Cronología Cerámica en Cancuén: Historia De Una Ciudad Del Clásico Tardío

Abstract

El sitio arqueológico Cancuén se destaca en el área maya del Clásico Tardío por su localización en el río de la Pasión, entre las Tierras Altas y las Bajas de Guatemala; desde allí la ciudad controló parte del flujo de bienes entre ambas áreas. Esto pudo comprobarse a través de la excavación de un taller de manufactura de artefactos de jade, cuya existencia fue un hecho único en las ciudades de Bajas. El estudio de la cerámica de este sitio presenta un doble reto: primero, ubicar culturalmente, revelando una mezcla de influencias cerámicas procedentes de varias regiones vecinas. Una presentación sintética de la tipología permite vislumbrar la complejidad de las redes de intercambio y producción local de las vasijas. El segundo reto es el de establecer una cronología fina para los apenas 150 años de duración de la ocupación del sitio. La confrontación de la tipología cerámica con los datos epigráficos y los eventos políticos locales, permite establecer una secuencia cronológica completa, una de las primeras para esta zona fronteriza entre Tierras Bajas y Altas.

Economy, Exchange, and Power: New Evidence From the Late Classic Maya Port City of Cancuen

“…These loci include the elite residential complexes near the east port and the southeast port, groups near the northeast port, and at other structures near the palace and even a cache in the palace itself. , 2011Forné et al , 2013Forné and Torres 2010;Forné, Alvarado, and Torres 2011;Torres et al 2013) (see Table 1 for exact statistics; Figure 17 for a distribution map). 2003;Kovacevich 2007Kovacevich , 2013, but with the entire northern port area, other ports, and other contexts but always associated with deposits or constructions dating to the late (a.d. 760-800) chronological periods, as now known from ten more years of site-wide investigations (Demarest et al [eds.]…”

“…Then, between a.d. 720 and 735, it fell under the hegemonic sway of the Petexbatun kingdom. It was precisely in that period, during the reign of the great ruler Taj Chan Ahk (a.d. 757-796), that Cancuen achieved its true apogee, the expansion of its palace, a proliferation of elite architecture, its finest ballcourts, massive obsidian exchange and production, very long-distance imports, and, in its final years ( (Forné, Alvarado, and Torres 2011;Forné et al , 2013Torres et al 2013), there was an apparent change in Cancuen's exchange routes, avoiding the chaos of the Middle Pasión and Usumacinta to the north by emphasis on exchange along the east-west transversal route (Figures 1, 4, and 6), and marked by an influx of ceramics and some lithics from Tabasco and Veracruz. Yet the periods of Cancuen's greatest internationalism and wealth corresponded with the late eighth century and a distinct change in strategy confirmed by artifacts and epigraphy.…”

“…By the late eighth century, Cancuen had an interregional mix of styles in ceramics, architecture, and artifacts. The reach of its connections across Mesoamerica was extraordinary, as indicated by compositional (INAA) tracing of ceramics and sourcing of obsidian and jade (Andrieu, Quiñonez, and Rodas 2010, 2011; Andrieu et al 2011; Bishop et al 2005; Ronald Bishop, personal communication 2011–2013; Forné et al 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013).

Figure 8.Cancuen's central palace: (a) map position of the royal palace of Taj Chan Ahk showing its oversized placement in relation to the epicenter; (b) the Cancuen palace general view; (c) the western royal entryway; (d) one of the many high ostentatious exterior structures of the palace; (e) head of large stucco sculpture figure.

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Ideological Pathways to Economic Exchange: Religion, Economy, and Legitimation at the Classic Maya Royal Capital of Cancuén

“…Both architecture and artifact distributions sug gest lowland Classic elite supervision of port area (e.g., Demarest 2012; Demarest and Andrieu exchange and other economic activities in the site's 2013; see supplemental online bibliography), more peninsular epicenter (Demarest 2012; Demarest and study and evidence on ceramic distribution (e.g., Andrieu 2013;Demarest et al 2009). Perhaps due Forné et al 2010Forné et al , 2011, and reanalysis of all of to control of the loci of arrival of obsidian to the the Cancuénjade and obsidian on a lot-by-lot basis, peninsula, most of the obsidian cores were concen-rather than combined by structure types (e.g., (Andrieu 2009;Andrieu and Quiñonez 2010). vich2006,2007.…”

“…Activities at Cancuén did not involve ther (Wolf and Bracken 2013); investigations in (2)there is only one area ofpro-This number of cores already discovered is much duction and craftsperson residence of any kind thus more than were recovered for the entire Late Clas far identified in the epicenter: the jade preform pro-sic of Tikal-a site many times bigger, with a 60 duction in the midst of elite and other complexes; year excavation sample that is literally hundreds of (3) the late imported fine paste wares are not arti-times larger than that of Cancuén (we are still just san-associated (Kovecevich 2007), but rather have beginning in "Greater Cancuén") (Moholy-Nagy a much wider and more complex distribution, as 2003: Table 3.18, 3.24, 2008: Table 3.006). How well as chronological (e.g., Forné et al 2011) and ever, many of the cores are far from fully spent, interregional significance (e.g., Forné et al 2010). also suggesting long-distance exchange of cores.…”