The site of Uaxactun was located in the
northeast corner of Peten, Guatemala, part of the
Mayan
Lowlands. Uaxactun was a major Mayan city situated about twelve miles north
of another important Mayan site, Tikal.The site of Uaxactun was located in the
northeast corner of Peten, Guatemala, part of the
Mayan
Lowlands. Uaxactun was a major Mayan city situated about twelve miles north
of another important Mayan site, Tikal.
The excavation of Mayan sites began in the modern time of John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood. These two explorers made Mayan culture popular and known to the world. Their work started more than a century of site discovery and interpretation of aspects of Mayan culture and architecture.
In the first four decades of the twentieth century their main research went into Mayan sites. This research was carried out under the patronage of the Peabody Museum of Central American Expeditions, the Carnegie Institute of Washington, Central American Expeditions, and the American Museum of Natural History. A man named Sylvanus Morley provided a great deal of information about Uaxactun. Morley planned major excavations at Uaxactun during the 1920's and 1930's with help from the Carnegie Institute of Washington.
Uaxactun was inhabited from the Middle Formative Period on through the late Classic period, but flourished mainly in the Classic Period, from 500 AD to 900 AD. The earliest dated inscription of 328 AD, was found on Stela 9, and the most recent, 889 AD, was found on Stela 12. Along with other evidence, these dates prove that Uaxactun existed longer than any other Mayan city. possibly from as early as 900 BC. Along with other Mayan cities, Uaxactun declined during the 9th century and was abandoned by the first part of the 10th century. Throughout the following centuries, the city was consumed by the dense jungle of northeast Guatemala and was not rediscovered until the early 20th century. During the 1930's, extensive research was done mainly, but not exclusively, by the Carnegie Institution of Washington, that laid the base for modern investigations of Maya civilization. It was named Uaxactun , which means “eight stones,” by Sylvanus Morley. He came up with the name from an inscription he found in one of the stelas that he deciphered.
A brief summary of the growth at the site of Uaxactun can be recovered
from excavations carried out over different areas of the site. These
excavations reveal that the growth of Uaxactun can be divided up into a set of
relatively distinct phases. These divisions are represented by changes in
Uaxactun architecture although the dates sometimes overlap because the growth
of Uaxactun was continuous.
The earliest phase which has been called the Early Development Period began sometime in the first or second millennium BC. and lasted until about 100 AD. During this time the residents of Uaxactun lived in wood and thatched huts without foundations.
The second period called the Late Development Period ended just before the beginning of the fourth century AD. During this time stone and mortar masonry was used and structures were built around level squares and plazas.
The last period at Uaxactun known as the Classic Period lasted from 280 AD to 890 AD and is divided into two phases, the Early and Late Classic. The Early Classic Period lasted about 320 years. During this time masonry temples were constructed around paved plazas. The Late Classic Period began around 590 AD and lasted until about 890 AD. The year 889 AD marks the end of important building activity at Uaxactun. During this period many new structures were built along with more plazas and terraces.
Many structures were built throughout Uaxactun. A number of ceremonial buildings were erected before the end of the Late Formative Period and the beginning of the Classic Period. The most impressive of these is Structure E-VII-B. It is a truncated pyramid with stairways on four sides that are flanked by huge masks that are covered with stucco. This structure was the focal point for the plaza with three pyramids aligned along its eastern edge. Together these structures were used for astronomical studies. The equinox and solstice were accurately determined by sighting the sunrise from the eastern stairway of Structure E-VII-B to one of the three pyramids to the east.
Other Mayan structures that were used for astronomical purposes were discovered as a result of this revelation. The large stucco sculptures and masks that decorate the stairways and platforms depict individual rulers as well as the Witz monster, who was the guardian of the sacred mountain by the same name. The structures and other artifacts from Uaxactun indicate an influence by the Tzakal culture. The Olmec culture also had a small influence.
A mainstay of the Mayan and Uaxactun diet was maize. This was of prime importance to them and was often featured in their iconography. The swidden (slash and burn) method of cultivating maize corresponded to low population densities in Uaxactun. A delicate balance was needed to equally distribute crop production to the people. Terrace farming was also practiced along with riverine or field cultivation methods of agriculture at different times in the history of Uaxactun. These methods may have overlapped each other and may have been used at the same time in some places and the swidden method at others. Some other foods that may have been cultivated in pre-Colombian times are root crops and the ramon nut. Today the people of Uaxactun grow a variety of spices and devote a lot of time to the extraction of gum called xate, which is an ornamental palm.
Uaxactun started out very small and humble but grew to become a center of real importance. In the end, construction ceased and eventually the jungle consumed the city, along with monuments and plazas that represented about 600 years of Mayan architectural evolution.
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“Tikal, Uaxactun, & Ceibal.” Peten Mayan Sites, www.foruminternational.com/guapeten.html
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Bunson, Margaret R. and Stephen M., Encyclopedia of Ancient Meso America, Facts on File, inc., 1996
Jeff Hertaus