INVESTIGACIONES ARQUEOLÓGICAS EN LAS UNIDADES HABITACIONALES DE ISLA CILVITUK, CAMPECHE, MEXICO

Summary

With the permission of the Consejo de Arqueología, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, intensive archaeological survey, instrument mapping, and test excavations were carried out at Isla Cilvituk from 1994 to 1996. Isla Cilvituk is a large aggregated site, 50 hectares in size, located on an island in Laguna Silvituc and situated in a lacustrine zone that runs to the south from Lake Mocu, Campeche, to the Peten Lakes, Guatemala.

We completed a 100 percent full-coverage survey of the entire island and mapped an area of 60 hectares. Over 300 structures and features were recorded, and a systematic unaligned random sample of 280 test pits, 50x50 cm in size, was excavated. Four larger test excavations, 2x2m in size, were also placed in contexts that yielded stratigraphic and chronological information. All earth was screened through 6mm mesh. Recovered material included ceramics, chert, obsidian, freshwater and marine shell, zooarchaeological remains, and metal. All artifact collections with the exception of the zooarchaeological assemblage were curated at the Centro INAH Campeche. The zooarchaeological remains were loaned to the PI's laboratory in New Mexico State University for detailed study with the permission of the Consejo de Arqueologia, INAH. A subset of avian and fish remains were sent to the Florida Museum of Natural History for specialized zooarchaeological analyses.

Results of the investigation and analysis have been published as peer reviewed journals and book chapters, technical reports, New Mexico State University Master's theses and research reports, and as presentations and posters at professional archaeological conferences in Mexico and the US.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Rani T. Alexander Digital Archive

Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Radiocarbon Date: 1324 to 387 (14C Age BP, 9 radiocarbon dates from animal bone)

Calendar Date: 600 to 1500 (Architecture and Ceramics)

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Principal Investigator(s): Rani T Alexander

Record Identifiers

Consejo de Arqueologia, Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia (INAH)(s): Oficio #: C.A. 401-36/492, C.A. 401-36/188, C.A.401-36/427

New Mexico State University, Institutional Review Board, Human Subjects Research(s): Permit 5711 (expedited) 2003

Notes

General Note: This archaeological project was not born digital.

Source Collections

All artifact collections are curated and housed in Mexico by the Centro INAH Campeche, with the exception of the zooarchaeological assemblage, housed at New Mexico State University and the University of Florida Museum of Natural History, under permit from the Consejo de Arqueologia, INAH.