Archaeological Investigations at Holmul, Guatemala
Report of the First Field Season, May-June 2000
With contributions by: Jason Gonzales (Southern Illinois U., Carbondale), Marc Wolf (T.I.M.S.), Laura Kosakowsky (Boston U./U. Arizona) and Justin Ebersole (Boston U.)

Summary and Future Directions

During the first season of systematic study of Holmul, many of the initial goals of the project have been accomplished as the auspicial beginning of a long-term multi-disciplinary investigation took place. The site was accurately located using GPS coordinates and spotted on Landsat images thereby setting up a datum for the study of the relationship of the city with the surrounding ancient settlement and landforms. A preliminary map of the site core was produced at 1:500 scale with details of the main groups and plazas and the topography of the site center at 0.5 m intervals. The site layout was for the first time observable in all its defining characteristics and impressive complexity. Much of the major architecture at the site had been described only in the most cursory way in Merwin’s posthumous report.

The core of the city is centered upon three major plazas separated by the imposing Ruin X pyramid and bound by an impressive acropolis, Group I, and palatial complex, Group III, to the north and south. In all, 5 stelae and 4 altars have been found within the central plazas area and a total of 8 stelae and 5 altars at the site, while only two stelae had been reported by Merwin. A broad causeway connects the main plaza to a second acropolis to the western Group II, also impressive in size and due to its giant "masks" adorning the eastern and western facades. Also intriguing is the early buildings buried under the Late/Terminal Classic mounds of Group II which may reveal more of the beautifully preserved architecture and Late Preclassic history of the site in future years. Group II is also associated with a plain stela and a large open-ended ballcourt next to a small but formally built elite domestic group.  Str. 8, to the south of Group II represents a slightly peripheral but important focus of ritual activity outside of the main plaza and probably dating to the latest phase of the site. Three stela and two altars were found in its vicinity. A few hundred meters to the west, almost closing the main site area in this direction, is a small but extremely interesting radial structure which will be the subject of intensive study next year.

Group III was one of the most surprising areas of the site both for the complexity of this obviously "late" palatial complex and for the presence of extremely elaborate and well-preserved "Preclassic" temple structures inside Str. 2.  This area, as well as Group II, in future years might yield invaluable information on the early history of the site as well as about the uses of space inside palatial compounds. Important areas to investigate will include sub-floor deposits as well as outer middens for the collection of elite waste in addition to primary burial or cache deposits.

In addition, new areas will be mapped to the north and east of the main plaza to include what appears to be most of the remaining ceremonial core. Due to the shape of the topography to the west and south it appears that most of the elite and public architecture should be found in the northern and eastern directions. To the south-southwest the ground appears to rise again after a broad depression at about 1 km distance and this area may reveal important settlement features in relation with the nearby stream and bajo areas.

Future efforts will focus on the relationship between the site center and important elite groups and minor centers located within the 4-5 km radius using GPS position and Landsat data for reference. The planned study of the settlement and associated landforms using field data and remote sensing imagery in a GIS spatial analysis will likely help elucidate the economic, political and ritual structure of Holmul as a medium-sized central Petén Maya city of the Classic period, as well as help understand its rise and demise as a focus of Maya settlement.

Finally, one major accomplishment of this first season has been to document the intensive and recent looting that has plagued this site in the last few years. When our crew arrived at the site, it found many open trenches with thatch roof still "green" as a sign that the looters had just left. More importantly, it is hoped that the project’s placement of two caretakers at the site on behalf of IDAEH will help prevent further looting between archaeological work seasons and will open the door for the permanent protection of the site as well as its development as a sustainable cultural resource.

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