Ritual and Cultural Process in the E-Group Complex at Holtun, Guatemala

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Holtun: Investigations at a Preclassic Maya Center" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In this paper we present data from investigations of Group F, or the E-group complex at Holtun, Guatemala. Named for the group at Uaxactun where this specific architectural compound was first identified, the Holtun E-group contains a large pyramidal structure to the west and a range structure to the east. First believed to be celestial observatories, E-groups are now known to have functioned in many ways involving gatherings of large groups of people, including agricultural and other rituals, possible markets, and royal ascension ceremonies. Here we combine various lines of evidence to show that E-group ritual activity reflected significant events in the history of Holtun, including its founding as a sacred site during the Middle Preclassic period, the possible establishment of kingship by the Late Preclassic period, warfare and abandonment at the close of the Terminal Preclassic period, and repopulation and renaissance during the Late Classic period. While the Holtun E-group demonstrates connection with a larger tradition of lowland Maya ritual practices, it also displays local innovation. This leads us to argue that the study of Maya E-groups must focus on differences as much as similarities, in an effort to reveal important regional cultural manifestations of larger interregional ritual practices.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Holtun: Investigations at a Preclassic Maya Center   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39203.0