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Archaeological Research at the Lowland Maya City of Rio Azul

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Richard E. W. Adams
Richard E. W. Adams*
Affiliation:
Division of Behavioral and Cultural Sciences, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78285
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Abstract

Five seasons of archaeological fieldwork at the Maya lowland site of Rio Azul are summarized. The site is an urban center located on the Rio Azul. The locality was occupied from at least 900 B.C. to ca. A.D. 800. Farming villages gave way ca. 150 B.C. to communities that built large platforms, and the urban center was established about A.D. 200. Rio Azul apparently was conquered by Tikal ca. A.D. 380 and became a frontier city and commercial center. Strong influence from Teotihuacan is indicated. A hiatus in the sixth century A.D. evidently represents a period of civil wars. Rio Azul was reoccupied and then overrun again in the ninth century by northern Maya groups. Once more reoccupied, it was finally abandoned ca. A.D. 880. Evidence for ancient cultural institutions also is summarized.

El artículo es un sumario de cinco temporadas de trabajo arqueológico en el sitio Rio Azul, localizado en las tierras bajas mayas. El sitio representa los restos de un centro urbano ubicado en la ribera oriental del Rio Azul. La ocupación de la vecindad se extiende aproximadamente desde 900 A.C. al 880 D.C. Aldeas de agricultores se desarrollaron a comunidades más complejas que alrededor de 150 A.C. tenían la capácidad de construír plataformas grandes. Se establecieron el centro urbano aproximadamente en 200 D.C. Se supone que Rio Azul era conquistado por Tikal acerca de 380 D.C., y se transformó después a una ciudad guardiána en la frontera con Calakmul y a un centro de comercio. Los datos indican una influencia fuerte de orígen Teotihuacano. El hiato del siglo sexto (D.C.) evidentemente representa un período de guerras civiles. Es período de abandono de la ciudad. En el siglo séptimo se reocuparon a Rio Azul. Occurre otra intrusión militar en el siglo noveno, probablemente por los maya de orígen Puuc. Ocupado otra vez por indígenas de las tierras sureñas, el sitio fue abandonado finalmente acerca de 880 D.C. El artículo tambien incluye datos sobre instituciones culturales antiguas.

Type
Articles
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 1 , Issue 1 , March 1990 , pp. 23 - 41
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1990

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References

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