Fauna from Sinkholes at the Site of Nixtun-Ch’ich’

Summary

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 lakes and streams in the Central Lowlands, ancient inhabitants also relied on sinkholes (aguadas) as sources of water and for ritual use. This presentation involves a summary of recently analyzed animal bones recovered from Nixtun-Ch’ich’’s aguadas and outlines their cultural significance during the Preclassic period. At the time of incipient social complexity, residents at Nixtun-Ch’ich’ relied on social events such as feasting to foment social bonds between local people and outside visitors. The discussion of faunal material also assists in understanding the ecological properties of sinkholes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Recent Research in the Petén Lakes Region, Petén, Guatemala   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36034.0