Same Space Different Face: Recent Investigations at Xunantunich, Group D

Summary

Xunantunich Group D, an elite residential unit, has a fascinating history of construction and reuse between two temporally separated occupations. The group is set apart from other Xunantunich residential units by a sacbe connecting it to the site core and a large ancestor shrine acting as the architectural focal point of the group. The past three years of research at Group D has focused on the Late Classic ancestor shrine and the open courtyard directly in front of the structure with the goal of gaining insight to the earliest construction and changing use of this ritual space. Recent investigations have revealed Late/Terminal Preclassic constructions including a large courtyard platform and an early structure beneath the later ancestor shrine. This paper will discuss Group D’s reoccupation, the drastic alteration of the courtyard construction which took place during Xunatunich’s fluorescence in the Late Classic, and how this reuse and modification potentially served sociopolitical functions at Xunantunich.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Ellos fueron lo que hicieron: Actividades de la elite y grupos no elitarios en las tierras bajas mayas   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage