was cut through the B1-4th summit. It is situated 2.8 m north of the southern edge of the basal wall. The hole is oriented east-west. Its dimensions are 2.5 m east-west by 1.2 m north-south. The cut through the summit terminated at a white clay lens overlaying Str. B1-5th. The function of this cut is unknown. Excavation revealed no cached materials. The mask facade, summit, and basal platform appear to have been desecrated in antiquity, evidenced through the extensive burning and damage to the monument. The upper portion and backing to the mask facade were completely destroyed. The desecration of the structure may indicate warfare activities at this early date.

An unusual roller stamp was encountered within the fill of this construction phase. The iconography of the incised clay roller stamp does not appear to be Maya and may reflect long distance trade from the south (Figure 9).

Architectural sculpture dating to this time period can be found at several sites outside the Maya Lowlands including the site of Teopantecuanitlán and slightly later at the site of Tzutzuculi (Hansen, 1992). The origins of mask facades in the Maya lowlands, nevertheless, has been difficult to understand due to the lack of evidence for an earlier mask tradition. Freidel and Schele (1988:pg. 549) state that "An empirical difficulty with investigating the origins of the Late Preclassic institution of ahaw is the paucity of antecedent evidence pertaining to ideology because of the simplicity and ambiguity of the material symbol systems prior to the Late Preclassic transformation." The recent evidence, however, from the site of Blackman Eddy, Belize suggests that the mask facade tradition emerged during the Middle Preclassic. This suggests that by the Middle Preclassic, there was a more elaborate material symbol system related to ideology and the Maya Worldview than previously thought. The new discovery of a Middle Preclassic mask armature at Blackman Eddy, Belize indicates that the Late Preclassic form of architectural decoration and communication related to kingship developed out of an earlier tradition.

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