Archaeological Investigations at Holmul, Guatemala

Preliminary Report on the Ceramics from Holmul, Guatemala: Year 2000 Season
Laura J. Kosakowsky
Visiting Scholar, Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona & Research Fellow, Department of Archaeology, Boston University

The History of Ceramic Research at Holmul

The excavations in 1910-1911 failed to identify clearly the earliest occupation of the site or an exact site chronology, although Vaillant’s (1927) ceramic "analysis" ultimately defined five phases at the site, Holmul I- V, and key excavations in Building B, Group II, specifically Rooms 8 and 9, produced the defining ceramics for "Holmul I" and the "Protoclassic" period (Merwin and Vaillant, 1932:37-40, 61-65). Typically, archaeologists have continued to identify the presence of a "Protoclassic" or "Holmul I" style pottery at other sites based on a broad series of ceramic traits that include: plates with four cylindrical supports; bowls, dishes, and vases with mammiform supports; spouted vessels or chocolate pots; z-angle rounded vessels; pot stands; and ring bases (Pring; 1995 ms. in possession of author). Sadly, this inadequate and poorly defined list and an entire phase of Maya cultural development were derived originally from a grand total of seventeen pots from Holmul.

It is surprising that the Protoclassic in the Maya Lowlands, since defined ceramically as the Floral Park Ceramic Sphere (Gifford, 1976), has been relatively neglected as a focus of study (Hammond, 1984). Indeed, the term "Protoclassic" has taken on numerous meanings throughout the years including: a) a chronological period of time in the first centuries A.D. (50 B.C. to A.D. 250), b) a cultural stage at the climax of the Late Preclassic that transitions into the Classic Period, or c) a cultural complex, mostly referring to style of decoration and shape of ceramics (Willey, 1977). Little archaeological investigation has been undertaken in an attempt to refine our understanding of this concept or time period, or to understand the importance of this transitional period between the Late Preclassic and Early Classic, although Protoclassic or Floral Park pottery has been identified at a number of sites in Guatemala, Belize, and México, and in varying quantities (Pring, 1977). Archaeologists still do not agree on the meaning of the "Protoclassic" or the "Holmul style" of pottery and until very recently, little careful thought has focused on refining our understanding of this important period in the development of lowland Maya civilization (Brady et al., 1998). Currently, other definitive research on Holmul ceramics has turned to the Late Classic and analyzed pictorial styles in polychrome painting (Reents-Budet, 1985; 1991; Reents-Budet et al., 1994) based on the extant collections from Holmul, and samples from many sites in Petén and Belize. However, the full range of ceramic types and varieties beyond the "Protoclassic", a complete ceramic chronology, and a full understanding of Holmul’s place in wider ceramic spheres has remained unknown until the completion of this preliminary season.

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