PAPAC : News

Conference Papers

2007-08-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

Posted under "The Project" > "Conference Papers" are some papers and titles from talks presented at the Society for American Archaeology annual meetings in 2006 and 2007. For access to the password protected documents, please email either myself or Clement via the Contact Us page. Enjoy! Quick Link

THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR A LUNAR ARCHAEOASTRONOMY: THE SYMPTOMATIC REIGN OF RULER 13 AT COPAN, HONDURAS

2007-08-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

As a student of both Professors Anthony Aveni (archaeoastronomer) and Allan Maca (archaeologist) my time at Colgate University was spent digging in the majestic El Bosque region of Copan, and entering precise geographic and temporal data in sky-simulation programs in snowy upstate New York. As a result, my senior thesis – on the integration of (lunar) archaeoastronomy with archaeology – reflects this unique epistemological position between the academic disciplines of astronomy and anthropology, hard science and social science. In addition the paper presents new data on lunar archaeoastronomy, specifically, the prevalence for gibbous and full moons on historically important dates in Copan, and how the thirteenth ruler physically manifested this concurrence at the urban center.

In conjunction with PAPAC’s mission to garner a better understanding and knowledge of urban planning during Classic Period Copan, my thesis explores the extent and degree of power accorded to an ancient Maya ruler, his claims to divinity, and how a divine king asserted, substantiated, and maintained control over a growing cosmopolitan.

The following is a textual rendition of the major points of my paper, defended orally for the Colgate Dept of Anthropology this May. For a much more completely and well-supported version, please email me at kvlandau[at]gmail[dot]com. As we continue to update this website, a full version will soon be available online.

I’d like to begin with the inspiration for my thesis, a statement made by Keith Kintigh: “It is my suspicion that it will be difficult to link archaeoastronomical observations with serious anthropological questions.” I will relate to you the ‘story’ of my thesis, a three-year project, in chronological order.

Chapter 1: Getting Started. My first project in Copan centered on the stelae of the Great Plaza, studying their iconography (and relations to agriculture and the Maize God) and solar archaeoastronomy. Re-examining alignments claimed by some archaeoastronomers among the stelae for a second project, I found that some alignments may not have existed, but those that did could effectively predict the rainy season in Copan. Working more intensively on the stelae and their dates and inscriptions, I found that a certain five were erected under a mostly full or full moon.

Chapter 2: Lunar Discovery. Analyzing the time period between stelae erections, a commensuration between the solar-based hot’un (1800 day or 10 year cycle) and the lunar cycle (29.5306 days), such that there are 61 lunations in a single hot’un minus 1.37 days. Three of the stelae were erected on hot’un endings (e.g., X.X.0.0.0, X.X.5.0.0, X.X.10.0.0, or X.X.15.0.0), which also fall under gibbous moons. The two stelae NOT erected on a hot’un ending were still commissioned during the gibbous moon phase. Overall there is a rhythm or harmony of stelae with the lunar cycle; on average, the Great Plaza stelae were erected under full moons.

Chapter 3: Meaning of the Full Moon. In many cultures of the world the moon is likened to a rabbit for three basic reasons: (1) they are both nocturnal, (2) they both have a 29/30 gestation period (mimicked in the human female menstruation period), and therefore, (3) they are both linked to fertility. The rabbit may produce up to 75 ‘kittens’ per year, the lunar cycle is literally em-bodied in human beings, and for the Maya in landscapes as well. For the Quiche Maya, the name of the moon changes depending on its phase: waxing moons are considered tender and have negative omens, while waning moons are seasoned and indicate harvest time. In the Pos Classic codices, the eclipse cycles of the sun and moon were codified and recorded in book format – note that a lunar eclipse occurs during a FULL moon. The data contained in the so-called “lunar series” inscribed on Classic Period stelae are found to be accurate and correct according to western astronomical standards. In fact, every ruler at Copan acceded to the throne on a gibbous or full moon; this has a 7% chance of occurring randomly.

Stelae were considered the axes mundi, the world tree, defining the layers of the world and the cosmic directions. They indicated sacred place and united the cosmos “all together and at once.” The Maya word for stelae is te tun or lakam tun, meaning “Stone/Year Tree”; stelae are therefore stone embodiments of time, specific times of the year relating to fertility. Therefore all together, the gibbous moon, axis mundi, and the image of a ruler on a stela are a powerful statement, but what does it mean?

Chapter 4: Ruler 13’s Symptomatic Reign. Waxaklahun-Ubah-Kawil ruled during the beginnings of the Late Classic era (AD 695-738), occurring, I argue a bit later at Copan on the southeast frontier than the heart of the Maya area. The development of the Late from Early Classic eras are identified by a larger population size, intensive agricultural practices, settlement on less fertile lands, ritualized and bounded space, and a preoccupation with displays of kingly power and authority. This is why I argue that the strong relation the 13^th Ruler forged between himself and the full moon marks the LOSS of power and thus his concern to legitimate himself. Therefore Ruler 13’s depiction on the stelae, the stelae as sacred axes of the world, their erection under full moons, and the moon’s relation to fertility, all lead to ideas of fertility and the Maize God. Ruler 13^th’s use of a gibbous/full moon is indicative of the unstable nature of Copan, when scholars determined it fluoresced.

Chapter 5: Hypotheses in “serious” Anthropological Theory. By definition, the archaeology of landscape studies “physical space perceived and utilized by humans im- and ex-plicitly.” As part of the built environment, stelae and their astronomical connections composed the constructed and conceptualized landscape. I argue that Ruler 13 tactfully coalesced specific phases of the moon with the erection of stelae to, in effect, put himself at the center of the world, uniter of the cosmos, and the be all and end all of this sacred bounded landscape. In terms of cognitive archaeology, archaeoastronomy is another method of accessing the Maya mental template.

Chapter 6: Why Does (Lunar) Archaeoastronomy Matter? First of all, this matters because it is the first time we have evidence that the Classic Maya watched the moon closely; this will probably have ramifications in other investigative arenas. Second, this study exemplifies the use of lunar archaeoastronomy in exploring how ancient societies asserted political authority and maintained divine kingship. Third, this paper offers another scientific tool alongside art history and epigraphy for understanding the Maya mind. It effectively answers questions that anthropologists – like Kintigh – might ask.

Gregorio Perez Martinez modeling jades from Tomb 1-05

2007-06-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

Reuters article on Tomb and PAPAC

2007-05-31T13:37:00.000-07:00

Ancient skeleton, tomb reveal complexity of Mayan life

NEW YORK, May 31 (Reuters Life!) - A 7th century skeleton found in an elaborate tomb in Honduras shows ancient Mayan life in the region was more culturally and socially complex than previously thought, anthropologists said.

link...

Interactive Map of the Copan Valley

2007-05-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Google Maps API, we have begun creating an interactive map of the Copan valley. So far the map only shows a reconstruction of the Ancient City circa 800 AD with a few important places marked up. We hope to add many layers soon including modern features, locations of more digs, and important ancient structures in the valley, so please check back.

Link

Article about 3d Reconstructions in CGArchitect

2007-05-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Digging for Details: Painstaking Research results in Brilliant 3D re-creation of Mayan Ruins.
By Rachael Taggart

Being offered the chance to record, reconstruct and then create a documentary about a 1,000 year old Maya city is not something that many of us get. Clement Valla, an architectural designer by profession and a 3D freelance modeler by choice, was offered the opportunity in 2005, and has spent the last year planning, traveling, and working on the project. The ultimate result will be a series of video documentaries that reconstruct the city while trying to provide resolution to a number of theories about city planning in at these ancient sites.

link....

PAPAC team bios updated

2007-05-22T15:24:00.001-07:00

Allan Maca (PhD, Harvard University, 2002) is the director of PAPAC and a professor of anthropology at Colgate University. He has worked in east and southern Africa, Israel, and in northern California. At Copan he has conducted research on the Comedero, Chorro, Las Sepulturas, and El Bosque sectors of the ancient city. He is interested in indigenous models for ancient urban plans, and in the settlement history of Copan beyond the Principal Group. Maca is involved with large scale conservation concerns in the Copan Valley,m studies of Honduran identity and heritage and its relationship to archaeology, and with the history of method and theory in American arcaheology. At Colgate he teaches courses in anthropology, archaeology, ancient and modern Mexico and Mesoamerica, and Native American Studies. (amaca[at]mail[dot]colgate[dot]edu)

Shannon Plank (PhD, Boston University, 2003) is an assistant director of PAPAC and a research associate at Boston University. She has worked on buffalo jump sites in the Great Plains and on Maya sites in Belize and Honduras. Plank is a specialist in Mayan hieroglyphics and is especially concerned with the relationship between epigraphy and archaeology. Plank supervised the area of Group 11K-6 where Tomb 1 was found in March 2005. (plank[at]bu[dot]edu)

read more...

National Geographic Website Article

2007-05-19T05:48:00.000-07:00

Ancient Maya Tomb Found: Upright Skeleton, Unusual Location
Kelly Hearn
for National Geographic News
May 17, 2007

Archaeologists working in Honduras have discovered an entombed human skeleton of an elite member of the ancient Maya Empire that may help unravel some longstanding mysteries of the vanished culture.

link

2007-05-14T05:13:00.000-07:00

La Prensa's article on the tomb find: link
Maya - News- Updates - blog: link
EFE's coverage of the tomb: link

2 Articles in La Tribuna!

2007-05-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

2 news articles -both about the tomb in El Bosque

1) The Honduran announcement of the tomb find:
http://www.latribuna.hn/news/45/ARTICLE/9251/2007-05-11.html

2)The Security Seminar in Copan, about protecting national monuments:
http://www.latribuna.hn/news/45/ARTICLE/9291/2007-05-12.html

Added some photos of the PAPAC team

2007-04-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

Some new photos of PAPAC team members have been added. Though many of the sections on the website are still under construction, we hope to have lots of new pages to add in the near future, including descriptions of the project's aims, and bios for many of the PAPAC team members, so check back soon.

Tomb 1-05 Restoration and Consolidation. Part 1: Reasons for....

2007-03-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

When PAPAC finally accessed Tomb 1-05 (in July of 2005) we discovered that the west wall was completely collapsed--probably due to a combination of failing wall niches and earthquake activity. As a result of this collapse the tomb floor was covered with two meters of earth and rubble, originally part of the matrix into which the tomb was dug. So there, three meters underground we had to figure out how to remove hundreds of buckets of debris. The narrow formal entrance to the tomb proved an awkward and slow route for removal, so we employed another route. Before accessing the tomb we uncovered a sunken and hollowed area above and outside of the tomb compartment. Initially we imagined that this might be the remnant of looting activity, which left us slightly crestfallen that hard work and loads of time might reveal a looted chamber. After further thinking, however, we realized that the sunken and hollow features were the result of a wall collapse below. Ultimately we made the best of complex circumstances: we decided to begin excavation from above and outside the tomb, digging down through the sunken rubble until we were actually inside the tomb chamber. The subsequent hole or accessway can be viewed in several pictures on this website.

The process of excavating down to the floor was difficult and dangerous because the tomb walls and vault had come to be supported by the collapse debris. In fact, when the archaeologist Ramon Carrasco (Calakmul, Mexico) visited the tomb he warned that removal of all of the collapse might bring several tons of rock down upon us. Heeding the warnings of Don Ramon and others we decided to consolidate and brace the walls, vault, and niches as we excavated down to the floor. After excavating half of the broken southwestern niche, for example, we chose to fill the empty space with a cement mezcla. This effectively served to keep the west side of the split vault from crashing down on us, and after placing wood braces and replacing lost mortar throughout the tomb interior, we felt much safer.

Today the tomb is completely excavated, pollen samples have been taken from the tomb floor, the painted stucco on the walls has been treated, and pest activity (snakes, rats, tarantulas, and crickets) has been kept to a minimum. We have drawn every square centimeter of the tomb architecture, photographed and even digitally reconstructed it, and are engaged in analyses of the artifacts and data. The question now is: What happens to the tomb? Will it be opened for tourism or reburied until some later date? After numerous discussions with the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History and with archaeologists and conservators from Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and the U.S., we have decided that it is best to consolidate, preliminarily restore, and then rebury the tomb. While those involved in the discussions--and others--hate to see such a rare find removed from public view, the risks posed to the longterm integrity of the tomb are great due to its location in a largely unprotected area of the Copan National Archaeological Park. Thus, we are beginning restoration and consolidation of Tomb 1-05 so that it may be reburied this calendar year. For details on how this is being done, see my next blog.

New video about the burials at site 9k-89

2007-03-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

Professor Maca discusses the ancient Maya burials at site 9k-89.

LINK

New PAPAC people photos

2007-03-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

A new photo album has been added to the media section. It contains friends of PAPAC as well as team members and some friendly animals.

link

New reconstructions of the Tomb

2007-03-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

An album of digital reconstructions of the tomb has been added to the media section:
link

2 new albums in the media section

2007-03-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

2 new albums have been added to to the "images" section of the media page. One album contains images of an early 3d data model of site 9J-5. The other albums contains some of the latest digital reconstructions of the classic phase site at 9J-5. link.

New PAPAC Website is Online

2007-03-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new PAPAC website. We hope to have lots of content up in the next few days, inlcuding new images, video clips, maps, descriptions of recent findings, and much more.