James J. Aimers

ASTRONOMY, RITUAL, AND THE INTERPRETATION OF MAYA “E-GROUP” ARCHITECTURAL ASSEMBLAGES

E-group architectural assemblages, constructed and used for more than a millennium in the Maya Lowlands, are among the most distinctive and enduring forms in Mesoamerican monumental architecture. Since the 1920s, E-groups have been thought to mark the solstices and equinoxes, but more recent investigations have shown that these alignments were rarely accurate. We argue that accurate solar alignment was probably only a minor element, and primarily an early one, of a larger set of metaphorically linked design considerations that included concepts of sacred geography, ritual performance in reference to yearly solar and agricultural cycles, and longer cycles of time, especially katuns, that played a role in Lowland Maya geopolitical structuring.

Societal collapse: Drought and the Maya

The collapse of the Maya civilization is often attributed to drought, but is the explanation really as simple as that? On the basis of evidence from their respective fields, an archaeologist and a palaeoclimatologist call for a more nuanced assessment.

Preclassic Round Structures of the Upper Belize River Valley

Round structures are considered a rarity in Maya architecture. Four late Middle Preclassic period (650-300 B.C.) round structures excavated at the Maya site of Cahal Pech demonstrate that this was a common architectural form for the Preclassic Maya of the upper Belize River Valley. These open platforms are described, and compared to similar forms in the Belize Valley and elsewhere. An interpretation of their significance is offered that uses information from artifacts, burials, and ethnohistory as well as analogy with round structures in other parts of the world. We suggest that these small round platforms were used for performance related to their role as burial or ancestor shrines.

Possible Functions of Grooved Ground Stones from Baking Pot, Belize

Abstract Over the course of the last century, Maya archaeologists have recovered artifacts that have been variously classified as ‘grooved stones’, ‘grooved spheres’, ‘grooved ground spheres’, and ‘grooved ground stones’. Typically, they were made of granite, basalt or limestone, and adhere to a basic template in terms of morphology. In general, most grooved ground stones from Maya sites are spherical or oblong in form, between 5-15 cm in diameter, weigh between 0.5-2.5 kg, and have a single shallow groove around their circumference. Artifacts sometimes vary in terms of size, weight, and grooving pattern. There is little consensus regarding their function. This study of 52 Maya grooved ground stone fragments recovered from Terminal Classic contexts at Baking Pot, Cayo District, Belize, investigates the production and possible use(s) of these poorly understood artifacts in terms of tool morphology, raw material properties, standardization, use-life, and experimental production and use.