The Urban Grid: Connecting Water Management and City Organization in Nixtun-Ch'ich'

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Hydro-Ecological System of the Maya in Petén, Guatemala" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Nixtun-Ch'ich', a Middle Preclasssic settlement along Lake Peten Itza is known for its city organization. Nixtun-Ch'ich' has been surveyed in a variety of ways including a theodolite with an electronic distance measurement (EDM), total station, lidar, and photogrammetry. These various maps of Nixtun-Ch'ich' show how the central axis, urban grid, and fosas, i.e., the water management and city planning, work with the natural topography to protect it from the elements and to encourage social interaction. As a result, these public goods further demonstrate how Nixtun-Ch'ich' was a "collectively organized city center," with less of a focus on leadership and more of a focus on tying citizens/occupants to the city.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)   •
• Hydro-Ecological System of the Maya in Petén, Guatemala

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38795.0