Brigham Young University Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2010-07-12 The Dirt on the Ancient Maya: Soil Chemical Investigations of The Dirt on the Ancient Maya: Soil Chemical Investigations of Ancient Maya Marketplaces Ancient Maya Marketplaces Daniel Aaron Bair Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Animal Sciences Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Bair, Daniel Aaron, "The Dirt on the Ancient Maya: Soil Chemical Investigations of Ancient Maya Marketplaces" (2010). Theses and Dissertations. 2121. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/2121 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected].
98
Embed
The Dirt on the Ancient Maya: Soil Chemical Investigations ...
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Brigham Young University Brigham Young University
BYU ScholarsArchive BYU ScholarsArchive
Theses and Dissertations
2010-07-12
The Dirt on the Ancient Maya: Soil Chemical Investigations of The Dirt on the Ancient Maya: Soil Chemical Investigations of
Ancient Maya Marketplaces Ancient Maya Marketplaces
Daniel Aaron Bair Brigham Young University - Provo
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd
Part of the Animal Sciences Commons
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Bair, Daniel Aaron, "The Dirt on the Ancient Maya: Soil Chemical Investigations of Ancient Maya Marketplaces" (2010). Theses and Dissertations. 2121. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/2121
This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected].
The Dirt on the Ancient Maya: Soil Chemical Investigations of
Ancient Maya Marketplaces
Daniel Aaron Bair
Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences
Master of Science
Various criteria or lines of evidence have been used to identify ancient Maya
marketplaces, including location near trade routes, artifactual evidence of trade, open space adjacent to transportation routes, proximity to public structures, low platforms and rock alignments to denote market spaces, and regular patterns in soil and floor chemical concentrations. Seibal and Mayapán were important economic Maya polities controlling the trade routes at the apex of their civilizations. The objectives of these studies were to apply geochemical and geospatial analyses of the soils and floors from public plazas and household patios, to discover the anthropogenic chemical residues of phosphorus (P) and heavy metals associated with the trade of foodstuffs and workshop items that may have been marketed there. Public access, causeways, reservoirs and a pattern of high P and metal concentrations are consistent with marketing of organic foodstuffs and workshop items within suspected marketplaces of each site. In contrast, geochemical patterns of the soils and floors of household structures are consistent with ceremonial and household activities. Keywords: phosphorus, trace metals, geochemical analysis, geoarchaeology
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Funding for this project came from the Brigham Young University Mentored
Environments Program. This project would not have been possible without the support of
Brigham Young University, in particular the faculty and staff from the Plant and Wildlife
Sciences Department. I especially thank my committee members, Drs. Von Jolley, Eric Jellen
and Brad Geary. My advisor and committee chair, Dr. Richard Terry, has been my professor,
friend and mentor throughout my undergraduate and graduate experiences. I thank him for both
his patience and persistence while guiding me through the completion of this project.
I would like to thank everyone who participated in the collection and analysis of the soil
samples. I am grateful to Bruce Webb, Richard Burnett, Chris Balzotti, Ryan Sweetwood, Eric
Becker, Rachel Bair and Eric Coronel both for their technical and moral support.
I thank all my family and friends, and in particular my parents. I am especially grateful for
my wife, Anna, for her constant support, love and understanding.
The East Palace Court is located east of the Central Plaza in Group A. We
sampled the northern portion of the court, a patio area enclosed by structures A-14, A-15
and A-16 (Figure 2). The area was sampled during the 2006 field season while Takeshi
Inomata and colleagues were excavating palace structure A-16. The P concentration
isopleths of the exposed excavation are plotted in Figure 8. The highest levels of P (180
mg/kg) in the floors of the East Palace Court complex were behind the Palace structure
and are likely the result of waste deposition in a midden off the edge of the platform.
Phosphorus levels between 40 and 60 mg/kg were found at the peripheries of the patio in
front of structure A-15 and along the larger of the two stairways leading up to the patio.
The elevated P concentrations found at the patio edges and low P concentrations at the
center of the patios have been attributed to ancient sweeping patterns that transported
organic material to plaza or patio peripheries (Parnell et al., 2002a; Terry et al., 2004;
Wells, 2004). Deposition of organic residues may have originated from food preparation
and consumption. Willey (1990) described the adjacent structure (A-14) as a locus of
storage and distribution of mano and metate implements with food preparation and
kitchen functions having taken place in or around this complex. Smith (1982) also
reports areas of plaster burned in structures A-14a and b that were likely from fires that
had been placed on the floor of the building.
17
Elevated Fe concentrations are found in a quite distinctive pattern from P and the
other metals in the East Court. Levels of up to 30 mg/kg are found at the west end of the
patio adjacent to structure A-14b (Figure 9). These elevated iron concentrations are
likely the result of mineral paints used in ritual ceremonies or in the decoration of
structure A-14. Wall stones were recovered from in and around structure A-14a with red
stucco. Although no red colored stucco was found in structure A-14b, exposure to
weathering may have removed any visible remains leaving chemical byproducts as the
only indicator of these paints (Tourtellot, 1988). High concentrations of Fe are also
found at the east end of structure A-15 (Figure 9). These concentrations coincide with
elevated P levels and may be associated with food processing.
The highest factor scores from the PCA of the heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, and
Zn) are located atop the western stairway and at the southern end of structure A-16
(Figure 10). As opposed to the Central Plaza, there was no significant correlation
between P and Zn in the East Palace Court. The elevated metal concentrations are most
likely in relation to pigments used in ritual ceremonies (i.e. dedicatory offerings and
burials), and the working of craft materials. A cache and burial were discovered in the
passageway between structures A-14a and A-14b just to the west of the sampled patio
(Smith, 1982). The cache, reported as a dedicatory offering, contained a 3.06 kg jadeite
boulder. The burial contained the skeleton of a young adult accompanied by six pottery
vessels. Structure A-14 also contained substantial quantities of shell artifacts, and
obsidian with Willey suggesting it may have been a place for working obsidian during the
late classic (Willey, 1990).
18
Excavations just east of the edge of the A-16 structure and platform revealed a
midden (Inomata personal communication, 2007). The element isopleths of the exposed
excavation were plotted (Figures 7, 8, and 9) and demonstrated significantly higher
concentrations of P, Fe and metals in the midden than the concentrations from the
structures and platform above. These elevated concentrations are likely due to the
deposition of waste materials from the activities enacted on the platform.
Regression analysis of the element concentrations of the East Court are shown in
Table 3. Phosphorus shows no correlation with Zn, contrary to what is seen in the
Central Plaza. The metals of Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn show a fairly consistent correlation.
Iron is highly negatively correlated with P and shows no correlation with the other
metals. The distinct patterns and correlation of elements (P, Fe, and metals) likely reveal
specific activities done in the different areas of the plaza.
Group C
Relatively high levels of P (up to 197 mg/kg) were found in relation to the patios
and household structures of the elite household in Group C that surround the courtyard
(Figure 11). These elevated P concentrations can be attributed to household/kitchen
waste that is commonly found in areas adjacent to household structures (Fernández et al.,
2002; Parnell et al., 2002a; Wells, 2004). Areas of low P concentrations aligned with the
two entryways to the courtyard one from the east and the other from the south in between
the ballcourt and the open platform. Low P concentrations are also found within the
courtyard itself. These P patterns are expected where ancient sweeping activities
removed organic matter from pathways and patios and deposited it at the peripheries of
19
these areas (Parnell et al., 2002a; Terry et al., 2004; Wells, 2004). The playing alley of
the ball court, also low in P, would have been kept free of organic debris in ancient times.
Elevated Fe and metal concentrations are found in the courtyard floor and in association
with a number of buildings (Figures 12 and 13). These areas may have been dedicated to
workshop activities. Although none of the structures surrounding the courtyard have
been excavated, several structures within Group C have been suggested as kitchens and
production areas where wood, paper, obsidian and textile goods may have been
manufactured and processed leaving chemical traces of these past activities (Tourtellot,
1988). Elevated Fe concentrations are also associated with the ballcourt and structure C-
27 which may be due to paints used in the decoration of many of the structures at Seibal.
A large area that includes platform structure C-25 contains very high
concentrations of P and Fe, 197 mg/kg and 99 mg/kg respectively, including areas of
elevated metal concentrations (Figures 11, 12, and 13). Several authors have suggested
that elevated P and Fe concentrations may be representative of butchering activities,
although no formal studies of such activities have been conducted. There were no
structures associated with the platform and it is possible that processing of animal meats
was responsible for these elemental concentrations.
Table 4 contains a correlation matrix of the extractable elements from the soils
and floors of Group C. Phosphorus is highly significantly correlated with Cd, Cu, Mn,
and Zn. The relation between P and Zn is possibly related to high levels of food
preparation and consumption associated with the household structures. The metals of Fe,
Mn, Pb, Cu and Zn are significantly correlated. This is likely due to the workshop
activities in the manufacturing and production of goods.
20
Conclusion
Seibal is located on the Rio Pasión trade route. Several characteristics of Central
Plaza in Group A including public access, causeways, reservoirs and a pattern of high P
and metal concentrations are consistent with marketing of organic foodstuffs and
workshop items. In contrast, the East Court in Group A is a private secluded area that
lacks public access. Phosphorus concentrations were low in the patio floor and elevated
P concentrations were located behind the palace structure, consistent with household
activities. Elevated heavy metals at certain locations in the patio are consistent with
ceremonial activities. The soils and floors of Group C exhibited elevated P and metal
concentrations at the corners and behind structures. The elemental concentrations within
the group are consistent with household and workshop activities. Phosphorus
concentrations in the floor of the ballcourts in Central Plaza and Group C were low
indicating that the floors were kept free of waste materials. The large public platform (C-
25) in Group C has not been excavated and its purpose is unknown but the floor of the
platform was very high in P and Fe and may have been involved in marketplace or animal
butchering activities.
21
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge the work of Chris Balzotti, Eric Becker, and Valerie Ward in
collecting and analyzing the soil samples. Funding was provided by the Brigham Young
University Mentored Environments Program. Thanks go to the Proyecto Arqueologico
Ceibal-Petexbatun.
22
Table 1. The maximum, minimum, and average concentrations of elements extracted from surface soils and plaza floors. The background levels of extractable elements were estimated by averaging the 10 percent of samples lowest in concentration.
(1997) The mineral and trace element content of Mexican cereals, cereal products,
pulses and snacks: preliminary data. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis
10:312-333.
Sanchez C.A. (2007) Phosphorus, in: A. V. Barker and D. J. Pilbeam (Eds.), Handbook
of Plant Nutrition, CRC Press, Boca Raton pp. 51-90.
Sheets P. (2000) Provisioning the Ceren household: The vertical economy, village
economy, and household economy in the southeastern Maya periphery. Ancient
Mesoamerica 11:217-230.
Smith L.A. (1982) Major Architecture and Caches, in Excavations at Seibal, Department
of Petén, Guatemala, in: G. R. Willey (Ed.), Memoirs of the Peabody Museum of
Archaeology and Ethnology # 15:1, Harvard University, Cambridge.
Terry R.E., Fernández F.G., Parnell J.J., Inomata T. (2004) The story in the floors:
chemical signatures of ancient and modern Maya activities at Aguateca,
Guatemala. Journal of Archaeological Science 31:1237-1250.
Terry R.E., Hardin P.J., Houston S.D., Jackson M.W., Nelson S.D., Carr J., Parnell J.
(2000) Quantitative phosphorus measurement: A field test procedure for
33
archaeological site analysis at Piedras Negras, Guatemala. Geoarchaeology: An
International Journal 15:151-166.
Tourtellot G. (1988) Excavations at Seibal: Peripheral survey and excavation: Settlement
and community patterns. Memoirs of the Peabody Museum, Harvard University,
Cambridge.
Tozzer A.M. (1941) Landa’s relacion de las cosas de Yucatán: A translation, Papers of
the Peabody museum of American archaeology and ethnology, Peabody Museum,
Cambridge.
Vázquez Negrete J., Velázquez R. (1996a) Análisis químico de materiales encontrados en
excavación, dos casos: porta-incensarios tipo Palenque y cinabrio usado en
practicas funerarias The Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute,, San Francisco.
Vázquez Negrete J., Velázquez R. (1996b) Caracterización de materiales constitutivos de
relieves en estucos, morteros, y pintura mural de la zona arqueológica de
Palenque, Chiapas The Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute, San Francisco.
Wells C. (2004) Investigating activity patterning in Prehispanic plazas: Acid-extraction
ICP/AES analysis of anthrosols at Classic period El Coyote, northwest Honduras.
Archaeometry 46:67-84.
Wells E.C., Terry R.E., Parnell J.J., Hardin P.J., Jackson M.W., Houston S.D. (2000)
Chemical analyses of ancient anthrosols in residential areas at Piedras Negras,
Guatemala. Journal of Archaeological Science 27:449-462.
Willey G.R. (1990) General Summary and Conclusions, in: G. R. Willey (Ed.),
Excavations at Siebal, Department of Peten, Guatemala, Memoirs of the Peabody
34
Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University Press, Cambridge,
Massachusetts. pp. 181-276.
Wurtzburg S.J. (1991) Sayil: Investigations of urbanism and economic organization at an
ancient Maya city., Statue University of New York, Albany.
The image cannot be displayed. Your computer may not have enough memory to open the image, or the image may have been corrupted. Restart your computer, and then open the file again. If the red x still appears, you may have to delete the image and then insert it again.
Figure 1 – Map of the site center of Seibal and its location in Guatemala. The sampling locations in Group A, C and East Court are outlined.
35
Figure 2. Detailed map of the Central Plaza in Group A of Seibal. The structure labels are shown.
36
Figure 3. Detailed map of the East Court in Group A of Seibal. The structure labels are shown.
37
Figure 4. Detailed map of the Causeways, elite household (C-1 through 7) the ballcourt (C-9) and public platform C-25 in Group C of Seibal.
38
200
Central Plaza - Group A
400
450
150
250
300
350100hi
ng, m
100
150
20050
Nor
th
Extractable Pmg/kg
-50
0
-50 0 50
Easting, m
-50
Figure 5. The concentration isopleths of extractable P in the floors of the Central Plaza, Group A of Seibal.
39
200
Central Plaza - Group A
-6
5
150
-5
-4
-3
-2
100
hing
, m
-1
0
1
2
50
Nor
th
-50
0
Extractable MetalsPC 1 loadings
-50 0 50
Easting, m
Figure 6. Isopleths the first factor loading from the Principal Components Analysis of extractable metals in the floors of the Central Plaza, Group A of Seibal.
40
200
Central Plaza - Group A
150
50
60
100
hing
, m
30
40
0
50
Nor
th
Extractable Femg/kg
-50
0
-50 0 50
Easting, m
Figure 7. The concentration isopleths of extractable Fe in the floors of the Central Plaza, Group A of Seibal.
41
80
120
140
160
A-15
b
70
ng, m
60
80
100A-16
A 1450
60N
orth
in
40
Extractable Pmg/kg
A-14
60 70 80 90 100 110 120
40
a Easting, m
Figure 8 The concentration isopleths of extractable P in the floors of the East Court PalaceFigure 8. The concentration isopleths of extractable P in the floors of the East Court Palace, Group A of Seibal.
42
30A-15
70
80
m
20
25
A-16
b
60
Nor
thin
g,
15
Extractable Femg/kg
A-14
60 70 80 90 100 110 120
40
50
a Easting, m
Figure 9. The concentration isopleths of extractable Fe in the floors of the East Court Palace, Group A of Seibal.
43
80
A-15
b
70
ng, m -1.2
-0.8
-0.4
0
A-16
A 1450
60N
orth
in
-2.8
-2.4
-2
-1.6
Extractable MetalsPC 1 loadings
122 124 126 128
A-14
60 70 80 90 100 110 120
40
-3.2
a Easting, m
Figure 10 Isopleths of the first factor loading from the Principal Components Analysis of extractable metals in theFigure 10. Isopleths of the first factor loading from the Principal Components Analysis of extractable metals in the floors of the East Court Palace, Group A of Seibal.
44
180
Group C - Northern portion
180140
160Causeway
140
160
80
100
120
ing,
m
120
40
60
80
Nor
thi
100
Extractable Pmg/kg0
20
-60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80 100
Easting, m
-20
g,
Figure 11. The concentration isopleths of extractable P in the soils and floors of the northern portion of Group C of Seibal.
45
180
Group C - Northern portion
80
90
140
160Causeway
60
70
80
100
120
ing,
m
40
50
40
60
80
Nor
thi
30
Extractable Fe mg/kg0
20
-60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80 100
Easting, m
-20
g,
Figure 12. The concentration isopleths of extractable Fe in the soils and floors of the northern portion of Group C of Seibal.
46
180
Group C - Northern portion
-7
-6
5
140
160Causeway
-5
-4
-3100
120
ng, m
-2
-1
040
60
80
Nor
thin
0
20
40
Extractable MetalsPC 1 loadings
-60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80 100
E ti
-20
Easting, mFigure 13. Isopleths of the first factor loading from the Principal Component Analysis of extractable metals in the soils and floors of the northern portion of Group C of Seibal.
47
48
Chapter 2
GEOCHEMICAL SIGNATURES OF A POSSIBLE POST-
CLASSIC MARKETPLACE AT MAYAPÁN, YUCATAN,
MEXICO
Daniel A. Bair1, Richard E. Terry1, Marilyn Masson2, Bruce H. Dahlin3, Carmen Lopez
Grayson1, and Joshua J. Steffen1
1Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences Brigham Young University Provo, UT 84602 USA
2Department of Anthropology University at Albany – SUNY Albany, NY 12222 USA 3Ancient Maya Environmental Studies Center 443 Turner Road Shepherdstown, WV 25443 USA
Prepared for submission as a book chapter in a Mayapán monograph.
Daniel
Typewritten Text
Daniel
Typewritten Text
Daniel
Typewritten Text
49
Abstract
Recent analyses of the spatial organization of Postclassic Mayapán have drawn
attention to a possible marketplace. In Square K, a large rectangular open area contains
few domestic structures and could have accommodated large numbers of people or
market activities. Soil research and detailed mapping have identified activity areas in the
open space in Square K, which is currently in high ground cover. We used geochemical
analyses to determine concentrations of phosphorus and heavy metals at this locality.
The chemical signatures manifested in the soil from the open space in Square K indicate
patterns that would be consistent with the organization of a marketplace, in which
different kinds of items are bought and sold in distinct areas of the open space. These
data help identify market stalls and walkways and give added support to the hypothesis
that this area functioned as the city’s principal marketplace.
Figure 1. The location of Mayapán in Yucatan, Mexico.
Figure 2. Map of the site of Mayapán with the locations of the site center, groups P-114
and Y-45, and Square K noted.
Figure 3. Map of platform P-114 and associated household groups.
Figure 4. Map of the structures in group Y-45 at Mayapán shows the
Figure 5. Map of the north central portion of Mayapán showing the elevation contours,
city wall, Gate D, the likely path of the main avenues from the gate to the central
portions of the city. The avenue passes through the proposed marketplace of
Square K.
Figure 6. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable P (mg/kg) across the
platform and household group P-114.
Figure 7. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Cu (mg/kg) across the
platform and household group P-114.
Figure 8. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Fe (mg/kg) across the
platform and household group P-114.
Figure 9. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Mn (mg/kg) across the
platform and household group P-114.
Figure 10. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable P (mg/kg) across the
elite household group Y-45.
72
Figure 11. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Cu (mg/kg) across the
elite household group Y-45.
Figure 12. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Fe (mg/kg) across the
elite household group Y-45.
Figure 13. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable P (mg/kg) across the
proposed Square K marketplace.
Figure 14. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Cu (mg/kg) across the
proposed Square K marketplace.
Figure 15. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Fe (mg/kg) across the
proposed Square K marketplace.
Figure 16. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Mn (mg/kg) across the
proposed Square K marketplace.
Figure 17. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Zn (mg/kg) across the
proposed Square K marketplace.
73
Literature Cited
Barba L., Ortiz A., Link K., Lopez Lujan L., Lazos L. (1996) Chemical analysis of
residues in floors and the reconstruction of ritual activities at the Templo Mayor,
Mexico, in: M. V. Orna (Ed.), Archaeological chemistry: Organic, inorganic, and
biochemical analysis, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC.
Bautista P. (2001) Chemical techniques applied in the Mayan area, in: L. Barba (Ed.),
32nd International Symposium Archaeometry, Universidad Nacional Autónoma
de México, Mexico, D.F. pp. CD-ROM.
Carrasco Vargas R., López V.A.V., Martin S. (2009) Daily life of the ancient Maya
recorded on murals at Calakmul, Mexico. Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences 106:19245-19249. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0904374106.
Dahlin B.H., Ardren T. (2002) Modes of exchange and regional patterns: Chunchucmil,
Yucatan, in: M. A. Masson and D. A. Freidel (Eds.), Ancient Maya Political
Economies, Altimira, New York. pp. 249-284.
Dahlin B.H., Jensen C.T., Terry R.E., Wright D.R., Beach T. (2007) In search of an
ancient Maya market. Latin American Antiquity 18:363-385.
Dahlin B.H., Bair D., Beach T., Moriarty M., Terry R. (2009) The dirt on food: ancient
feasts and markets among the Lowland Maya, in: J. E. Staller and M. Carrasco
(Eds.), Pre-Columbian Foodways: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Food, Culture,
and Markets in Ancient Mesoamerica, Springer, New York. pp. 191-232.
Farriss N.M. (1984) Maya Society Under Colonial Rule Princeton University Press,
Princeton.
74
Fernández F.G., Terry R.E., Inomata T., Eberl M. (2002) An ethnoarchaeological study
of chemical residues in the floors and soil of Q'eqchi' Maya houses at Las Pozas,
Guatemala. Geoarchaeology: An International Journal 17:487-519.
Hammond N. (1982) Ancient Maya civilization Rutgers University Press, New
Brunswick, New Jersey.
Hare T.S. (2009) Mapeo de las excavaciones y de un posible mercado en Mayapán, in: M. A.
Masson, et al. (Eds.), Proyecto Los Fundamentos Del Poder Económico De Mayapán,
Temporada 2008, University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, Ny. pp. 7-35.
Laporte J.P., Chocon J.E. (2008) Sera un palacio?....No! Sera una acropolis?....No!: Un
conjunto de funcion desconcertante en el centro de Pueblito, Peten in: J. P.
Laporte, et al. (Eds.), XXI Simposio de investigaciones arqueologicas en
Guatemala, Museo Nacional de Arqueologia y Etnologia, Guatemala, Guatemala.
pp. 696-712.
Masson M.A. (2004) NSF report: Economic foundations of Mayapan.
Masson M.A., Lope C.P. (2008) Animal use at the Postclassic Maya center of Mayapan.
Quaternary International 191:170-183. DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2008.02.002.
Parnell J.J., Terry R.E., Golden C. (2001) The use of in-field phosphate testing for the
rapid identification of middens at Piedras Negras, Guatemala. Geoarchaeology:
An International Journal 16:855-873.
Parnell J.J., Terry R.E., Nelson Z. (2002a) Soil chemical analysis applied as an
interpretive tool for ancient human activities at Piedras Negras, Guatemala.
Journal of Archaeological Science 29:379-404.
75
Parnell J.J., Terry R.E., Sheets P.D. (2002b) Soil Chemical analysis of ancient activities
in Cerén, El Salvador: A case study of a rapidly abandoned site. Latin American
Antiquity 13:331-342.
Peraza Lope C., Masson M.A., Hare T.S., Kuacute D., Candelario P. (2006) The
chronology of Mayapan: New radiocarbon evidence. Ancient Mesoamerica
17:153-175. DOI: doi:10.1017/S0956536106060135.
Smith M. (2003) Key Commodities, in: M. E. Smith and F. F. Berdan (Eds.), The
Postclassic Mesoamerican world, University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City. pp.
117-125.
Sweetwood R.V., Terry R.E., Beach T., Dahlin B.H., Hixson D. (2009) The Maya
footprint: Soil resources of Chunchucmil., Yucatan, Mexico. Soil Science Society
of America Journal 73:1209-1220.
Terry R.E., Fernández F.G., Parnell J.J., Inomata T. (2004) The story in the floors:
chemical signatures of ancient and modern Maya activities at Aguateca,
Guatemala. Journal of Archaeological Science 31:1237-1250.
Terry R.E., Hardin P.J., Houston S.D., Jackson M.W., Nelson S.D., Carr J., Parnell J.
(2000) Quantitative phosphorus measurement: A field test procedure for
archaeological site analysis at Piedras Negras, Guatemala. Geoarchaeology: An
International Journal 15:151-166.
Tozzer A.M. (1941) Landa’s relacion de las cosas de Yucatán: A translation, Papers of
the Peabody museum of American archaeology and ethnology, Peabody Museum,
Cambridge.
76
Wells C. (2004) Investigating activity patterning in Prehispanic plazas: Acid-extraction
ICP/AES analysis of anthrosols at Classic period El Coyote, northwest Honduras.
Archaeometry 46:67-84.
Wells E.C., Terry R.E., Parnell J.J., Hardin P.J., Jackson M.W., Houston S.D. (2000)
Chemical analyses of ancient anthrosols in residential areas at Piedras Negras,
Guatemala. Journal of Archaeological Science 27:449-462.
Wurtzburg S.J. (1991) Sayil: Investigations of urbanism and economic organization at an
ancient Maya city., Statue University of New York, Albany.
Figure 1. The location of Mayapan in Yucatan, Mexico
77
Figure 2. Map of the site of Mayapan with the locations of the site center, groups P-114 and Y-45, and square K noted.
78
Figure 3. Map of platform P -114 and associated household groups.
79
Figure 4. Map of the structures in group Y-45 at Mayapan shows the rooms of the elite structure Y-45a, small house/kitchen Y-45b, and a likely shrine Y-45c.
80
Figure 5. Map of the north central portion of Mayapan showing the elevation contours, city wall, Gate D, the likely path of the main avenues from the gate to the central portions of the city. The avenue passes through the proposed Marketplace of Square K.
81
Figure 6. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable P (mg/kg) across the platform and household group P 114the platform and household group P -114.
82
Figure 7. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Cu (mg/kg) across the platform and household group P -114.
83
Figure 8. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Fe (mg/kg) across the platform and household group P- 114.
84
Figure 9. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Mn (mg/kg) across the platform and household group P -114.
85
Figure 10. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable P (mg/kg) across the elite household group Y- 45.
86
Figure 11. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Cu (mg/kg) across the elite household group Y -45.
87
Figure 12. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Fe (mg/kg) across the elite household group Y -45.
88
Figure 13. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable P (mg/kg) across g p p p ( g g)the proposed Square K Marketplace.
89
Figure14. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Cu (mg/kg) across the proposed Square K Marketplace.
90
Figure 15. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Fe (mg/kg) across the proposed Square K Marketplace.
91
Figure 16. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable CMn (mg/kg) across the Square K Marketplace.
92
Figure 17. Isopleth map of the spatial distribution of extractable Zn (mg/kg) across the Square K Marketplace.