Aguateca

Aguateca
The main plaza of Aguateca showing a large stone stela
Aguateca is located in Guatemala
Aguateca
Shown within Guatemala
RegionPetén Department, Guatemala
This article is part of a series on the
Maya civilization
Drawing of a Mayan stone carving with elaborate decoration.
History
Spanish conquest of the Maya
Plan of Aguateca viewing to the north. The site of Aguateca is built in between the Main Chasm on the west and the steep escarpments on the east
Palacio Real
View from Palacio in Plaza 2 de Aguateca

Aguateca is a Maya site located in northern Guatemala's Petexbatun Basin, in the department of Petén. The first settlements at Aguateca date to the Late Preclassic period (300 BC - AD 350). The center was occupied from about 200 B.C. until about 800 A.D., when the city was attacked and ransacked. Because the city was rapidly abandoned by its population, Pompeii-style assemblages were left scattered on the floors of elite residences. Horizontal excavation of these residences has revealed ancient elite activity and household level craft production areas.[1] Aguateca sits on top of a 90 metres (300 ft) tall limestone bluff, creating a highly defensible position. This steep escarpment overlooks Petexbatun Lagoon in the Southwestern Guatemalan lowlands and is accessible by boat.[2] There is an extensive system of defensive walls that surrounds the city, reaching over 3 miles (4.8 km) in length.[3] Its center consisted on the Palace Group, which was probably a royal residential compound, and the Main Plaza. These monumental complexes were connected by a causeway, along which was a densely occupied elite residential area. During the reign of Tan Te' K'inich the city was invaded and burned. The city was completely abandoned around 830 AD. A 6-metre (20 ft) tall temple at the site was left unfinished, the centre of the city was destroyed by fire, valuables were left scattered in elite residences, and ceramics were left in their original domestic positions, all of which demonstrate the sudden abandonment of the city.[2][4] The ruins of Aguateca are considered to be among the best preserved in Guatemala.[5]

  1. ^ Emery, Kitty F.; Aoyama, Kazuo (2007). "Bone, shell, and lithic evidence for crafting in elite Maya households at Aguateca, Guatemala". Ancient Mesoamerica. 18 (1): 69–89. doi:10.1017/S0956536107000089. JSTOR 26309322. S2CID 163044977. ProQuest 196680392.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Inomata, Takeshi 2002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Martin & Grube (2000). p. 65
  4. ^ Martin & Grube 2000, p. 65
  5. ^ "Aguateca - Profile". Retrieved 29 November 2010.