Final Report of the 2000 Yo’okop Field Season: Initial Mapping and Surface Collections
Justine M. Shaw, Dave Johnstone, and Ruth Krochock

Epigraphy

Numerous Maya sites in the northern Yucatán peninsula contain stone monuments decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions and low-relief sculpture. In spite of these riches, archaeologists, art historians, and epigraphers are often disappointed by the poor preservation of these carved images. Much of the extant epigraphic and iconographic record in the Northern Lowlands has become inaccessible because the porous, local limestone on which it was carved has been eroded by the elements over time. For this reason, any readable hieroglyphic writing and iconography that we can recover at Yo’okop becomes vital to our understanding of the political history of this region. We are pleased to report the re-discovery of four carved stone monuments and the discovery of three previously unknown carved stone monuments at Yo’okop during the 2000 season. The four previously known monuments include Stelae 1, 2, 3, and one circular altar (Stromsvik et al. 1955; Wilson 1974); the three previously unknown monuments are carved stone blocks. Johnstone and Krochock have made preliminary field drawings of the monuments now located at Yo’okop. In addition to the monuments mentioned above, three stone blocks and three altars which have been previously reported by Wilson (1974) and Stromsvik, Pollock, and Berlin (1955) have either been removed from the site to another location or have not yet been rediscovered at the site. We intend to search for these and other "missing" monuments at the site and also in the neighboring communities such as Dzoyola next season.

Johnstone and Krochock have begun a preliminary analysis of the inscriptions and iconography, however, additional fieldwork is necessary before a full analysis can be offered. We anticipate that a more complete decipherment of the hieroglyphic inscriptions and analysis of the iconography present at Yo’okop will (1) provide absolute dates to complement chronological data from architectural styles and ceramics, (2) clarify influences and interactions between Yo’okop and other sites in the immediate area as well as more distant regions, (3) determine the identities, activities, and priorities of current rulers and other high-ranking individuals at Yo’okop, and (4) determine if warfare is discussed in the hieroglyphic inscriptions. Krochock, who has applied to FAMSI for funding to continue the analysis at the site during the 2001 season, plans to search for additional monuments, document the epigraphy and iconography with night photography, rubbings and line drawings, save all images to CD-ROM, and analyze the data. Additional funding for the 2001 field season at Yo’okop will also be solicited from other agencies. With INAH cooperation, we hope to reconsolidate these fragmented monuments during future seasons of fieldwork at Yo’okop.

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