Zapote Bobal

Zapote Bobal

Zapote Bobal (“Jaguar Hill”) is the modern name for a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site located south of the San Pedro Martir river in the Petén department of Guatemala. The name "Zapote Bobal" was coined by archaeologist Ian Graham, who discovered the site in the 1970s, and refers to the large number of Zapote Bobo' trees (a type of sapote tree that grows near abundant sources of water in the Petén Basin). [Fitzsimmons, James (2006a).] The site languished in archaeological obscurity until 2003, when epigrapher David Stuart connected the archaeological site of Zapote Bobal with a name repeatedly mentioned in the inscriptions of sites like Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan. That name was the toponym "Hix Witz", or "Jaguar Hill" [Martin and Grube (2000).] [Stuart (2003).] Scholars had recognized this name for over 20 years, and its connection to a real place prompted the creation of an archaeological project at Zapote Bobal in 2003, the Proyecto Peten Noroccidente [http://www.jaguarhill.com (PNO).] It is currently directed by James Fitzsimmons (Middlebury College) and Laura Gamez (University of Pittsburgh).

Archaeology and architecture

Built atop a leveled natural hill 1 kilometer long and 700 meters wide, the center of the site is characterized by a royal palace, several temple-pyramids, and elite residences. The site is noteworthy for its numerous monuments to the ancient Maya kings. Immediately outside this center are several mound groups, including one characterized by a pyramid 35 meters in height.

Although the general scale of construction at Zapote Bobal is quite large and would normally be characteristic of a long-lived ancient Maya center, it is clear that the city center was occupied for a brief period of time. The royal dynasty at Zapote Bobal seems to have flourished for only 200 years, disintegrating by A.D. 800. This is in marked contrast to most ancient Maya sites of the Classic Period (A.D. 200-900), which typically had long histories of occupation prior leading to the general collapse of Maya civilization in the 9th century. [Fitzsimmons, James (2006b).] .

Recent archaeological evidence suggests that the peripheral areas of Zapote Bobal were densely occupied before the site’s fluorescence and the construction of its central monumental core. Over 400 buildings have been discovered within a radius of 2.5 kilometers from the city center. [Fitzsimmons (2006b).] According to Fitzsimmons, there was an “imposition of a relatively new center upon an older sociopolitical landscape.” [Fitzsimmons (2006b: Introduction).] Compounding this with the site's short occupational history suggests a rapid program of construction and raises questions about how and why the central core of Zapote Bobal was built in the first place. The fact that the surrounding area was previously occupied "calls to mind dynastic splits or other social upheavals at Late Classic sites elsewhere in the Maya lowlands, particularly those based in the Petexbatún." [Fitzsimmons (2006b).]

Connections

For the majority of the Late Classic (AD 600-900), Zapote Bobal was the center of a kingdom that included the sites of Pajaral and (probably) La Joyanca. It was ruled by a succession of kings, the majority of which bore variations on the name Chan Ahk ("Sky/Serpent Turtle"). Unlike the majority of Late Classic kings, who bear the title "k'uhul ajaw" or "holy lord" in their names (a title indicating the relative divinity of the ruler), the kings of Zapote Bobal only used "ajaw". It is unclear why this was the case, although it is possible that, as a "new" center under military and diplomatic pressure from established sites, the lords of Zapote Bobal did not have the power (real or perceived) to add "k'uhul" to their list of accomplishments on Maya stelae. [Stuart (2003).] [Fitzsimmons (2006b).]

Zapote Bobal seems to have had ties to several major sites in the ancient Maya world. Some of these relationships are transparent, while others remain obscure. Sites like Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan, for example, mention capturing, killing, and even marrying the nobility at Zapote Bobal. But not all images of Zapote Bobal are negative: King B'alaj Chan K'awiil of Dos Pilas, a major site in the Petexbatún river drainage, appears to have fled to Zapote Bobal for temporary refuge in the 8th century. [See Fahsen in Fitzsimmons (2006b).] He may have even taken part in the building of several monuments there, as the dates of his arrival and the largest monumental program at Zapote Bobal seem to coincide. [Fitzsimmons (2006b).] The greatest influence on this nascent dynasty, however, may have been its northern neighbor, El Perú: some research at Zapote Bobal suggests a connection between these two ancient Maya cities. [Breuil et al. (2004).]

Future research

The picture of Zapote Bobal as reflected in Maya hieroglyphs and archaeology is one of a "crossroads" city, one that had to frequently negotiate with--and probably fend off--several more powerful kingdoms. Such constant pressure was likely a factor in the rapid rise and fall of its royal dynasty. [Fitzsimmons (2006b).] The ongoing archaeology at Zapote Bobal, as well as the decipherment of its royal inscriptions, will doubtless shed light on these issues.

Notes

References

*Breuil, Véronique, Laura Gamez, James L. Fitzsimmons, Jean-Paul Metailie, Edy Barrios, and Edwin Roman (2004) Primeras noticias de Zapote Bobal, una ciudad maya clasica del norocidente de Peten, Guatemala. "Mayab" 17: 61-83.
*Fitzsimmons, James (2006a) "The discovery of a Classic Maya kingdom". Invited paper given at the Peabody Museum for the Department of Anthropology, Harvard University.
*Fitzsimmons, James (2006b) [http://www.famsi.org/reports/05047/index.html"Kings of Jaguar Hill: Monuments and Caches at Zapote Bobal, Guatemala". Report submitted to the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies (FAMSI)]
*Martin, Simon and Grube, Nikolai (2000) "Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya". London: Thames and Hudson, p.122. ISBN 0-500-05103-8.
*Stuart, David (2003) "La identificacion de Hixwitz". Paper presented at the XV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueologicas en Guatemala, Museo Nacional de Arqueologia y Etnologia de Guatemala.

External links

* [http://www.authenticmaya.com/north_west_peten_copy(1).htm Hix Witx Photos and maps]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Zapote Bobal — Para otros usos de este término, véase Zapote. Estela # 12, en Zapote Bobal, Guatemala. Zapote Bobal (“El cerro del jaguar”) se llama en términos modernos un yacimiento arqueológico maya precolombino, localizado al sur del río San Pedro Mártir en …   Wikipedia Español

  • Zapote — se utiliza para denominar: Para el fruto (en los mercados) Zapote (fruta); Botánica un árbol frutal del sur de México y Centroamérica, conocido como zapote negro (Diospyros digyna); un árbol frutal nativo al este de México y América Central… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Pajaral — Pajaral, otherwise known as El Pajaral, is the modern name for a mid sized ruined city of the pre Columbian Maya archaeological site located to the south of the San Pedro Martir river in the Petén department of Guatemala. The name El Pajaral was… …   Wikipedia

  • Pajaral — Pajaral, es el nombre moderno de un yacimiento arqueológico maya precolombino, localizado al sur del río San Pedro Mártir en el departamento de El Petén, en Guatemala. El término Pajaral fue acuñado por el arqueólogo Ian Graham, quien descubrió… …   Wikipedia Español

  • El Perú (Maya site) — El Perú (also known as Waka ), is a pre Columbian Maya archeological site occupied during the Preclassic and Classic (roughly 500 BC to A.D. 800). The site was the capital of a Maya city state located near the banks of the San Pedro River in the… …   Wikipedia

  • Hix Witz — (« colline du jaguar » en maya) est une ancienne entité politique maya du Petén[1]. On a cru pendant longtemps que ce toponyme, qui apparaît dans des textes de la région de l Usumacinta et du Petén, correspondait à un site archéologique …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Города майя — Список городов майя представляет собой алфавитный перечень важнейших археологических памятников, связанных с доколумбовой цивилизацией майя. Перечень крупнейших месоамериканских памятников иных культур, включая соседей майя, приведен в отдельном… …   Википедия

  • Liste des sites mayas — Carte des principaux sites mayas. Cette liste des sites mayas est une liste alphabétique répertoriant un nombre significatif de sites archéologiques associés à la civilisation maya de la Mésoamérique. Les peuples et les cultures relevant de la… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • La Joyanca — is the modern name for a pre Columbian Maya archaeological site located south of the San Pedro Martir river in the Petén department of Guatemala. It is east of the Maya site of La Florida (Namaan), now the modern town of El Naranjo on the Mexico… …   Wikipedia

  • La Joyanca — es el nombre actual de un yacimiento precolombino maya localizado al sur del río San Pedro Mártir en el departamento del Petén, en Guatemala. Se encuentra al este del sitio maya conocido como La Florida (Namaán), actualmente la ciudad de El… …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”