9th–10th centuries CE), a period marked by the downfall of the Lowland Maya cities of southeastern Mexico, northern and central Guatemala, Belize, and the western portions of Honduras. Ceramic analysis revealed that these buildings date to the Terminal Classic (ca. On the top of that structure, we found the remains of three buildings, which contained whole clay vessels, complete and broken flint axes, spear points, figurines, and other artifacts scattered within the rooms. Excavations in the Northern Sector have focused mainly on a small pyramid known as Structure 99. Numerous artifacts were found in two deposits excavated below Structure 99: a) a clay head representing a Maya deity (of the Underworld?), b) two jade pendants with representations of monkey heads, and c) a possible beehive.įor the last five years, the Polish project has been excavating in Nakum’s previously unexcavated Northern Sector, as well as in the Southern Sector Acropolis complex. In antiquity, major construction activity was concentrated in the Southern Sector, primarily in the area of the Acropolis, which contained elite residences and royal palaces. Nakum consists of two separate architectural groups, the Northern and Southern Sectors, connected by a raised Maya sacbe or causeway (called the Perigny Causeway). During this period almost all southern lowland Maya cities were abandoned and eventually lost to the forest for the next 1,000 years. The “Nakum phenomenon” is based on the fact that this site prospered during the 9th and 10th centuries CE, a period marked by the gradual collapse of Classic Maya civilization. 800–300 BCE) and thrived until the end of the Terminal Classic Period (ca. This research revealed that Nakum was first settled during the Middle Preclassic Period (ca. It was only in the 1990s that the Guatemalan Institute of Anthropology and History (IDAEH) began excavating and restoring the most deteriorated structures as part of the Triangulo Project. Nakum was largely forgotten after this, although Nicholas Hellmuth, an American archaeologist, visited the site several times in the 1970s. During the first decades of the 20th century, teams from the Peabody Museum of Harvard University and the Carnegie Institution of Washington mapped the site, preparing plans of the most important buildings and documenting the carved monuments. Although he did not excavate, Perigny cleared part of the site and described what he found to the outside world. Known only to local people, Nakum was first visited in 1905 by a French traveler, Count Maurice de Perigny. An arrow indicates the location of the test pit, where two Protoclassic offering deposits were discovered. Early Exploration at Nakum The map of the North Group of Nakum shows Structure 99 in the north. Since the project’s inception, several important discoveries have significantly enriched our knowledge of the site and Maya culture in general. In 2006 a research project-directed by the authors, in association with the Institute of Archaeology of the Jagiellonian University of Cracow, Poland-was initiated at Nakum. Looting has been dramatically reduced, creating an environment where systematic scientific investigations of these sites can take place. In 1989 the Guatemalan government moved to preserve these valuable national assets by establishing the Triangulo Park, a protected area defined by the three great Maya cities of Nakum, Naranjo, and Yaxha. Nakum was not spared, and many buildings at the site were looted and destroyed. In fact, Nakum’s nearest neighbor, Naranjo, the largest site in the area, had been thoroughly plundered more than 200 looters’ trenches and tunnels were documented. Other structures are designated by letters or numbers.įor many years researchers avoided this region due to the lack of local infrastructure and the dangers posed by armed looters and drug smugglers. This reconstruction of the Acropolis of Nakum includes Structures 14 and 15, which were excavated by the authors and are discussed in this article. Nakum is also noteworthy because it flourished while other Maya lowland sites collapsed. 600–800 CE) and important vestiges of architecture, rich offerings, and a royal burial from the Protoclassic Period (ca. A new excavation at Nakum by Polish archaeologists has uncovered an intact royal tomb from the Late Classic Period (ca. Deep in the jungle of northeastern Guatemala, in the Department of the Petén, lies a Maya site that has only recently revealed its place in the early history of the region.
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