Mixco Viejo – Guatemala

Posted on 28/07/2023 by Michael

Mixco Viejo

Location

This is one of the most representative Postclassic archaeological sites in the Guatemalan Highlands. Its architecture and landscape combine to make it one of the finest exponents of a defensive site or fortress city from the last period of the pre-Hispanic period. It is situated on a plateau surrounded by deep ravines, 61 km north of the present-day Guatemala City.

The confluence of the rivers Motagua and Pixcaya flows in deep ravines all around the site. The predominate climate is hot and dry, and the vegetation is of the thicket type. The site, which covers an area of approximately 1 km and stands 880 m above sea level, contains over 100 structures distributed in several groups designated by letters. Each group consists of one or more temples, several platforms for supporting large houses or palaces, and a ball court, all situated around enclosed or open plazas.

Pre-Hispanic history

According to Fuentes and Guzman, the fortress at Mixco Viejo was a virtually impregnable military bastion due to its location and magnificent defensive position. However, following cruel battles waged on the plains around the site, a group of prisoners revealed a secret access to the Spaniards, enabling them to take the defenders of the fort unawares and defeat them in a campaign led by Pedro de Alvarado.

The ruins of Mixco Viejo were identified by Karl Sapper, who visited the site at the end of the 19th century. The next visitor was A. L. Smith, who included it in his book Archaeological Reconnaissance in Central America, and in a chapter in his Handbook of Middle American Indians. The first excavations were conduced by Henri Lehmann of the Franco-Guatemalan Mission in 1954. According to historical records, the site was the capital of the Pocomam kingdom, whose present-day descendants live in the town of Mixco. However, a detailed ethno-historic research project led by Robert Carmack proved that Mixco Viejo was the capital of the Chajoma Maya, a group belonging to the Caqchikel race, whose present-day home is the town of San Martin Jilotepeque. Carmack believed the correct name of the site to be Jilotepeque Viejo, and that the Pocomam capital was the ruin known as Chinautla Viejo, not far from the present-day Zone 6 in Guatemala City. However, out of habit, this important site has continued to be known as the ruins of Mixco Viejo.

Site description

The site is divided into groups designated by the letters A to F, the principal precincts being A, B and C, corresponding to the most important lineages. The other three groups were largely peripheral. Another six groups, smaller in size than the former, are scattered around the edges of the site. In general, the temple structures faced the west, although there are variations, while the platforms supporting the largest houses faced the banks of the ravines. Both the temple structures and the elongated platforms were surmounted by constructions made out of perishable materials. The principal material used at Mixco Viejo was slate or schist for the external face of the walls and a clay and pumice mixture for the filling. The facades of the most important buildings were decorated with stucco and then painted, and in certain cases there must have been murals, although none of these have survived. Even the floors of the ball courts may have been covered by a layer of stucco. The tallest buildings corresponded to the temples – nine in total – some of which stood 8 m high. The most representative were the double temples or twin pyramid platforms, which recall the architectural style of the Mexican plateau during the Postclassic. The elongated platforms that supported the ‘large houses’ can be found in each principal group, forming plazas. These had numerous accesses formed by sloping balustrades with vertical finial blocks. The ball courts were of the closed, I-variety. Wide and extremely long, they were accessed by stairways at both ends. The parallel walls sloped, in the talud style, with vertical finial blocks, and they were lined with benches. The markers, embedded in the top of the walls, were stone carved butts in the shape of a serpent head, with an anthropomorphic head emerging from the open mouth.

Group A

This is situated in the north-eastern section of the site and consists of a series of buildings distributed around two plazas, the most predominant constructions being the elongated platforms. There is a temple platform with a double stairway in the middle of one of the plazas and a sunken ball court in relation to the level of the plaza. One of the plazas contains various small shrines and a series of small platforms for supporting dwellings made of perishable materials.

Group B

This is situated in the middle of the site on a large plateau surrounded by small ravines. It consists of several structures distributed around a large enclosed plaza which includes twin temples, 6 m high, platforms for palaces or large houses, shrines and another sunken ball court. Larger than the former ball court, this construction is 44.5 m long and 9 m wide between the benches and 17 m at the ends. Except for one platform with four access stairways, the others have only two or a single stairway. Its most outstanding characteristic is a large retaining wall to the south, which reinforced the hill on which the group stands.

Group C

This is situated further west and has an uneven appearance in relation to the former groups. It is divided into two sub-groups of structures which run east-west, the principal constructions being Pyramid Cl, built in several stages and standing 6 m high, and Platform C2. The latter is the largest building at the site, measuring 47×14 m and standing over 4 m high. It is composed of two tiers with several stairways on the top tier. Further to the north, behind this large platform, are various other structures, possibly corresponding to a residential group.

Edgar Carpio

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, pp488-490.

Mixco Viejo

1. Group A; 2. Group B; 3. Group C; 4. Group D; 5. Group E; 6. Ball Court; 7. Double Pyramid.

How to get there;

A bus passes along 1A Avenida at its junction with the PanAmerican Highway in Trébol. This is the starting point for buses to Antigua and other routes heading north. There’s a bus whose destination is Pachalum which passes through at around 09.15 (it might be early or late). Ask the lad who’s there everyday (so he told me) for more information. Q25 each way. There’s a bus which passes the approach road to the ruins returning to Guatemala City at 15.00 and 16.30, more or less.

GPS:

14d 52’ 26” N

90d 39’ 45” W

Entrance:

Q50

Iximche – Tecpán – Guatemala

Posted on 28/07/2023 by Michael

Iximche

Iximche – Tecpán

Location

The archaeological site is situated 90 km from Guatemala city, in the department of Chimaltenango, and 5 km from the town of Tecpán. It occupies an upland area some 2,260 m above sea level, and the predominant climate is therefore mild to cold. The Iximche citadel sits atop a hill called Ratzamut, surrounded by deep ravines. Coniferous forests, principally pine and cypress, are the predominant vegetation. There is usually a cool wind blowing which on striking the trees produces a pleasant, relaxing sound. Iximche is a Caqchikel word meaning ‘place of maize trees’, the predominant species in the central Guatemalan Highlands. This city was the capital of the Caqchikel kingdom between the late 15th and early 16th centuries. It was founded in 1470, after the Caqchikel Maya, the former allies of the K’iche’s, were expelled from their land as a result of various internal conflicts. In keeping with the Postclassic custom, they sought a base on a high plateau with defensive properties, in the middle of a fertile crop-growing region populated with woodlands. This base soon gained a larger population.

Pre-Hispanic history

The prosperity of Iximche was relatively short, lasting only 60 years, because despite its territorial expansion, particularly towards the rich resources on the south coast of Guatemala, the Spanish Conquest led to its abandonment and destruction. The Spaniards were initially received as allies by the Caqchikel monarchs Belehe Qat and Cahi Imox, but the alliance was short lived and the settlers left the city, which was subsequently burned and abandoned by the Spaniards. It was here that the first colonial city in Guatemala was founded, called Santiago de Guatemala, on 25 July 1524. On subsequently being abandoned, the city was transferred on three occasions to different sites, eventually ending up at the present-day Guatemala City, where it took the name of La Nueva Guatemala de la Asuncion.

Site description

The Iximche citadel was articulated around various semi-enclosed plazas and platforms distributed in an area of approximately 15,000 sq m. It consisted of three principal elements: a temple, a large house and a ball court. It also contained various other details, such as altars, drainage systems, platforms for perishable structures, etc. Each section was connected by access stairways to the different plazas. There were also narrow passageways between the different groups to facilitate the circulation of the population. There were six plazas in total, all with a north-west/south-east orientation, varying slightly in size and containing over 170 structures all together. The plazas were designated archaeologically by means of the capital letters A to F, the largest being Plaza C. Only four of them have been restored. Watchtowers overlooking the surrounding ravines were built at the ends of the plateau on which the site stands. The main access, in the north-west, was preceded by a deep moat and flanked by two elongated structures in the fashion of a defensive wall, 3 m in height.

In terms of the construction materials, local resources such as sedimentary rock and pumice were used, cut into small blocks which were arranged in the fashion of ashlar stones, bonded by a mortar of sand, lime and clay and then covered with stucco. The interior of the structures was filled with mud and pebbles. Perishable materials were also used for walls and ceilings, mainly in the case of dwellings but some temples as well. The shape of the buildings varies according to their function. The temples are the most outstanding constructions and the tallest. They consist of a pyramidal platform with sloping walls and inset corners. A stairway is inset into the middle of the pyramid. At the top of the pyramid is a platform for supporting a construction made out of perishable material, in front of which there is usually a small altar. The facades of these buildings display vertical finial blocks, a characteristic feature of Postclassic architecture.

The ball-court structures are of the enclosed variety and were designed in the shape of the letter I. However, they have access stairways at both ends. The parallel volumes that delimit the court consist of a bench from which rises a vertical wall culminating in a type of platform. There are no visible butt or ring markers as at other sites in the highlands, although Guillemin mentions that various zoomorphic butts were found near structure 24 and may correspond to the missing markers. The total interior length of one of the courts (structure 8 ) is 30 m, with a width of 7 m between the walls, structure 7, another ball court which has not been restored, displays the same dimensions.

The so-called palace, situated in Plaza B, is the largest and most complex architectural structure at Iximche. According to Guillemin, the palace had an original core of approximately 500 sq m and was subsequently extended in all four directions, gaining new constructions with interior courtyards. It also extended upwards, eventually encompassing a surface area in excess of 3,000 sq m. The residential complex includes houses with interior benches and concave hearths, situated around enclosed courtyards with altars in the middle, structure 22 in Plaza A is an example of a large house; it consists of an elongated platform with numerous access stairways and what look like pillars forming the entrances to the interior of the building, which also contained abutted benches. In terms of the altars situated in the courtyards, these vary in shape and size; some of them consist of platforms that resemble miniature temples, while others have a circular plan. Plaza A has the largest number of such altars, six in total, with the majority situated opposite structure 3, a vast temple pyramid. Some of the most notable characteristics of Iximche are the murals that adorned the interior of various dwellings and buildings, as well as certain altars, such as Altar 47 next to structure 2, which displays traces of black, red and green paint. The plazas at the site were clearly associated with the residences of the most important lineages of the Caqchikel society of the 16th century. Plaza B may have accommodated the governors. Nowadays, Iximche has a site museum containing a collection of objects found during the excavations, as well as a scale model of the fortress city and photographs of the excavation process. It also has a car park, public toilets, information panels situated strategically along the itinerary, and wooded areas. Due to the sacred nature of the site, Maya ceremonies are conducted in a structure situated in the plaza furthest away from the entrance. Celebrated with a certain frequency, these rituals attract numerous people.

Edgar Carpio

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, pp490-492.

Iximche

1. Plaza C; 2. Structure 7; 3. Plaza B; 4. Palace; 5. Structure 8; 6. Structure 22.

How to get there;

A combi, with the word Ruinas scrawled on the windscreen, leaves from the main square. It takes you straight to the main entrance to the site. Q5

GPS:

14d 44’ 8” N

90d 59’ 46” W

Entrance:

Q50

Kaminaljuyu – Guatemala City

Posted on 27/07/2023 by Michael

Kaminaljuyu

Kaminaljuyu – Guatemala City

Location

Kaminaljuyu, a K’iche’ word meaning ‘Hill of the Dead’, is situated in the Ermita Valley, the site of the presentday Guatemala City, some 1,500 m above sea level. This was a valley of fertile land and historians believe it was for this reason that it was chosen as the fourth site of the capital after the ancient city was destroyed in Santiago de los Caballeros in 1776. Due to the modern expansion of Guatemala City, nowadays it is difficult to see that it consists of a valley surrounded by deep ravines on the banks of which numerous brooks flowed into streams situated on lower ground. The vegetation was characterised by holm oaks and pines, although only a few pockets of such woodlands have survived to this day. The predominant climate is mild, with two clearly differentiated seasons: a dry one occurring between November and April, and a rainy season between May and October.

Pre-Hispanic history

The earliest occupation of Kaminaljuyu is believed to date from around 1000 BC, although the greatest evidence of its population corresponds to 800 BC (the Middle Preclassic). This was concentrated primarily around the old Lake Miraflores, nowadays completely dry. During this period, the population was well organised and built large clay platforms surmounted by small huts made of perishable material, believed to have been used as temples. Most of the constructions were situated along a north-south axis, a characteristic of Preclassic sites. Evidence has also been found of dwellings and botellones, large holes dug out of the natural ground, sometimes in the shape of a bell, containing debris, tombs and fragments of figurines. The figurines from this period tend to represent naked pregnant women and bear a great similarity to examples found at sites along the south coast, such as La Blanca and La Victoria.

Kaminaljuyu had grown considerably by around 300 BC, extending over a radius of more than 1 km around Lake Miraflores. The lake was clearly important for the Preclassic city as several channels have been found, indicating the hydraulic skills of this society. These channels must have been used for distributing water to the various crop fields located around the site. However, by the end of the Late Preclassic, around AD 300, the lake had dried up, apparently due to a combination of climate changes and over-exploitation. Kaminaljuyu also maintained control over sites situated outside the valley. During the Classic era, its governors sustained ties with Teotihuacan, as evidenced by the ceramics found in several tombs and by some of the architectural styles. There may well have been marriage alliances between the elite classes of Kaminaljuyu and Teotihuacan to reinforce control over the trading networks in the region. Meanwhile, the strategic location of Kaminaljuyu between the Pacific Coast and the Maya lowlands enabled it to play an important trading role within a large region, apparently controlling the trade in obsidian and other important commodities such as jade and cacao. When Teotihuacan collapsed, Kaminaljuyu began to lose power: there are signs of decline in the late Classic era and, despite the presence of a few remains from a small Postclassic occupation, the site finally collapsed around AD 900.

Site description

At the beginning of the 20th century, more than 200 mounds were reported at Kaminaljuyu. Approximately 35 structures can be seen today. Of these, 10 ha belong to the Kaminaljuyu Archaeological Park, situated at 9th Calle A and 30 Avenida A in Zone 7. Two groups have been excavated and exposed for visitors to gain an insight into the typical clay architecture built at the site: the Palangana and the acropolis (Group C-II-4). The Acropolis comprises several constructions and beneath it are the Preclassic embankments corresponding to the earliest occupation of the site. The buildings display the talud-tablero (slope-and-panel) architecture that is characteristics of the Teotihuacan style. The surfaces appear to have been painted red, and it is possible to see the remains of two drains made with stone slabs for controlling the distribution of water inside the building. The constructions at the Acropolis are clad with a special type of concrete which seems to have been made of mouldings and fired prior to its application. The tableros or panels display finely cut two-faced stones and the concrete was applied vertically, denoting a certain expertise. The section of the site known as the palangana also contains remains of the ancient architecture. The excavations uncovered Middle Classic (AD 400-600) constructions, which also contain Teotihuacan-style architecture. Furthermore, the evidence suggests that this area continued to be occupied until the end of the Classic era (c. AD 900), although there are also a few insignificant remains from the Postclassic. Very close to the park, some 500 m to the south-east, stands mound D-III-I , dated to the Late Classic, which displays various tableros inlaid with obsidian; this construction is known as ‘El Chay’, chayal being the Kaqchikel Maya word for this mineral. There are also a few, albeit poorly preserved, clay effigies that once formed part of the small masks adorning the facade.

Monuments

The abundance of volcanic rock around the central valley offered a raw material for making monumental sculptures. It also explains why Kaminaljuyu boasts one of the largest sculptural groups from the Preclassic (800 BC-AD 300). The exact number of monuments at the site is not yet known, but the inventory already lists around one hundred specimens. In addition to the two areas excavated and covered by large roofs to protect the structures, visitors can stroll around the park and see some of the structures covered by grass. There are also a few monuments still in their original location. For example, the Acropolis contains two outstanding monuments: a jaguar with a butt, which represents a ball-court marker and would appear to be one of a pair, the other specimen being Monument 34, currently on display at the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology; and a skull-shaped incense burner associated with Building G. Other monuments at the park include various smooth stelae scattered around the grounds and Stela 26, situated in the lower plaza near the Palangana. This monument displays a sculpted sky band at its base. On the other side of Calle 11 at the park, behind the Palangana, in Building C-III-2, are monuments 42 and 43 associated with a talud-tablero structure. Monument 43 represents a headdress that appears to rise from a platform. Other monuments were found at the park but are now on display at the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (still closed in the summer of 2023).

Barbara Arroyo

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, pp484-486

There’s a small museum just behind the ticket office at the entrance to the park. The places to visit are locked so you might have to wait a few minutes for one of the guardians to take you there.

How to get there:

Take the TransMetro Line 7 from the old town to bus stop Ciudad de Plata II, cross the road on the overpass and then go down 13 Calle until you reach the perimeter of the (fenced) park. Go anti-clockwise around the perimeter to the entrance.