An Overview of the
Ancient Maya at Punta Laguna
The Ancient Maya
The ancient Maya were diverse groups of people who lived in southeast Mexico including the Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala, Belize, and parts of Honduras and El Salvador from approximately 2000 BC to 1500 AD. Archaeologists divide ancient Maya history into three periods: the Formative (2000 BC to AD 250), the Classic (250 AD to 900), and the Postclassic (AD 900-1500). The arrival of the Spanish around 1500 marks the transition between ancient and modern Maya history.
Punta Laguna
Punta Laguna was occupied continuously, with ebbs and flows, from the Middle Formative through the Postclassic period, from approximately 600 BC to 1500 AD. The site includes caves; stelae; a cenote with an ancient Maya mortuary deposit of over 120 individuals; and at least 200 structures. Many of these structures – the tallest of which rise over six meters in height – are solid platforms that would have supported buildings made from perishable materials. These buildings may have been houses, administrative centers, or places of worship.
Miniature Masonry Shrines
The best examples of preserved architecture at Punta Laguna are miniature masonry shrines, which date to the Postclassic period (AD 900 to 1500). These shrines are one room buildings that are no more than a few meters in length, width, and height. Many are too small for a person to enter. They may have been locations for ancestor or deity veneration, or for fertility or water rituals. Offerings of food or incense, long since decomposed, may have been left inside. Miniature masonry shrines, like those at Punta Laguna, have been found throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, including at Cobá and Tulum.
Excavations and Artifacts
The most common artifacts excavated at Punta Laguna include fragments of ceramic vessels, such as bowls, jars, and plates. Some were painted with multiple colors and would have been used during special occasions. Others, with less elaborate decoration, would have been used for everyday activities such as cooking or storing food. Archaeologists working at Punta Laguna have also found obsidian blades likely imported from Guatemala; marine shell likely imported from the coast; a stone bead; and a piece of pyrite. Many of these objects are on display in the community museum.
Punta Laguna and Cobá
Punta Laguna is located approximately 20 km from Cobá, one of the largest ancient Maya cities ever constructed. Cobá was occupied during the Classic period, and the Maya built most of the large structures at the site between approximately 730 and 1000 AD. The Maya then abandoned Cobá, but briefly reoccupied the site between about 1300 and 1500 AD. Punta Laguna was founded before Cobá, but the specific relationships between the two sites remain unclear.
Acknowledgements
This information was compiled by the Punta Laguna Archaeological Project, codirected by Sarah Kurnick (University of Colorado Boulder) and David Rogoff (University of Pennsylvania). Nahim Alcocer Espejel provided translation and other assistance. All photos were taken by Conrad Erb. We thank the National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the American Philosophical Society, and the Gerda Henkel Foundation for funding archaeological research at Punta Laguna.