Investigating Preclassic Invisible Structures at El Mirador, Guatemala

Summary

This is an abstract from the "From Origins to Collapses:  New Insights in the Cultural and Natural Processes of the Mirador-Calakmul Karst Basin" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Invisible structures present serious, and difficult to solve challenges for Mayanists. Understanding the place of invisible structures in overall settlement patterns is essential because of their potentially enormous impact on demographic estimates and implications for resource use. Despite a generation of research, we know little about the prevalence, history, or range of uses of Classic period invisible structures. We know far less about Preclassic invisible structures. Invisible structures are widespread at El Mirador, usually consisting of packed, earthen floors associated with Preclassic ceramics, post holes and evidence of perishable superstructures, but their true extent is unknown due to complications of wide horizontal excavations in dense tropical forest. Excavations of invisible structures at El Mirador reveal a range of construction methods and possible uses, and sometimes complicated sequences of construction. This paper discusses attempts to sample invisible structures, comparing GPR and random testing, and excavation of a series of hidden structures within the urban core of El Mirador.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• From Origins to Collapses:  New Insights in the Cultural and Natural Processes of the Mirador-Calakmul Karst Basin

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53551