Aguateca
Aguateca is a pre-Columbian Mayan ruined city in what is now the Departamento Petén on the southern foothills of the Laguna de Petexbatún in Guatemala . The ruins were discovered in 1957 and have been studied in large research projects led by Takeshi Inomata since the 1990s.
history
The first settlements in Aguateca emerged around the year 250. The city was expanded into a double capital by the kings of Petexbatún around 700 together with Dos Pilas . Aguateca was a large, densely populated city with several thousand inhabitants.
Around 830, enemy attacks forced the dynasty to retreat to Aguateca, which was strategically located on a steep slope. The last ruler Tan Te 'K'inich holed up here with his family and the aristocratic upper class. In addition to the natural barriers, almost 5 kilometers long distribution walls made of rubble and building material were built. When the enemy captured the city, the king fled. The nobles tried to defend themselves, but also had to flee leaving their possessions behind. This fact provides archeology with insights into the use of buildings and the equipment of households of the various social classes that are otherwise rarely found.
Buildings and monuments
The ruins lie on the edge of a rocky plateau around 100 meters above the level of the lagoon. Noteworthy are several very narrow gorges up to 70 meters deep parallel to the edge above the lagoon, which divide the settlement area and offer excellent defensive possibilities. The narrow strip of land between the abrupt edge and the longer one of the gorges is densely populated with buildings that are viewed as palaces.
Palace group
The group with the technical designation M7 is formed by a number of buildings that occupy the sides of a roughly square courtyard.
- Building M7-25. The building is located on the east side of the courtyard and stands out due to its unusual size of more than 50 meters. It consists of two parallel rooms that extend over the entire length and are separated by a central wall. Along this wall, at least in the southern part, runs an undivided brick bench about 1.5 meters deep. The two rooms could be entered through 10 wide door openings, between which were wide wall panels. The building was covered with a roof made of wood and palm leaves. It is believed that it served as a meeting place for parts of the local upper class or the warriors. There are other buildings of this type in group L8.
- Building M7-32. This structure is one of only two structures in Aguateca that had a brick roof in the Mayan cantilever vault . It is a typical representation building for the local rulers. It lies on a three-step base and is reached by a wide and long staircase. The central entrance is wider than the two on the side. It leads into a room behind it, in which a brick bench that takes up almost the entire surface is to be seen as the ruler's throne. From this room, at the level of the bench, a narrow entrance led into a very small side room. A corresponding room in the south was only accessible from the outside. In the side ends of the front room there are also brick benches, some of which cannot be seen directly from the outside. According to the archaeological findings (numerous vessels and drums made of clay and other objects), the building was subjected to a formal closing ritual - corresponding to the burial of a person. The excavators suspect that this ritual was performed by the attackers on the city's most prestigious building after the conquest was complete. The building was apparently set on fire and carefully destroyed.
Main plaza
The group, also known as L8, is located west of the great gorge, which is easy to cross at this point. The plaza is almost four times the size of the palace group. Several of the buildings stand on their edges with a very long room at the front and wall panels between the numerous door openings.
literature
- Takeshi Inomata: Aguateca - The end of a Maya dynasty. in: National Geographic Germany , May 2003, pp. 41–43.
- Nikolai Grube (Ed.): Maya. God kings in the rainforest . Könemann-Verlag, Cologne 2000. ISBN 3-829-01564-X .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Erick M. Ponciano, Takeshi Inomata: Results of the 2002-2004field seasons, Aguateca excavation and restoration project, Petén, second phase, PRAS. in: Juan Pedro LaPort et al. (Ed.) XVIII Simposio de investigaciones arqueoogicas en Guatemala , Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala.
Web links
See also
Coordinates: 16 ° 24 '43 " N , 90 ° 11' 18" W.