Holtun: Investigations at a Preclassic Maya Center
Part of: Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)
This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Holtun: Investigations at a Preclassic Maya Center" at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.
This session will detail investigations by the Holtun Archaeological Project (HAP) over the course of almost 10 years of archaeological research in the Maya Lowlands of Guatemala. Our primary focus has been the development of social inequality during the Preclassic period, but we have also investigated other topics such as human resiliency, heterarchy, and power dynamics in the Preclassic and beyond. Papers will cover the history of research at the site in general and focus on recent materials analysis such as fauna, obsidian, and ceramics, as well as methods like geochemical analysis of soils and isotope analysis of human bone. We will also touch on elements of social organization and political and economic control in terms of water management, trade and redistribution, craft production, and commensalism. In addition, we will review conservation recommendations and avenues for future research.
Other Keywords
Maya: Preclassic •
Ritual and Symbolism •
Power •
Political economy •
Geoarchaeology •
Zooarchaeology •
Paleoethnobotany •
Trade and exchange •
Ceramic Analysis •
Craft Production
Geographic Keywords
United Mexican States (Country) •
Peten (State / Territory) •
Yucatan (State / Territory) •
Belize (Country) •
Orange Walk (State / Territory) •
Cayo (State / Territory) •
Corozal (State / Territory) •
Belize (State / Territory) •
Stann Creek (State / Territory) •
Quintana Roo (State / Territory)
Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-8 of 8)
- Documents (8)
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Analysis of the Faunal Remains from Holtun, Guatemala (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Holtun: Investigations at a Preclassic Maya Center" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The site of Holtun is a civic-ceremonial center located in the Petén region of Guatemala, occupied from the Late Middle Preclassic to the Terminal Classic period (600 BCE–900 CE). Excavations conducted between 2010 and 2017 have resulted in a mid-size vertebrate faunal assemblage and a large archaeomalacological assemblage, including...
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Ceramics and Social Process at Holtun, Guatemala (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Holtun: Investigations at a Preclassic Maya Center" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. In this paper we present data from 13 years of pottery research at the Maya site of Holtun, Guatemala. Using results from type: variety classification, attribute studies of paste and form, and chemical composition analysis we outline the sequence at Holtun and relate it to important events in the history of the site and region....
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Changes in Obsidian Procurement and Use from the Preclassic to the Classic Periods at Holtun, Guatemala (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Holtun: Investigations at a Preclassic Maya Center" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Imported obsidian is often representative of regional trade patterns in Meosamerica. Such patterns for the Central Lowland Maya have been documented and allow for comparisons between sites and between periods within a single site. In this paper we compare the procurement and use patterns of obsidian between the Preclassic and Classic...
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Cultural Settlement and Water Management Strategies at Holtun, Guatemala (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Holtun: Investigations at a Preclassic Maya Center" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Water management is intrinsically associated with the development and support of complex societies. Water was a significant source of power among the ancient Maya. Although traditional research characterizes water management as homogeneous and monolithic, recent studies show that it was highly variable and adapted accordingly. The case...
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Geochemical Soil Analysis of Sequential Public and Private Plaster Floor Surfaces from the Maya Site of Holtun (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Holtun: Investigations at a Preclassic Maya Center" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. In this paper we present the results of an exploratory program aimed at providing multi-component soil sampling and analysis of plaster floor surfaces at the Maya site of Holtun, Guatemala. Our research sampled three different plaza settings at the site: the monumental E-Group plaza, an elite residential patio adjacent to the E-Group...
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An Introduction to Archaeology at Holtun, Guatemala (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Holtun: Investigations at a Preclassic Maya Center" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The archaeological site of Holtun, Guatemala has been documented as an intermediate-sized Maya center with occupation spanning the Middle Preclassic through Terminal Classic periods. The site is situated approximately 35 km southwest of Tikal and 12.3 km to the south of Yaxha. The formal site consists of a monumental epicenter built...
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A Paleoethnobotanical Analysis of Ceramic Residues from Caches and Burials at the Lowland Maya Site of Holtun, Guatemala (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Holtun: Investigations at a Preclassic Maya Center" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Among the Maya, plant-based foods were not just important for sustenance but also had ritual meaning, especially emphasized when placed in graves and caches. Food offered during ritual performances created a reciprocal relationship between living individuals, their ancestors, and the gods. This paper presents the paleoethnobotanical...
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Ritual and Cultural Process in the E-Group Complex at Holtun, Guatemala (2024)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the "Holtun: Investigations at a Preclassic Maya Center" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. In this paper we present data from investigations of Group F, or the E-group complex at Holtun, Guatemala. Named for the group at Uaxactun where this specific architectural compound was first identified, the Holtun E-group contains a large pyramidal structure to the west and a range structure to the east. First believed to be celestial...