|
Uaxactun - Guatemala
 Uaxactun
(pronounced Wash-ak-toon) is an ancient ruin of the
Maya civilization, located in the Peten district of
Guatemala. The name is sometimes spelled as Waxaktun.
The site of Uaxactun was located in the northeast corner
of Peten, Guatemala, part of the Mayan Lowlands. Uaxactun
was a major Mayan city & situated about twelve miles
north of Tikal.
A man named Sylvanus Morley provided a great deal
of information about Uaxactun. Morley planned major
excavations at Uaxactun during the 1920's and 1930's
with help from the Carnegie Institute of Washington.
 Uaxactun
was inhabited from the Middle Formative Period on through
the late Classic period, but flourished mainly in the
Classic Period, from 500 AD to 900 AD. The earliest
dated inscription of 328 AD, was found on Stela 9, and
the most recent, 889 AD, was found on Stela 12. Along
with other evidence, these dates prove that Uaxactun
existed longer than any other Mayan city. possibly from
as early as 900 BC. Along with other Mayan cities, Uaxactun
declined during the 9th century and was abandoned by
the first part of the 10th century. Throughout the following
centuries, the city was consumed by the dense jungle
of northeast Guatemala and was not rediscovered until
the early 20th century. During the 1930's, extensive
research was done mainly, but not exclusively, by the
Carnegie Institution of Washington, that laid the base
for modern investigations of Maya civilization. It was
named Uaxactun , which means “eight stones,”
by Sylvanus Morley. He came up with the name from an
inscription he found in one of the stelas that he deciphered.
 A
brief summary of the growth at the site of Uaxactun
can be recovered from excavations carried out over different
areas of the site. These excavations reveal that the
growth of Uaxactun can be divided up into a set of relatively
distinct phases. These divisions are represented by
changes in Uaxactun architecture although the dates
sometimes overlap because the growth of Uaxactun was
continuous.
The earliest phase which has been called the Early
Development Period began sometime in the first or second
millennium BC. and lasted until about 100 AD. During
this time the residents of Uaxactun lived in wood and
thatched huts without foundations.
 The
second period called the Late Development Period ended
just before the beginning of the fourth century AD.
During this time stone and mortar masonry was used and
structures were built around level squares and plazas.
The last period at Uaxactun known as the Classic Period
lasted from 280 AD to 890 AD and is divided into two
phases, the Early and Late Classic. The Early Classic
Period lasted about 320 years. During this time masonry
temples were constructed around paved plazas. The Late
Classic Period began around 590 AD and lasted until
about 890 AD. The year 889 AD marks the end of important
building activity at Uaxactun. During this period many
new structures were built along with more plazas and
terraces.
 Many
structures were built throughout Uaxactun. A number
of ceremonial buildings were erected before the end
of the Late Formative Period and the beginning of the
Classic Period. The most impressive of these is Structure
E-VII-B. It is a truncated pyramid with stairways on
four sides that are flanked by huge masks that are covered
with stucco. This structure was the focal point for
the plaza with three pyramids aligned along its eastern
edge. Together these structures were used for astronomical
studies. The equinox and solstice were accurately determined
by sighting the sunrise from the eastern stairway of
Structure E-VII-B to one of the three pyramids to the
east.
 Other
Mayan structures that were used for astronomical purposes
were discovered as a result of this revelation. The
large stucco sculptures and masks that decorate the
stairways and platforms depict individual rulers as
well as the Witz monster, who was the guardian of the
sacred mountain by the same name. The structures and
other artifacts from Uaxactun indicate an influence
by the Tzakal culture. The Olmec culture also had a
small influence.
 A
mainstay of the Mayan and Uaxactun diet was maize. This
was of prime importance to them and was often featured
in their iconography. The swidden (slash and burn) method
of cultivating maize corresponded to low population
densities in Uaxactun. A delicate balance was needed
to equally distribute crop production to the people.
Terrace farming was also practiced along with riverine
or field cultivation methods of agriculture at different
times in the history of Uaxactun. These methods may
have overlapped each other and may have been used at
the same time in some places and the swidden method
at others. Some other foods that may have been cultivated
in pre-Colombian times are root crops and the ramon
nut. Today the people of Uaxactun grow a variety of
spices and devote a lot of time to the extraction of
gum called xate, which is an ornamental palm.
Uaxactun started out very small and humble but grew
to become a centre of real importance. In the end, construction
ceased and eventually the jungle consumed the city,
along with monuments and plazas that represented about
600 years of Mayan architectural evolution.
|
