Aguada Fénix

Aguada Fénix

Mexico · Tabasco

Temple / ritual siteExcavation ongoing
Approximate period1,200 BCE — 700 BCEEarly and Middle Preclassic; approximate dates See on the map ↓

In brief

Excavations at Aguada Fénix, identified through LiDAR surveys, uncovered a very large platform and ceremonial offerings. Raised roads, canals, and a dam indicate that the site was planned on a large scale.

What was found?

  • 1Large artificial platform

    The platform is 1,400 meters long and 10–15 meters high. A study based on radiocarbon data dates its construction to 1000–800 BCE.

  • 2Cross-shaped offering pit

    An offering assemblage containing ceremonial objects was found in the cross-shaped pit. According to researchers, its arrangement is related to a design representing the structure of the universe.

  • 3Jade axes

    The jade axes found during excavation were identified by researchers as ceremonial objects. They are thought to have possibly been deposited during later visits to the offering area.

  • 4Figurative jade ornaments

    The carved ornaments include depictions of a crocodile and a bird. According to researchers, another figure may depict a woman giving birth.

  • 5Pigments arranged by direction

    Piles of blue, green, and yellowish mineral pigments were found in a smaller cross-shaped arrangement at the bottom of the pit. Researchers state that these were positioned in relation to the cardinal directions.

What does it point to?

Aguada Fénix shows that very large communal construction projects were carried out in the early history of the Maya region. According to researchers, the arrangement of offerings reflects a conception of the universe expressed through directions and colors.

What did it teach us?

  1. Called into question the model in which Maya civilization developed from small settlements to large monuments only slowly and gradually.
  2. According to researchers, showed that large communal structures could be built even when evidence of pronounced social inequality was limited.
  3. Provided direct archaeological evidence of ceremonial pigments being positioned in relation to directions.

Images

Aguada Fénix
Takeshi Inomata · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

Research published in 2025 reported that cross-shaped offerings and pigments associated with cardinal directions supported the interpretation that the site's design represented the cosmic order.

Record

Culture
Early Maya world
First modern dig
2017
Team / historical
Takeshi Inomata ve Daniela Triadan; Usumacinta Medio Arkeoloji Projesi, Arizona Üniversitesi
Coordinates
17.8038°, -91.1477°

Sources

  1. nature.com
  2. news.arizona.edu
  3. discovery.ucl.ac.uk
  4. stri.si.edu
  5. mapcarta.com
  6. Nature — araştırmanın PubMed'deki özeti

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