Who were the early Maya? Mexico in the Preclassic period

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As portion of an exploration into Mexico’s agelong and affluent history, Mexico News Daily has teamed up with 1 of the country’s apical Maya experts to analyse the past satellite that flourished crossed Mesoamerica.

What we cognize contiguous arsenic the “Maya area” of Central America encompasses parts of present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador — a portion popularly called “Mesoamerica.” However, it’s important to enactment that this is simply a modern interpretation, and the radical who lived determination centuries agone decidedly did not spot things the aforesaid way.

The geography of Maya precontact cultures — those that existed earlier the accomplishment of the Spanish — is historically divided into 3 zones: the Northern Lowlands, which screen fundamentally the entirety of the Yucatán Peninsula; the Southern Lowlands, spanning modern-day Chiapas and Tabasco, arsenic good arsenic parts of Guatemala and Honduras; and the Highlands. Mexico’s Maya populations were mostly recovered successful the Highlands, portion the Lowlands were occupied by what we present see to beryllium groups successful Guatemala and Belize.

The archetypal Maya peoples

According to existent research, the archetypal radical to inhabit this territory did truthful during the Holocene period, astir 10,000 B.C. — the existent geological epoch that began aft the past Ice Age. One of the astir celebrated finds from this play is the skeleton of a young pistillate nicknamed Naia, discovered successful 2007 successful the submerged cave of Hoyo Negro successful Quintana Roo, Mexico. She is believed to beryllium astir 13,000 years old. Stone tools, on with stone shelters containing cave paintings, are among the different grounds pointing to an aboriginal quality beingness successful the region.

Only with the domestication of the ancestor of maize — teosinte — astir 5,000 B.C., and the quality of the archetypal chiseled ceramic groups successful the archaeological record, is it imaginable to hint the emergence of settled communities passim the Maya area. Specialization successful ceramic accumulation and the improvement of chiseled determination manufacturing traditions uncover not conscionable the beginnings of sedentary beingness but besides the emergence of long-distance taste and commercialized networks.

Societies successful the Maya Lowlands

During what is known arsenic the Middle Preclassic period, astir 1,000-450 B.C., monumental architectural complexes with ample platforms appeared successful the Maya Lowlands, particularly successful the Southern Lowlands. Initially built of earth, these platforms were gradually replaced by chromatic buildings. Among them are the alleged E-Groups — distinctive architectural complexes apt utilized for astronomical reflection and commemoration. These monolithic pyramidal structures were crowned by 3 temples: a cardinal 1 flanked by 2 smaller shrines.

At the aforesaid time, the earliest chromatic sculptures look successful the signifier of carved stelae and associated altars. Ceramic figurines with varied facial features and clothing, arsenic good arsenic burials accompanied by antithetic types of offerings, each constituent to emerging societal hierarchies that would afloat crystallize successful the Late Preclassic period.

This era, spanning astir 450 B.C. to A.D. 250, marks the modulation of settlements into afloat urban, state-level societies with pronounced societal differentiation. The earliest known examples of Maya writing, specified arsenic those from San Bartolo successful Guatemala, day to this period. In the Petén portion — connected some the Mexican and Guatemalan sides — and the adjoining country of Belize successful the Southern Lowlands, aboriginal cities specified arsenic Nakbé, Cival, Cahal Pech and El Mirador began experiencing important growth.

The large metropolis of El Mirador

El Mirador lies successful the Guatemalan Petén, northbound of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, wrong the country known arsenic the El Mirador Basin. Hundreds of pre‑Hispanic settlements of varying size person been documented there, including Tintal, Xulnal, Balamnal, Nakbé and others. Throughout the basin, E‑Groups and ample triadic pyramidal complexes — classical architectural markers of the Preclassic play — basal out.

El Mirador was archetypal identified successful the aboriginal 20th century during expeditions led by the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Since the 1980s, it has been the absorption of ongoing archaeological projects directed by Dr. Richard Hansen. Occupied since the earliest phases of the Preclassic, the tract reached its highest successful the Late Preclassic, erstwhile some its colonisation and monumental architecture expanded dramatically. Some buildings, specified arsenic the large Danta pyramid, transcend 70 meters successful tallness — astir equivalent to a 23-story building.

A well-organized and connected metropolis

Such monumental architecture successful El Mirador implies beardown power implicit population, ritual beingness and cosmological symbolism, apt exercised by a ruling elite. This radical would besides person overseen accumulation systems and the circulation of goods, including h2o and a scope of commodities from basal necessities to luxury items. Excavations by Hansen’s squad person revealed a web of sacbeob, oregon “white roads” — existent pre-Hispanic highways connecting El Mirador with some adjacent and distant areas.

In the archetypal lawsuit are roads starring to what person been interpreted arsenic suburbs oregon neighborhoods adjacent the political-ceremonial core, wherever obsidian artifacts were produced for aboriginal redistribution. Longer sacbeob linked El Mirador to different governmental centers specified arsenic Tintal, astir 24 kilometers to the south, and Nakbé, astir 14 kilometers to the southeast. The beingness of these causeways radiating from El Mirador has led Hansen to suggest an aboriginal “dendritic” exemplary of determination governmental organization, with El Mirador arsenic the main hub of a territory that whitethorn person covered immoderate 80 quadrate kilometers.

For these reasons, El Mirador is regarded arsenic the large metropolis of the Preclassic period, with an estimated highest colonisation of astir 100,000 inhabitants betwixt astir 200 B.C. and A.D. 150. Along the margins of the La Jarrilla bajo — a seasonally inundated slump that borders the metropolis — terraces and raised fields were constructed, enabling intensive agriculture to proviso the full population. This accumulation was apt controlled by a ruling people astir which we inactive cognize comparatively little.

Many triadic complexes astatine El Mirador sphere remains of monumental masks associated with symbols of power, specified arsenic tied knots oregon jaguar claws. The faces often blend quality and carnal features, and the fewer written records disposable bash small to clarify the affluent iconography seen successful sculptures and stelae. Together, these factors complicate efforts to reconstruct the sociopolitical enactment of this large pre-Hispanic city.

Nonetheless, these images apt correspond aboriginal manifestations of governmental power, successful which cosmogonic ideas are intimately tied to the city’s ruling groups. This is wherefore the monument known arsenic the “Popol Vuh Frieze,” oregon “Panel of the Swimmers,” associated with a operation utilized to cod and redirect water, is truthful important. According to Hansen’s hypotheses, the scenes depicted determination whitethorn allude to episodes successful the “Popol Vuh,” the celebrated K’iche’ Maya manuscript compiled successful the assemblage era. If so, the images astatine El Mirador would show the heavy humanities roots of these ideological concepts.

Crisis successful El Mirador

Around A.D. 150, El Mirador underwent a large sociopolitical crisis, astir apt linked successful portion to the intensification of gathering enactment and exacerbated by biology stress. Virtually each constructions — buildings, roads, monuments and truthful connected — were coated successful heavy layers of achromatic stucco and past painted successful vivid colors. Because stucco erodes implicit time, it had to beryllium reapplied successful aggregate layers. Limestone for stucco accumulation was quarried adjacent the site’s cardinal assemblage and fired successful ample kilns that required tremendous quantities of wood to execute the temperatures needed to nutrient quicklime.

Hansen’s studies suggest that wide deforestation and its consequences were among the cardinal factors successful El Mirador’s decline. At the aforesaid time, increasing contention and governmental hostility with different centers, specified arsenic Uaxactún and Tikal, apt contributed to the crisis.

After astir A.D. 150, El Mirador’s colonisation shrank and the operation of monumental buildings and complexes diminished drastically. Even so, the metropolis and the basin were ne'er wholly abandoned. Archaeologists person discovered Chen Mul ceramics, diagnostic of the Postclassic play (approximately A.D. 1000-1524) and the Northern Lowlands, arsenic good arsenic settlements with spatial patterns associated with precocious Kejache groups.

Despite this aboriginal occupation, the site’s diminution was profound and irreversible. The once-great metropolis that had dominated the portion for centuries faded into the jungle, its towering pyramids dilatory consumed by vegetation. This illness ushered successful a caller epoch that would springiness emergence to what is known arsenic the Classic play — a clip erstwhile caller centers of Maya powerfulness would look to capable the void near by El Mirador’s fall.

Pablo Mumary holds a doctorate successful Mesoamerican studies from UNAM and presently works astatine the Center for Maya Studies astatine IIFL-UNAM arsenic a full-time subordinate researcher. He specializes successful the survey of the lordships of the Maya Lowlands of the Classic period.

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