Ucanal

K’anwitznal

Guatemala · Petén

Ancient cityExcavation ongoing
Approximate period800 BCE — 1,521 CEMiddle Preclassic–Postclassic Maya periods; approximate span of archaeological use See on the map ↓

In brief

Ucanal, on the banks of the Mopán River, is a Maya city where dwellings, ceremonial structures, and water infrastructure have been excavated. While many neighboring centers declined, the city continued to thrive as an important political center at the end of the Classic period.

What was found?

  • 1Deposit of burial remains in K-2

    A deposit containing burned bones and ornaments was found in the construction fill of the temple pyramid. Remains belonging to at least four adults made it possible to investigate the later reworking of earlier burials.

  • 2Greenstone mosaic mask fragments

    A nose piece and mosaic fragments belonging to a funerary mask were identified. According to researchers, the mask supports the deposit's connection with an earlier royal tomb.

  • 3Greenstone jewelry fragments

    Among the beads, pendants, plaques, and mosaic fragments are examples bearing traces of burning. The worked jewelry reflects the funerary furnishings of earlier elites.

  • 4Shell beads

    Numerous shell beads were found in the deposit. These show the variety of materials in the burial furnishings.

  • 5Obsidian objects

    The finds include large blades, mosaic fragments, and hemispherical obsidian objects. Two polished pieces were identified as the mask's pupils.

What does it point to?

According to researchers, the burning of remains removed from an earlier royal tomb may have been a political ceremony severing ties with the previous dynasty. Ucanal's continued development during the same period shows that Maya cities followed different historical paths.

What did it teach us?

  1. Radiocarbon data showed that at least one person had died before the burning event.
  2. According to researchers, intervention in the former dynasty's tomb may have been used in establishing a new political order.
  3. Documented that Ucanal remained a thriving political center while some southern Maya cities declined.

Images

Carved altar at Maya site of Caracol, Belize, showing captives from Bital and Ucanal
Dennis G. Jarvis · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

A study published in 2024 interpreted burned human remains and funerary ornaments found during the 2022 excavation as evidence of a ceremony targeting the remains of the former dynasty that may have been linked to political change.

Record

Culture
Maya
Team / historical
Proyecto Arqueológico Ucanal; Université de Montréal ve Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala
Coordinates
16.8447°, -89.3739°

Sources

  1. ucanal-archaeology.com
  2. ucanal-archaeology.com
  3. cambridge.org
  4. onlinelibrary.wiley.com
  5. peabody.harvard.edu

Nearby excavations


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12.000

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