Middle Preclassic Greenstone Caches from Paso del Macho, Yucatan

Summary

Complex ritual deposits dating to the Middle Preclassic period are rarely encountered in Yucatan, and typically have only been recovered from disturbed contexts. Excavations along the center axes in the plaza of the Middle Preclassic village of Paso del Macho in the Puuc region of Yucatan have yielded a series of offerings spanning from the early Middle Preclassic to the cusp of the Late Preclassic. Three different floor sequences were each associated with several offerings. The forms of the nine pottery vessels recovered from the cache are quite unique compared to types normally encountered in Middle Preclassic contexts from the Puuc region. These include a bucket, miniature bowls and dishes, and cacao serving vessels. Several of these vessels contained large greenstone axes and basalt, while another contained a perforated greenstone plaque. Upon reaching sterile soil, a massive pile of basalt fragments was found, under which three large east-oriented greenstone axes were recovered. This greenstone cache bears strong resemblance to other Middle Preclassic place-making deposits from the Maya lowlands, including Ceibal, Cahal Pech, and Cival. Its presence indicates the Northern Lowlands were embedded in the same expansive Mesoamerican trade networks as elsewhere in the Maya world.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22422