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

Directions for Future Ceramic Research

Clearly there are still many unanswered questions concerning the ceramics of Holmul that a preliminary season can only begin to examine. On an intra-site level future work needs to address and identify the earliest occupation, the nature of the Protoclassic assemblage and how it is related to the Preclassic and Early Classic ceramic complexes, and how late in time Holmul was occupied. This beginning analysis has hinted alluringly to Holmul’s political connections to other sites across a wider region, and the site’s location within the Río Hondo watershed of northern Belize and on the eastern edge of the Petén core is mirrored in the pottery, which demonstrates affinities to both geographic regions. Further research on the Holmul ceramics has the potential to elucidate on the growth of social complexity at this minor regional center and to inform on what role Holmul may have played in inter-regional socio-politics, as well as rescuing these important data from the heavy looting that has impacted Holmul as it has other Maya sites in the Petén.

Previous Page  |  Table of Contents  |  Next Page

Return to top of page