The Long and Winding Road:
Regional Maya Sacbe, Yucatán Peninsula, México

Excavations

Three test pits were placed in various locations next to the roadbed in an attempt to obtain associated artifacts. All excavation work was conducted over a five day period by myself, and archaeologists Kathy Sorensen and Anna Hoover (from the Yalahau Project), and paid workers from the local communities of Vallarta and Puerto Morelos. All pits were laid out with a tape and compass, and excavations were conducted with a round nose shovel, trowels, and 1/4" screens. The first two test pits were placed on either side of the roadbed along the nicest-preserved section at Kilometer 9.  The location of the pits was based primarily on the fact that this was the best-preserved section of the roadbed, that there was surface soil deeper than a fill centimeters, and that it had not been covered by modern road construction. These criteria did not prove fruitful, other than that it determined that there were no cultural remains in this area.

The first pit is a 1 x 2 m unit, placed on the southern side of the road, about a meter from the base (see Figure 5). The soil was shallow here and no natural stratigraphy was evident. Layers were excavated in 10 cm, and it soon became evident that a large amount of sascab (soft limestone) had been dumped in this area during the construction of the modern road just south of the test pit. We excavated through the fill to the soil and continued to bedrock at about 65 cm. All excavated soil was screened, however no artifacts were found.

The second pit measured 1 x 1 m, and was placed to the north of the roadbed, about a meter from the base (Figure 6). Again the soil was shallow, and no natural stratigraphy was evident. Layers were excavated in 10 cm levels and all soil was screened. We excavated to about 40 cm and found no artifacts, historic or otherwise. Both of these excavations were conducted before the segment of road near Kilometer 13, and the surface ceramics had been located – otherwise, we would have concentrated our efforts in this area.

A third unit was placed near Structure 1 along the segment of road extending from Kilometer 13 (Figure 7, shown above). Before the unit was placed, a 100% surface collection was conducted on top of Structure 1, Structure 2, and on the roadbed between the two structures. Unit 3 was a 1 x 1 meter unit located on the southeast side of the structure. As natural stratigraphy was not apparent, excavations were conducted in 10 cm levels to bedrock at approximately 65 cm deep. Artifacts recovered included 43 ceramic sherds (2 rim sherds, 1 base sherd, and 40 body sherds; see Figure 8, shown below) and 1 small, intact conch shell (Figure 9, shown below). Surface ceramics and ceramics obtained during excavations are currently being stored in a laboratory facility at Rancho Santa Maria in Quintana Roo (our main base of operations for the Yalahau Project), and are awaiting analysis during the Summer 2000 season. The ceramic analysis will be reported upon in a subsequent report to FAMSI.

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