In 2022, a lidar survey of the Three Rivers Region, conducted by the Belize Estates Archaeology Survey Team, identified multiple previously unrecorded sites, including Tiho'witz, located between and atop five hills ranging in height from 7 m to 18 m. Our 2023 ground truthing and preliminary excavations suggest that Tiho'witz is a single-period site purposely constructed with a quincunx layout during the Late Classic period. In this report, I discuss the site's structures and main features, our initial excavation results, and the possible implications of the site's quincunx layout. En 2022, un reconocimiento lidar de la Three Rivers Region, realizado por el Belize Estates Archaeological Survey Team, identific & oacute; varios yacimientos no registrados anteriormente, entre ellos Tiho'witz, situado entre y sobre cinco colinas con alturas que oscilan entre los 7 y 18 m. Nuestras verificaciones de campo y excavaciones preliminares del 2023 sugieren que Tiho'witz es un yacimiento de un solo per & iacute;odo, construido intencionadamente con un dise & ntilde;o en quincunce durante el per & iacute;odo Cl & aacute;sico tard & iacute;o. En este reporte, discuto las estructuras y las principales caracter & iacute;sticas del sitio, los resultados de nuestras excavaciones iniciales y las posibles implicaciones de su dise & ntilde;o en forma de quincunce.
In this article, we analyze Lacandon Maya communication with nonhuman persons (deities) residing in ancient Maya ruins in the lowlands of Chiapas, Mexico, and Pet & eacute;n, Guatemala. Through archaeological and ethnographic evidence, we examine ruined sites in the ritual landscape where Lacandon Maya have undertaken religious pilgrimages. We discuss Lacandon perceptions of ruins within the anthropological contexts of animism, pantheistic religions, and communicating places. Lacandon Maya consider materials and living things to be permeated by unifying life forces (k'uh, kuxa'an, and pixan) and perceive ancient ruins as a living landscape invisible to human eyes but necessary for their social life, health, subsistence, and community prosperity. These sites are not ruins but the houses of nonhuman persons: Lacandon have to visit these sites and their owners directly to persuade them to help humans. Lacandon beliefs in ruins may explain the importance of ruined sites in Mesoamerican societies, particularly among Postclassic Maya who also undertook ritual visits to ruins to burn incense and leave offerings. Analizamos la comunicaci & oacute;n que los mayas lacandones tienen con personas no-humanas (deidades) que residen en las ruinas de los mayas antiguos en las tierras bajas de Chiapas, M & eacute;xico, y Pet & eacute;n, Guatemala. Seg & uacute;n la evidencia arqueol & oacute;gica y etnogr & aacute;fica, examinamos estos sitios en el paisaje ritual donde los mayas lacandones han hecho peregrinaciones religiosas a trav & eacute;s el tiempo. Tambi & eacute;n discutimos las percepciones lacandonas sobre los sitios arqueol & oacute;gicos frecuentemente llamados "ruinas", dentro de los contextos antropol & oacute;gicos de animismo y pante & iacute;smo de las religiones mesoamericanas. Desde esta perspectiva ind & iacute;gena, todas las cosas materiales y los seres vivos est & aacute;n unificados por fuerzas vitales y esp & iacute;ritus sagrados (k'uh, kuxa'an, y pixan). Los lacandones han percibido a las antiguas ruinas como parte del paisaje vivo, invisible a los ojos humanos, pero necesario para su vida social, su salud, su subsistencia y la prosperidad comunal. La gente tiene que visitar estos sitios rituales para comunicarse con sus due & ntilde;os no humanos para convencerles de dar a los humanos las cosas que necesitan. Adem & aacute;s, es posible que las creencias lacandonas en las ruinas y en las fuerzas sagradas que viven all & iacute;, ayuden a explicar la importancia de los sitios arqueol & oacute;gicos en las sociedades mesoamericanas, especialmente para las culturas mayas del poscl & aacute;sico, que hicieron visitas rituales a las ruinas para dejar incensarios y ofrendas.
Caleta Huel & eacute;n-42 is a key site for understanding the emergence of architecture and social complexity among maritime hunter-gatherers of the Atacama Desert. Despite its importance, stratigraphic and contextual data have remained limited and difficult to integrate into regional syntheses since research was interrupted 50 years ago. This study resumes work at the site and reconstructs its formation sequence using new geomatic, stratigraphic, and radiocarbon data obtained through low-impact methods. Adopting a sediment-centered approach, we offer a detailed stratigraphic analysis and propose a sequence that diverges from the traditional "village" model historically attributed to this settlement. Results show that (1) the site is larger than previously recognized, (2) the shell midden predates architecture, (3) the use-construction phase of the architecture did not produce extensive domestic deposits but rather construction-related strata, and (4) the structures were intentionally covered with sediment, suggesting closure rituals. Overall, the results demonstrate that there was a complex interplay of architectural, sedimentary, and funerary practices, driven by socially orchestrated depositional acts. These insights offer new perspectives on the role of architecture among hunter-gatherer societies along the Atacama coast.
Research was carried out over four field seasons at the Paynes Creek Salt Works, Belize, to evaluate the organization of ancient Maya salt production. Excavations and mapping sea-floor artifacts at Ta'ab Nuk Na and Ek Way Nal revealed distinct patterns of artifacts associated with salt kitchens and residences. Salt production at both salt works focused on boiling brine in clay pots over fires inside buildings to make salt cakes, with abundant briquetage (broken salt pottery) indicating the pots were broken before transport, similar to ethnographic accounts at Sacapulas, Guatemala. Excavations at Jay-yi Na revealed open bowls and a lack of trade goods, different from the other sites. The results indicate that by the Late Classic there was surplus household production of salt by local salt workers. They were integrated into a variety of exchange systems, providing salt in exchange for other commodities. La investigaci & oacute;n se llev & oacute; a cabo durante cuatro temporadas de campo en las Salinas de Paynes Creek, Belice, para evaluar la organizaci & oacute;n de la producci & oacute;n de sal maya. Las excavaciones y el mapeo de artefactos del fondo marino en Ta'ab Nuk Na y Ek Way Nal, que datan del Cl & aacute;sico tard & iacute;o al terminal, revelaron patrones distintivos de artefactos asociados con cocinas y residencias de sal. La producci & oacute;n de sal en ambas salinas se centr & oacute; en hervir salmuera en vasijas de barro sobre fuegos dentro de los edificios para hacer tortas de sal, con abundantes briquetajes (cer & aacute;mica de sal rota) que indican que las vasijas se rompieron antes del transporte. Las excavaciones en Jay-yi Na revelaron abundantes cuencos abiertos y ausencia de bienes comerciales, a diferencia de los otros sitios. Los resultados de la excavaci & oacute;n y los an & aacute;lisis indican que hubo un excedente de producci & oacute;n de sal en el hogar por parte de los trabajadores locales. Para el Cl & aacute;sico tard & iacute;o, estaban bien integrados en una variedad de sistemas de intercambio, proporcionando sal a cambio de otros productos.
