Artificial Pools at Middle Preclassic period Nixtun-Ch’ich’, Petén, Guatemala

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Past, Present, and Future of Water Supplies" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Recent work at Nixtun-Ch’ich’, Petén, Guatemala has revealed several artificial ponds. Many of the pools occurred naturally but were enhanced through the construction of floors and walls and the manipulation of groundwater flow. Some of the pools contained large ritual deposits, including ceramic sherds, animal bones, greenstone objects, and roller stamps. However, others did not appear to have held such deposits. Two of the pools and at least 21 buildings, including three E-Groups and a triadic group, formed the site’s east-to-west axis urbis. This row of constructions dominates the landscape of Nixtun-Ch’ich’. One of the two axial pools also borders an essential north-to-south avenue, which divides the city into quadrants along with the axis urbis. Thus, this pool, along with an adjacent temple, form the conceptual center of the city. Thus, the pools were critical to the sacred landscape of Nixtun-Ch’ich’.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Past, Present, and Future of Water Supplies   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38724.0