Archaeological Project. It was located in the southwest corner of the West Plaza Group, approxima... more Archaeological Project. It was located in the southwest corner of the West Plaza Group, approximately 1 meter west from the northwest corner of Structure 2. The stela was found face-up next to a deep looter’s trench. Condition: Intact and slightly eroded.
Location: Stela 3 was first reported as a carved monument by the Southern Belize Epigraphic Proje... more Location: Stela 3 was first reported as a carved monument by the Southern Belize Epigraphic Project in 2001. The stela is located approximately three meters south of Structure 1, third from the right in a row of 13 monuments that originally lined the south face of Structure 1. The stela is still standing, but it is clear that this piece was thrust into the ground sometime after the initial breakage occurred. Condition: Broken into at least four pieces. Due to erosion and continued exposure to the elements, little of the carving is still visible today. Material: Fine-Grained Calcareous Sandstone (Mudstone) Shape: Irregular, but most likely the stela was rectangular-shaped. Dimensions: (The following dimensions are for carved fragment only) HT:.97 m MW:.96 m MTH:.18 m RELS: 2 mm Carved Areas: Front only. The only image remaining today is a probable neckline of a now missing individual.
ABSTRACTThe importance of emblem glyphs to Maya studies has long been recognized. Among these are... more ABSTRACTThe importance of emblem glyphs to Maya studies has long been recognized. Among these are emblems that have yet to be conclusively matched to archaeological sites. The Water Scroll emblem glyph is one such example, although it appears numerous times in the Classic Maya written corpus between the sixth and the eighth centuries. These many references are found at a variety of sites across the lowlands, attesting to the importance of this ancient kingdom and the kings who carried this title. In the present paper, we review the epigraphic and archaeological evidence and propose that this may be the royal title of the kings who reigned from Altun Ha, in the east central Maya lowlands, in what is now Belize. In so doing, we also begin to reconstruct the dynastic history of the Water Scroll kings, from the vantage of both local and foreign sources.
Apres une rapide description du site maya d'Uxbenka, l'auteur decrit les 13 steles, porta... more Apres une rapide description du site maya d'Uxbenka, l'auteur decrit les 13 steles, portant des reliefs figuratifs ou des hieroglyphes, situees sur la place aux steles creee au Classique ancien
Los monumentos que se encuentran en los sitios del noroeste de las Montañas Mayas han sido objeto... more Los monumentos que se encuentran en los sitios del noroeste de las Montañas Mayas han sido objeto de análisis epigráfico e iconográfico, con el fin de obtener información sobre las interrelaciones entre las diferentes entidades políticas y otras referencias de carácter histórico. Se presenta una síntesis sobre los eventos y gobernantes registrados en las inscripciones de Ixkun. La relación más completa en cuanto a los aspectos históricos de Ixkun procede de la investigación presentada por Héctor L. Escobedo a la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (Escobedo 1991, 1993). Tal investigación fue una actividad conjunta con el Atlas Arqueológico de Guatemala. Así, de esta fuente se ha retomado la sección que corresponde a Ixkun – en algunas partes de forma textual – con el fin de documentar el corto pero importante periodo histórico que relatan estos monumentos. Cinco monumentos esculpidos de Ixkun refieren eventos sucedidos entre 9.16.15.2.9 (766 DC), y 9.18.10.0.0 (800 DC). Estas fec...
... A brief description of the carved monuments at Xnaheb, Toledo District, Belize = Brève descri... more ... A brief description of the carved monuments at Xnaheb, Toledo District, Belize = Brève description des monuments gravés de Xnaheb, dans le district de Toledo, Belize. Auteur(s) / Author(s). WANYERKA P. ; Revue / Journal Title. Mexicon ISSN 0720-5988 Source / Source. ...
Located atop a steep river bank, 150 meters north of the confluence of the Swasey Branch of the M... more Located atop a steep river bank, 150 meters north of the confluence of the Swasey Branch of the Monkey River and the Lagarto Creek, lies the remains of a minor ceremonial center known as the Lagarto Ruins. Close to the village of Maya Mopan, in the southern foothills ...
... The discovery of a Maya stela at Quebrada de Oro, Toledo District, Belize. Marc A. Abramiuk, ... more ... The discovery of a Maya stela at Quebrada de Oro, Toledo District, Belize. Marc A. Abramiuk, Phil Wanyerka & Todd Pesek. Figure 1 Figure 1. Location of the Maya Mountains and the Bladen Branch. Click to enlarge. Introduction. ...
AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF PHILLIP JULIUS WANYERKA, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree i... more AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF PHILLIP JULIUS WANYERKA, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in ANTHROPOLOGY, presented on 25, February 2009, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: CLASSIC MAYA POLITICAL ORGANIZATION: EPIGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF HIERARCHICAL ORGANIZATION IN THE SOUTHERN MAYA MOUNTAINS REGION OF BELIZE MAJOR PROFESSORS: Dr. Charles A. Hofling and Dr. Don S. Rice This project investigates the nature of Classic Maya (A.D. 300-900) political organization from the hieroglyphic inscriptions of sites located in the Southern Maya Mountains Region of Belize, Central America. Using recent models of political integration as suggested by Grube and Martin (1994, 1995, 1998a, 1998b, 1998c), as well as by Rice (2004), I have sought to understand and define the basic political principles that operated during the Classic Period. In my view, Classic Maya political organization was structured by a combination of hegemonic practice informed by Maya calendrical science, namely the 256-year cycle known as the may. Scholars have struggled in their attempts to define and reconstruct Classic Maya political organization. Most of the previous approaches to this issue have been derived from anthropological theory based on various social, geographic, economic, and political factors observed or deduced from the archaeological record or from ethnographic analogies to pre-industrial peoples far-removed from Mesoamerican cultural tradition. Both Martin and Grube, and Rice\u27s political models are based on the ethnohistoric descriptions and analogies to Postclassic and early Colonial Period Maya, the Mixtecs, and the Aztecs as well as the decipherment of several key hieroglyphic expressions that indicate agency, alliance, subordination, and warfare. This approach may explain how Classic Maya polities operated intra-regionally and how they interacted inter-regionally using the Maya\u27s own written inscriptions as the basis for interpretation. The strength of this approach is its ability to illuminate possible avenues of archaeological research by revealing epigraphic relationships that can then be tested. By combining the methods of epigraphy, archaeology, and a direct historical approach to the hieroglyphic inscriptions of this region, I have not only been able to reconstruct the dynastic history of sites in the region, but I have also been able to reconstruct the political affiliations and hierarchies that existed among sites in this poorly understood region of the southern Maya Lowlands. The data presented here are restricted to the four major emblem-glyph-bearing sites in the region that recorded hieroglyphic texts: Lubaantún, Nim Li Punit, Pusilhá, and Uxbenká
Archaeological Project. It was located in the southwest corner of the West Plaza Group, approxima... more Archaeological Project. It was located in the southwest corner of the West Plaza Group, approximately 1 meter west from the northwest corner of Structure 2. The stela was found face-up next to a deep looter’s trench. Condition: Intact and slightly eroded.
Location: Stela 3 was first reported as a carved monument by the Southern Belize Epigraphic Proje... more Location: Stela 3 was first reported as a carved monument by the Southern Belize Epigraphic Project in 2001. The stela is located approximately three meters south of Structure 1, third from the right in a row of 13 monuments that originally lined the south face of Structure 1. The stela is still standing, but it is clear that this piece was thrust into the ground sometime after the initial breakage occurred. Condition: Broken into at least four pieces. Due to erosion and continued exposure to the elements, little of the carving is still visible today. Material: Fine-Grained Calcareous Sandstone (Mudstone) Shape: Irregular, but most likely the stela was rectangular-shaped. Dimensions: (The following dimensions are for carved fragment only) HT:.97 m MW:.96 m MTH:.18 m RELS: 2 mm Carved Areas: Front only. The only image remaining today is a probable neckline of a now missing individual.
ABSTRACTThe importance of emblem glyphs to Maya studies has long been recognized. Among these are... more ABSTRACTThe importance of emblem glyphs to Maya studies has long been recognized. Among these are emblems that have yet to be conclusively matched to archaeological sites. The Water Scroll emblem glyph is one such example, although it appears numerous times in the Classic Maya written corpus between the sixth and the eighth centuries. These many references are found at a variety of sites across the lowlands, attesting to the importance of this ancient kingdom and the kings who carried this title. In the present paper, we review the epigraphic and archaeological evidence and propose that this may be the royal title of the kings who reigned from Altun Ha, in the east central Maya lowlands, in what is now Belize. In so doing, we also begin to reconstruct the dynastic history of the Water Scroll kings, from the vantage of both local and foreign sources.
Apres une rapide description du site maya d'Uxbenka, l'auteur decrit les 13 steles, porta... more Apres une rapide description du site maya d'Uxbenka, l'auteur decrit les 13 steles, portant des reliefs figuratifs ou des hieroglyphes, situees sur la place aux steles creee au Classique ancien
Los monumentos que se encuentran en los sitios del noroeste de las Montañas Mayas han sido objeto... more Los monumentos que se encuentran en los sitios del noroeste de las Montañas Mayas han sido objeto de análisis epigráfico e iconográfico, con el fin de obtener información sobre las interrelaciones entre las diferentes entidades políticas y otras referencias de carácter histórico. Se presenta una síntesis sobre los eventos y gobernantes registrados en las inscripciones de Ixkun. La relación más completa en cuanto a los aspectos históricos de Ixkun procede de la investigación presentada por Héctor L. Escobedo a la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (Escobedo 1991, 1993). Tal investigación fue una actividad conjunta con el Atlas Arqueológico de Guatemala. Así, de esta fuente se ha retomado la sección que corresponde a Ixkun – en algunas partes de forma textual – con el fin de documentar el corto pero importante periodo histórico que relatan estos monumentos. Cinco monumentos esculpidos de Ixkun refieren eventos sucedidos entre 9.16.15.2.9 (766 DC), y 9.18.10.0.0 (800 DC). Estas fec...
... A brief description of the carved monuments at Xnaheb, Toledo District, Belize = Brève descri... more ... A brief description of the carved monuments at Xnaheb, Toledo District, Belize = Brève description des monuments gravés de Xnaheb, dans le district de Toledo, Belize. Auteur(s) / Author(s). WANYERKA P. ; Revue / Journal Title. Mexicon ISSN 0720-5988 Source / Source. ...
Located atop a steep river bank, 150 meters north of the confluence of the Swasey Branch of the M... more Located atop a steep river bank, 150 meters north of the confluence of the Swasey Branch of the Monkey River and the Lagarto Creek, lies the remains of a minor ceremonial center known as the Lagarto Ruins. Close to the village of Maya Mopan, in the southern foothills ...
... The discovery of a Maya stela at Quebrada de Oro, Toledo District, Belize. Marc A. Abramiuk, ... more ... The discovery of a Maya stela at Quebrada de Oro, Toledo District, Belize. Marc A. Abramiuk, Phil Wanyerka & Todd Pesek. Figure 1 Figure 1. Location of the Maya Mountains and the Bladen Branch. Click to enlarge. Introduction. ...
AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF PHILLIP JULIUS WANYERKA, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree i... more AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF PHILLIP JULIUS WANYERKA, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in ANTHROPOLOGY, presented on 25, February 2009, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: CLASSIC MAYA POLITICAL ORGANIZATION: EPIGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF HIERARCHICAL ORGANIZATION IN THE SOUTHERN MAYA MOUNTAINS REGION OF BELIZE MAJOR PROFESSORS: Dr. Charles A. Hofling and Dr. Don S. Rice This project investigates the nature of Classic Maya (A.D. 300-900) political organization from the hieroglyphic inscriptions of sites located in the Southern Maya Mountains Region of Belize, Central America. Using recent models of political integration as suggested by Grube and Martin (1994, 1995, 1998a, 1998b, 1998c), as well as by Rice (2004), I have sought to understand and define the basic political principles that operated during the Classic Period. In my view, Classic Maya political organization was structured by a combination of hegemonic practice informed by Maya calendrical science, namely the 256-year cycle known as the may. Scholars have struggled in their attempts to define and reconstruct Classic Maya political organization. Most of the previous approaches to this issue have been derived from anthropological theory based on various social, geographic, economic, and political factors observed or deduced from the archaeological record or from ethnographic analogies to pre-industrial peoples far-removed from Mesoamerican cultural tradition. Both Martin and Grube, and Rice\u27s political models are based on the ethnohistoric descriptions and analogies to Postclassic and early Colonial Period Maya, the Mixtecs, and the Aztecs as well as the decipherment of several key hieroglyphic expressions that indicate agency, alliance, subordination, and warfare. This approach may explain how Classic Maya polities operated intra-regionally and how they interacted inter-regionally using the Maya\u27s own written inscriptions as the basis for interpretation. The strength of this approach is its ability to illuminate possible avenues of archaeological research by revealing epigraphic relationships that can then be tested. By combining the methods of epigraphy, archaeology, and a direct historical approach to the hieroglyphic inscriptions of this region, I have not only been able to reconstruct the dynastic history of sites in the region, but I have also been able to reconstruct the political affiliations and hierarchies that existed among sites in this poorly understood region of the southern Maya Lowlands. The data presented here are restricted to the four major emblem-glyph-bearing sites in the region that recorded hieroglyphic texts: Lubaantún, Nim Li Punit, Pusilhá, and Uxbenká
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