Dzibanché: The Capital of the Kaanul (Snake) Kingdom Seen through Lidar

Summary

This is an abstract from the "New Light on Dzibanché and on the Rise of the Snake Kingdom’s Hegemony in the Maya Lowlands" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Dzibanché is an archaeological zone in southern Quintana Roo encompassing several large ceremonial complexes, Dzibanché, Tutil, Kinichna and Lamay connected by causeways. According to contemporary texts, it was the early capital of the Kaanul (Snake) kingdom with vast hegemonic influence across the Classic Maya Lowlands. Ichkabal is a large Preclassic ceremonial center located 11 km NE of Dzibanché. These sites are central to ongoing debates regarding the place of origin of the Snake dynasty and the nature of its political influence beyond southern Quintana Roo. Here we present the preliminary results of a lidar survey over Dzibanché, Ichkabal, and neighboring areas. The new data reveal several new features including extensive residential and agricultural areas, several new causeways and outer ceremonial complexes. These data suggest a greater development of monumental architecture in the Dzibanché zone than previously known and a high degree of integration between urban zones (Dzibanché), rural zones, and outer ceremonial centers (e.g., Ichkabal) since the Preclassic period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• New Light on Dzibanché and on the Rise of the Snake Kingdom’s Hegemony in the Maya Lowlands   •
• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33496