Recent Research in the Petén Lakes Region, Petén, Guatemala

Part of: Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Recent Research in the Petén Lakes Region, Petén, Guatemala" at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Over the past decade, the Petén Lakes region of Petén, Guatemala, has been the location of a number of archaeological projects. The new research includes lidar and photogrammetry surveys and associated ground-truthing, which have uncovered new sites and updated those previously mapped. In addition, new excavations at Nixtun-Ch’ich’, Muralla de Leon, and Tayasal have refined site chronologies and revealed details about life in the region from the Middle Preclassic to colonial period. Major topics of investigation have included urbanization, site planning, and state formation in the Middle and Late Preclassic periods, and resettlement during the colonial period.

Other Keywords
Maya: Preclassic • Architecture • Zooarchaeology • Settlement patterns • Maya: Classic • Subsistence and Foodways • Digital Archaeology: GIS • Mobility • Landscape Archaeology • digital archaeology

Geographic Keywords
United Mexican States (Country) • Belize (Country) • North America (Continent) • Peten (State / Territory) • Yucatan (State / Territory) • Orange Walk (State / Territory) • Cayo (State / Territory) • Corozal (State / Territory) • Belize (State / Territory) • Stann Creek (State / Territory)

Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-8 of 8)

  • Documents (8)
Documents
  • The 2022 Petén Lakes Lidar/GPS Georectification Project (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Marc Wolf.

    This is an abstract from the "Recent Research in the Petén Lakes Region, Petén, Guatemala" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Remotely sensed lidar data has proven to be a boon for Maya archaeology, from its beginnings at Caracol in Belize, Copan in Honduras, to consortiums of various archaeological projects like Salinas de los Nueve Cerros, La Corona, Holmul, and elsewhere. In a relatively simple regiment of sensing, detailed cartographic maps can be...

  • Accuracy, Precision, and Efficiency: Comparing Mapping Techniques in Nixtun-Ch’ich’, Petén, Guatemala (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Gabriela Zygadlo.

    This is an abstract from the "Recent Research in the Petén Lakes Region, Petén, Guatemala" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. New archaeological survey technologies have transformed the way in which sites are mapped. Nixtun-Ch’ich’ in Petén, Guatemala, has been surveyed in a variety of ways including a theodolite with an electronic distance measurement (EDM), total station, lidar, and photogrammetry. This paper aims to compare various mapping...

  • Fauna from Sinkholes at the Site of Nixtun-Ch’ich’ (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Jemima Georges.

    This is an abstract from the "Recent Research in the Petén Lakes Region, Petén, Guatemala" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Petén Lakes region of Petén, Guatemala, sits on karst bedrock and is home to a series of lake chains, the largest of which is Lake Petén Itzá. Nixtun-Ch’ich’ lies on the lake’s western arm. The lowland’s limestone topography allows for high drainability of water resulting in scarce surface hydrology. Aside from the few...

  • The Historical Ecology of the Postclassic Itza Maya in Lake Petén Itzá (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Yuko Shiratori. Carolyn Freiwald.

    This is an abstract from the "Recent Research in the Petén Lakes Region, Petén, Guatemala" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Petén lakes region, Guatemala, has a rich and diverse ecology and abundant locally available resources including terrestrial, amphibious, and aquatic animals. The Postclassic (1100–1525 CE) sites in this region are mainly located on the lakeshore, suggesting that the Postclassic people were attracted to the lakeshore...

  • The Late Preclassic Monumental Foundation of Nixtun-Ch’ich’, Petén, Guatemala (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Evelyn Chan.

    This is an abstract from the "Recent Research in the Petén Lakes Region, Petén, Guatemala" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The archaeological site of Nixtun-Ch’ich’, Petén, Guatemala, exhibits urban planning different from “typical” Maya cities. In addition to its urban density and gridded layout, it possesses large monumental architecture along its central axis that distinguished it as a prominent city during the Preclassic period. This axis...

  • Metabolomic Residue Studies of Foodways in the Motul de San José Polity, Petén, Guatemala (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Lisa Duffy. Kitty Emery. Antonia Foias.

    This is an abstract from the "Recent Research in the Petén Lakes Region, Petén, Guatemala" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The subject of ancient Maya cuisine continues to fascinate researchers, but little is known about the “recipes” that may have been used by different people at different times across the Maya world. This study takes a metabolomic approach to residue analysis to compare flavors and preparation methods during the occupation of...

  • Middle Preclassic Settlements in the Petén Lakes Region of Guatemala (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Timothy Pugh.

    This is an abstract from the "Recent Research in the Petén Lakes Region, Petén, Guatemala" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Proyecto Itza has recently resurveyed a large area to the south of Lake Petén Itzá in Petén, Guatemala, extending from Lake Salpeten to Laguna Perdida. The work utilized a variety of methods including total station mapping, photogrammetry, and lidar (conducted by the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping). The goal of the...

  • Surveillance, Fortification, and Movement around the Petén Lakes (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Justin Bracken.

    This is an abstract from the "Recent Research in the Petén Lakes Region, Petén, Guatemala" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The physical movement of people across the terrain is implicit to notions of migration, trade, and warfare. Numerous factors determine the specific paths taken by individuals and groups in motion, some physical and others conceptual. Tracing the physical conduits and limitations to travel across a particular landscape will...