Early Monuments at the Maya Archaeological site of El Palmar, Campeche, Mexico

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

El Palmar has garnered considerable attention from researchers, primarily due to its numerous carved monuments. In 1936, Sir Eric Thompson’s exploration initially reported 44 stelae and several altars at its Main Group. However, despite sporadic studies conducted by Tatiana Proskouriakoff and others in subsequent decades, systematic research was lacking, impeding a holistic understanding of the significance of those monuments in ancient Maya society.

This paper centers on the three earliest monuments found at El Palmar. Our epigraphic and iconographic analyses of these early monuments provide new insights into Maya dynastic history. Since 2007, the El Palmar Archaeological Project has relocated or newly recorded 38 stelae, 16 altars, a panel, and a hieroglyphic stairway. The studies of Stela 46 suggest that the El Palmar dual-royal titles, sakho’ok wak piit ajaw, can be traced back to at least 125 CE. Stela 20, erected in 514 CE (9.4.0.0.0), documents that the 17th successive ruler stood as k’uhul ibil, “holy bean,” an enigmatic title possibly linked to regional political authority. We conclude that the El Palmar dynasty managed to endure a sociopolitical crisis that unfolded during the Protoclassic period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38538.0