Naranjo (Guatemala)
Naranjo ( Spanish orange tree , originally Sa'aal Square which is rich in maize grits ) is an important archaeological site of the classical Mayan culture in the Yaxhá -Nakum-Naranjo National Park (Cultural Triangle Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park) in the Peten department , Guatemala .
Brief description
Naranjo is about 50 km east of Tikal near the border with Belize . The site comprises around 900 buildings in a catchment area of around 8 km², of which 389 are documented in the urban center.
history
The history of the city can be reconstructed , at least in sections, from numerous hieroglyphic inscriptions . According to this, Naranjo got into the conflict between Tikal and Calakmul at an early stage after rising to an important center . Despite multiple losses of sovereignty to each of the two opponents, Naranjo was one of the most important centers of high classics .
In 546, Aj Wosal was enthroned as the 35th ruler of Calakmul , giving the final impetus for the ongoing conflict with Tikal. Around the year 600, Och Chan Yopaat, a compliant ruler from Naranjo , was installed in Holmul . After the death of Aj Wosal, his successor tried to turn away from Calakmul, which prompted Caracol , a close ally of Calakmul, to intervene in 626. For the following years, Naranjo sank into political insignificance, but was still able to regenerate so much that it led a retaliatory strike against Caracol in 680 and drove the local ruler into exile. However, this success was short-lived, Naranjo ultimately defeated. In 682 the ruler of Dos Pilas Balaj Chan K'awiil, another ally of Calakmul, sent his daughter Wac Chanil Ajaw ( Six Heavens ) to Naranjo to marry. She subsequently acted as regent for her son K'ak Tiliw Chan Chaak ( Smoking Squirrel ). She carried out several campaigns, so 695 against Tikal, 698 victorious against Ucanal and 710 against Yaxha .
Yax Mayuy Chan Chaak, the new ruler of Naranjo, who is also named on a vase which was found in Buenavista del Cayo , was defeated by Tikal in 744, captured and sacrificed there. As a result, Naranjo sank again into political insignificance. Nevertheless, Itzamnaaj K'awiil was able to carry out another campaign against Yaxha, but this time victorious. The city also suffered from a severe drought around 810. The last documented date of the Long Count comes from the year 849. Naranjo must have been left a little later.
Well-known rulers
- Tzik'in Bahlam
- Naatz Chan Ahk
- K'inich Tajal Chaak
- Aj Wosal, 35th ruler, called 546–615
- Wac Chanil Ajaw († 741), regent after 682
- K'ak Tiliw Chan Chaak, 38th ruler, named 693–728
- Yax Mayuy Chan Chaak († 744)
- K'ak 'Yipiiy Chan Chaak, called 746-748
- K'ak 'Ukalaw Chan Chaak, called 755-780
- Asked K'awiil
- Itzamnaaj K'awiil, called 784-810
- Waaklajuun Ub'aah K'awiil, called 814
exploration
At the end of the 19th century, Alfred Maudslay and Teobert Maler visited the site. They found numerous steles and buildings still undamaged. Sylvanus Griswold Morley was able to examine the numerous inscriptions on site. From the 1960s onwards there were numerous and massive robbery excavations, from which mainly polychrome ceramics and some steles are now in private ownership. Since Naranjo was listed on the World Monuments Fund in 2002 and nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site , extensive investigations and restoration work have taken place, which were completed in 2006. In 2008, the US State Department Ambassadors Cultural Preservation Fund supported the restoration of the hieroglyphic staircase temple. Naranjo forms a joint research area with Yaxha and Nakum.
literature
- Vilma Fialko, Eduardo Williams: Archaeological Research and Rescue Project at Naranjo: Emerging Documentation in Naranjo's, Palacio de la Realeza, Petén, Guatemala. 2009 (PDF)
- Nikolai Grube (ed.): Maya, god kings in the rainforest. Potsdam 2012, pp. 118, 162-167, 173, 245, 251-252 and 446f
- Simon Martin / Nikolai Grube: Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens. Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya. Thames & Hudson, 2nd ed., London 2008, ISBN 978-0-500-28726-2 , pp. 68-83.
- Linda Schele , David Freidel : The unknown world of the Maya. The secret of their culture deciphered. Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 1995, ISBN 3-89350-737-X .
Individual evidence
- ^ Giant Maya Carvings Found in Guatemala. In: National Geographic , August 07, 2013.
- ^ Sylvanus Griswold Morley : 1909 The Inscriptions of Naranjo, Northern Guatemala. In: American Anthropologist, 11 (4), pp. 543-562.
- ↑ Cultural Triangle Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park.
