El Zotz () is a
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. W ...
n
archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...
of the
pre-Columbian
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...
Maya civilization
The Maya civilization () of the Mesoamerican people is known by its ancient temples and glyphs. Its Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in the pre-Columbian Americas. It is also noted for its art, archit ...
, located in the
Petén Basin
The Petén Basin is a geographical subregion of Mesoamerica, primarily located in northern Guatemala within the Department of El Petén, and into Campeche state in southeastern Mexico.
During the Late Preclassic and Classic periods of pre-Columb ...
region around west of the major center of
Tikal
Tikal () (''Tik’al'' in modern Mayan orthography) is the ruin of an ancient city, which was likely to have been called Yax Mutal, found in a rainforest in Guatemala. It is one of the largest archeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Co ...
and approximately west of
Uaxactun
Uaxactun (pronounced ) is an ancient sacred place of the Maya civilization, located in the Petén Basin region of the Maya lowlands, in the present-day department of Petén, Guatemala. The site lies some north of the major center of Tikal. The ...
. It is so called because of the large number of bats living in caves in the nearby cliffs (the original Mayan name was Pa'Chan). The site is located within the San Miguel la Palotada National Park bordering the
Tikal National Park
Tikal National Park is a national park located in Guatemala, in the northern region of the Petén Department. Stretching across 57,600 hectares, it contains the ancient Mayan city of Tikal and the surrounding tropical forests, savannas, and wetla ...
in the present-day department of
Petén,
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
. It is a large
Classic Period
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of prehispanic Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian (first human habitation until 3500 BCE); the Archaic (before 2600 BCE), the Preclassic or Formative (2500 BCE –  ...
site and contains many unexcavated
mound
A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher el ...
s and ruins.
El Zotz shared its
Emblem Glyph
Maya script, also known as Maya glyphs, is historically the native writing system of the Maya civilization of Mesoamerica and is the only Mesoamerican writing system that has been substantially deciphered. The earliest inscriptions found which ...
with the powerful city of
Yaxchilan
Yaxchilan () is an ancient Maya city located on the bank of the Usumacinta River in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. In the Late Classic Period Yaxchilan was one of the most powerful Maya states along the course of the Usumacinta River, with Piedra ...
in
Chiapas
Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, and it is likely that the Yaxchilan royal dynasty had its origin in El Zotz.
The tallest temple structure is approximately 45 m (148 ft) high and is known as "El Diablo" (the devil), allegedly because the sides of the temple are dangerously steep. Conservation work has been carried out here by the
University of San Carlos of Guatemala
The Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC, ''University of San Carlos of Guatemala'') is the largest and oldest university of Guatemala; it is also the fourth founded in the Americas. Established in the Kingdom of Guatemala during the Spani ...
, including the construction of a rudimentary campsite for tourists. The area has caves and swamps and is a protected
biotope
A biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. ''Biotope'' is almost synonymous with the term "habitat", which is more commonly used in English-speaking countrie ...
.
[ParksWatch.] It is known for the hundreds of thousands of bats that fly out from under the cliffs at sunset.
Name
The name ''El Zotz'' may have been chosen by Marco Antonio Bailey when he visited the site in 1977, with the name appearing on the map he produced. The site had previously been named ''Dos Aguadas'' (Two Springs) and Bailey may have changed the name to distinguish the site from other places in the region bearing the same name. ''Zotz'' and its variations mean ''
bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...
'' in a variety of
Mayan languages
The Mayan languagesIn linguistics, it is conventional to use ''Mayan'' when referring to the languages, or an aspect of a language. In other academic fields, ''Maya'' is the preferred usage, serving as both a singular and plural noun, and as ...
, for example ''sotz' '' in
K'iche' Maya, ''zodz'' in
Yucatec Maya
Yucatec Maya (; referred to by its speakers simply as Maya or as , is one of the 32 Mayan languages of the Mayan language family. Yucatec Maya is spoken in the Yucatán Peninsula and northern Belize. There is also a significant diasporic commu ...
and ''suts' '' in
Ch'ol Maya. The new name derives from the fact that the El Diablo complex possesses a cave that is the habitat of an enormous quantity of the animals.
[Laport 2006, p. 955.]
Location and environment
The site is located within the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of
San José in the
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
of
Petén. El Zotz falls within the San Miguel La Palotada
biotope
A biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. ''Biotope'' is almost synonymous with the term "habitat", which is more commonly used in English-speaking countrie ...
, a part of the
Maya Biosphere Reserve
The Maya Biosphere Reserve ( es, Reserva de la Biosfera Maya) is a nature reserve in Guatemala managed by Guatemala's National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP). The Maya Biosphere Reserve covers an area of 21,602 km², one-fifth of the c ...
that is bordered on the east by the
Tikal National Park
Tikal National Park is a national park located in Guatemala, in the northern region of the Petén Department. Stretching across 57,600 hectares, it contains the ancient Mayan city of Tikal and the surrounding tropical forests, savannas, and wetla ...
and surrounded on all other sides by designated multiple-use zones of the Reserve.
The site is southwest of
Bejucal
Bejucal is a municipality and town in the Mayabeque Province of Cuba. It was founded in 1713. It is well known as the terminal station of the first railroad built in Cuba and Latin America in 1837. It also hosts one of the most popular and tradit ...
, another Maya site that was subsidiary to El Zotz.
El Zotz is a medium-sized site covering an area of perhaps that includes a variety of large and small
architectural
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...
remains in a style typical of the Early Classic. The site is crossed by low ridges that run from southwest to northeast. The maximum height of the ridges is approximately
above mean sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
, with the troughs between them having an elevation of about . The local bedrock is
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
. The site overlooks a valley occupied by seasonal swampland.
The site is covered with
tropical moist forest
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Description
TSMF is generally found in large, discon ...
and includes areas of seasonal
inundated forest. The average annual temperature is with the actual temperature varying between and . Average annual rainfall varies between with a
dry season
The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...
lasting from January to April.
Local wildlife includes the following
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
, some of which are highly endangered:
jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
(''Panthera onca''),
puma (''Felis concolor''),
ocelot
The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. It is native to the southwes ...
(''Leopardus wiedii''),
Baird's tapir
The Baird's tapir (''Tapirus bairdii''), also known as the Central American tapir, is a species of tapir native to Mexico, Central America, and northwestern South America. It is the largest of the three species of tapir native to the Americas, as ...
(''Tapirus bairdii''),
red brocket deer
The red brocket (''Mazama americana'') is a species of brocket deer from forests in South America, ranging from northern Argentina to Colombia and the Guianas. It also occurs on the Caribbean island of Trinidad (it also occurred on the island of ...
(''Mazama americana''),
howler monkey
Howler monkeys (genus ''Alouatta'', monotypic in subfamily Alouattinae) are the most widespread primate genus in the Neotropics and are among the largest of the platyrrhines along with the muriquis (''Brachyteles''), the spider monkeys (''Ateles' ...
(''Alouatta pigra''),
red snook (''Petenia splendida''),
Morelet's Crocodile
Morelet's crocodile ''(Crocodylus moreletii)'', also known as the Mexican crocodile or Belize crocodile, is a modest-sized crocodilian found only in fresh waters of the Atlantic regions of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. It usually grows to about ...
(''Crocodylus moreletii'') and the
ocellated turkey
The ocellated turkey (''Meleagris ocellata'') is a species of turkey residing primarily in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, as well as in parts of Belize and Guatemala. A relative of the North American wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo''), it was ...
(''Agriocharis ocellata'').
History
Although
Preclassic ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
fragments are abundant at El Zotz, the site appears to have undergone significant expansion during the 6th century AD, in the Early Classic, the location of the site together with its architectural style suggest that this may have been due to the influence of the important city of Tikal.
[Laporte 2006, p. 968.] The apogee of El Zotz appears to have been brief, spanning about one hundred years during the later Early Classic and the early part of the Late Classic, experiencing an intense burst of construction activity including the building of palaces and pyramids, followed by a rapid decline.
The ruling dynasty of El Zotz appears to have originated at Bejucal and to later have relocated its capital to El Zotz.
[Houston, p. 9.] The reading of
hieroglyphic texts associated with the site suggest that El Zotz was founded by enemies of Tikal in order to exploit a period of weakness of the latter city.
[Houston, p. 2.] The city possessed the same
Emblem Glyph
Maya script, also known as Maya glyphs, is historically the native writing system of the Maya civilization of Mesoamerica and is the only Mesoamerican writing system that has been substantially deciphered. The earliest inscriptions found which ...
as
Yaxchilan
Yaxchilan () is an ancient Maya city located on the bank of the Usumacinta River in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. In the Late Classic Period Yaxchilan was one of the most powerful Maya states along the course of the Usumacinta River, with Piedra ...
on the
Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
side of the
Usumacinta River
The Usumacinta River (; named after the howler monkey) is a river in southeastern Mexico and northwestern Guatemala. It is formed by the junction of the Pasión River, which arises in the Sierra de Santa Cruz (Guatemala), Sierra de Santa Cruz ...
and it is supposed that the royal dynasty of that city had its origin in El Zotz.
[Houston et al 2007 p. 395.]
A stela from Bejucal indicates that the
Teotihuacan
Teotihuacan (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Teotihuacán'') (; ) is an ancient Mesoamerican city located in a sub-valley of the Valley of Mexico, which is located in the State of Mexico, northeast of modern-day Mexico City. Teotihuacan is ...
-linked general
Siyaj K'ak' ("Fire is Born") was the overlord (yajaw) of the king of El Zotz.
[Houston, p. 8.] This general was implicated in a major Teotihuacan-backed military intervention in the central Petén during the 4th century AD. A bowl found in
Bagaces
Bagaces is a district of the Bagaces canton, in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica.
Geography
Bagaces has an area of km² and an elevation of metres. Communities
The district includes the towns of Bagaces, Pijije, Montenegro, Montano, and ...
in
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
bears a hieroglyphic text indicating that it was a gift from the king of El Zotz to the king of
El Perú
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
, a city west of El Zotz.
This, in combination with other texts, indicates that El Zotz was subordinate to El Perú.
El Perú was in turn a vassal of the great city of
Calakmul
Calakmul (; also Kalakmul and other less frequent variants) is a Maya archaeological site in the Mexican state of Campeche, deep in the jungles of the greater Petén Basin region. It is from the Guatemalan border. Calakmul was one of the large ...
, the sworn enemy of Tikal, and a
jade
Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of ...
plaque from a royal tomb at Calakmul refers to an event at El Zotz.
El Zotz appears to have passed through a period of renewed prosperity during the Late Classic and the city would have had close interactions with its near neighbours, such as Tikal, Uaxactun,
Motul de San José Motul may refer to:
* Motul (company)
Motul S.A. is a global French company which manufactures, develops and distributes lubricants for engines (motorcycles, cars and other vehicles) and for industry.
History
Founded in 1853 in New York, the ...
and
El Tintal
El Tintal is a Maya archaeological site in the northern Petén region of Guatemala, about northeast of the modern-day settlement of Carmelita, with settlement dating to the Preclassic and Classic periods. It is close to the better known sit ...
. El Zotz appears to have been particularly densely inhabited during the Terminal Classic.
Although El Zotz appears to have received strong influences from Tikal, it appears to have taken its place in the larger political rivalry between Tikal and Calakmul and to have aligned itself with Tikal's great enemy in order to gain local advantage.
When Tikal recovered from its misfortunes it appears that El Zotz was unable to survive its attentions.
Hostile relations between El Zotz and its huge neighbour Tikal are evidenced on the ground by an earthwork of unknown date that served to mark the territorial division between the two polities.
In the 8th century AD, according to a text at Tikal, El Zotz and
Naranjo
Naranjo is a Pre-Columbian Maya city in the Petén Basin region of Guatemala. It was occupied from about 500 BC to 950 AD, with its height in the Late Classic Period. The site is part of Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park. The city lies along the ...
were jointly engaged in battle against Tikal. This battle took place on 4 February 744. The last known hieroglyphic inscription to refer to El Zotz describes the city as being the target of an attack by Tikal.
Modern history
The earliest visits to the site were carried out in response to reports of archaeological looting. Archaeologist Marco Antonio Bailey visited the site in 1977 on behalf of the recently founded Departamento de Monumentos Prehispánicos (DEMOPRE – Department of Prehispanic Monuments) of the
Instituto de Antropología e Historia
The Instituto de Antropología e Historia (IDAEH, ''Institute of Anthropology and History'') is the national institute in Guatemala responsible for the protection and maintenance of Guatemala's historical and archaeological sites, monuments, art ...
(Institute of Anthropology and History), this was the first official visit to the site on behalf of the Guatemalan government. Bailey did not produce any written report but he did map the site. George F. Andrews briefly visited the site in 1978, with his written report appearing in the magazine ''Mexicon'' in 1986. This was the first mention of the site in print. The Proyecto Nacional Tikal briefly investigated the site in May 1983, although its report was not published until 20 years later, in 2006.
The Departamento de Monumentos Prehispánicos remapped the site in 1995, with the new map being published in 2001. The Tikal Project's Programa de Arqueología Regional (Regional Archaeology Programme) sunk some test pits at the site in 2000 but the results had still not been published as of 2006. A further survey was undertaken during two weeks of January 2006 by the Departamento de Monumentos Prehispanicos in conjunction with Archaeologist
Stephen D. Houston and
Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
.
The
Denver Art Museum
The Denver Art Museum (DAM) is an art museum located in the Civic Center of Denver, Colorado. With encyclopedic collections of more than 70,000 diverse works from across the centuries and world, the DAM is one of the largest art museums between t ...
has returned a carved wooden
lintel
A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of w ...
stolen from the site, one of the few such artifacts in existence. It dates to 550–650 AD and was taken from Temple I, the northern
pyramid
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
in the main plaza, in the 1960s. It shows a son of a ruler from
Tikal
Tikal () (''Tik’al'' in modern Mayan orthography) is the ruin of an ancient city, which was likely to have been called Yax Mutal, found in a rainforest in Guatemala. It is one of the largest archeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Co ...
. It is now in National Archeology Museum in
Guatemala City
Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, nest ...
.
A three-year investigation was begun at El Zotz in May 2008.
Later studies in the late-2010s using
LIDAR
Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...
, have revealed a far larger site than previously envisaged. The studies revealed houses, palaces, elevated highways, and defensive fortifications. Ithaca College archaeologist, Thomas Garrison, says he believes the scale and population density has been "grossly underestimated and could in fact be three or four times greater than previously thought".
According to
Global Heritage Fund
Global Heritage Fund is a non-profit organization that operates internationally.
Founded in California in 2002, its mission is to "transform local communities by investing in global heritage."
To date, it has partnered with over 100 public and ...
and
World Monuments Fund
World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and trainin ...
, El Zotz is endangered by insufficient management, looting, deforestation, and natural disaster, as well as general threats (agriculture, poaching, forest-fires, and illegal extraction) to the
Maya Biosphere.
Site description
El Zotz has at least two principal ceremonial centres. The main ceremonial centre lies within the site core while the second of these is in an area known as El Diablo.
The
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
at the site is massive and the stonework of excellent quality, which has undoubtedly helped in the preservation of the structures at the site. The structures were packed with rubble and mortar together with layers of clay, this last element likely brought from the lowland troughs near the site. The superstructures of the buildings at the site were built with large well-finished limestone blocks sealed with mortar, these were then covered with
stucco
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...
and painted in a variety of colours, some traces of pigment still remain. Rooms within the superstructures were narrow and supported vaulted ceilings.
Four ''
chultun
A chultun (plural: ''chultunob or ''chultuns'') is a bottle-shaped underground storage chamber built by the pre-Columbian Maya in southern Mesoamerica. Their entrances were surrounded by plastered aprons which guided rainwater into them during ...
ob'' were found cut into the limestone bedrock of the plazas at the site. These are artificial subterranean chambers that were probably used to store water.
The site core is set out around a Central Plaza bordered by structures on the north and west sides. The
Acropolis
An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...
lies to the north of the Central Plaza with the East Plaza lying directly east of the Acropolis. The Plaza of the Five Temples lies to the west of the Central Plaza and the South Plaza lies to the south of both. The site core lies upon flatter terrain at the site, close to the two springs. The Proyecto Nacional Tikal carried out rescue works in the site core in 1983.
The site core of El Zotz contains 49 buildings divided between four main groups.
[Houston et al 2007, p. 404.]
East Group (Group 1)
The East Group or Group 1 has various structures laid out around a wide plaza, including two mortuary pyramids on the north side.
The East Causeway is a
sacbe
Sacbe at Dzibilchaltun in the Yucatán
Arch at the end of the sacbé, Kabah, Yucatán
A sacbe, plural sacbeob (Yucatec Maya: singular ''sakbej'', plural ''sakbejo'ob''), or "white way", is a raised paved road built by the Maya civilization of pr ...
that begins near Temple 1 in the Central Group and runs eastwards to the East Group.
Structure M7-1 is a high temple pyramid with a base measuring . The temple shrine is fashioned from well-finished stones and is of a similar style to that of
Tikal Temple I
Tikal Temple I is the designation given to one of the major structures at Tikal, one of the largest cities and archaeological sites of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in Mesoamerica. It is located in the Petén Basin region of northern Guatem ...
. The pyramid has two smaller mounds attached to it at the base, forming a
triadic temple group. Both of the smaller mounds have been damaged by looters' trenches.
A wooden lintel was illegally removed from the temple in the late 1960s and sold to the
Denver Art Museum
The Denver Art Museum (DAM) is an art museum located in the Civic Center of Denver, Colorado. With encyclopedic collections of more than 70,000 diverse works from across the centuries and world, the DAM is one of the largest art museums between t ...
in the United States, provoking the first official visits and explorations of the site. The looted lintel was returned to Guatemala in 1998. The lintel was carved from five planks of
sapodilla
''Manilkara zapota'', commonly known as sapodilla (), sapote, naseberry, nispero or chicle, is a long-lived, evergreen tree native to southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. An example natural occurrence is in coastal Yucatán in the ...
wood, forming a panel long and wide. The lintel is incomplete but depicts a standing human figure holding a ceremonial staff. The figure is surrounded by hieroglyphic writing on both sides and above it. The style of dress of the figure has been used to date the lintel to the late 6th century AD.
Structure M7-2 is located across the plaza from Structure M7-1. Its base measures {convert, 21, by, 33, m, ft)) and it is high. The pyramid was probably accessed from the south, plaza, side. No clear evidence remains of any superstructure and the east side of the temple is damaged by two looters' trenches.
Central Group (Group 2)
The Central Plaza is bordered on the north by the acropolis, on the south by the
ballcourt
A Mesoamerican ballcourt ( nah, tlachtli) is a large masonry structure of a type used in Mesoamerica for over 2,700 years to play the Mesoamerican ballgame, particularly the hip-ball version of the ballgame. More than 1,300 ballcourts have been i ...
and on the west by a variety of low platforms and pyramids.
[Laport 2006, p. 957.] Six
stelae
A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), whe ...
and an altar were placed in the Central Plaza, the stelae are mostly plain monuments arranged in two north-south rows, the westernmost containing four monuments and the parallel eastern row containing only two.
[Laport 2006, p. 960.]
The Acropolis is an elite residence, probably a palace, laid out around three patios and encompassing Structures L7-1 through to L7-10 and including some large buildings among them. Eighteen looters' pits have been counted within the Acropolis.
*Structure L7-2 was damaged by a looters' trench. Archaeological investigations of the trench uncovered a quantity of Early Classic ceramics.
*Structure L7-6 has two wide access stairways, on the north and south sides.
[Houston et al 2007 p. 408.]
*Structure L7-7 divides two of the patios. It was probably built later than the rest of the palace, splitting one larger courtyard into two.
Stela 1 is a carved
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
monument immediately south of Temple 1, it is the northernmost of the two stelae in the eastern row of monuments in the Central Plaza. It is the only sculpted stela currently known from the site and is carved on all four sides. The front of the monument has a human figure facing to the left, the back of the stela has a
hieroglyphic panel consisting of 39 glyphic blocks. Ceramic fragments dating to the Late Classic were found near the stela, they have been interpreted as the result of ritual activity.
Temple 1 (or Structure L7-11) is a large
pyramid
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
with a
corbel-vaulted superstructure situated on the northeast side of the Central Plaza. It is the principal structure at the site and has been heavily looted.
The structure is a high funerary temple measuring at the base. In 1989 the Proyecto Nacional Tikal undertook rescue works at the temple, installing replacement lintels, sealing some of the chambers and closing the more dangerous looters' tunnels.
The Ballcourt is located on the south side of the Central Plaza.
Considering the massive architecture at El Zotz, the ballcourt is unusually small and appears to have been more symbolic than practical.
Five Temples Group (Group 3)
The Plaza of the Five Temples is a wide plaza flanked on the north and south sides by two pyramids of similar height,
[Laport 2006, pp. 955–56.] while a long triadic temple complex occupies the east side of the plaza. The name of the plaza derives from the temples that line the plaza and the complex resembles the
Plaza of the Seven Temples at Tikal and is also similar to architecture at
Yaxha
Yaxha (or Yaxhá in Spanish orthography) is a Mesoamerican archaeological site in the northeast of the Petén Basin region, and a former ceremonial centre and city of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. Yaxha was the third largest city in the reg ...
.
Two plain
stelae
A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), whe ...
occupy the centre of the plaza, three more are placed in front of the temples on the east side of the plaza, together with an altar.
Structure L7-18 is a small pyramid on the west side of the Central Plaza.
[Laporte 2006, p. 954. Houston et al. 2007, p. 399.] It has a base measuring and with a height of . It has been damaged by two looters' pits, one of which was sunk into the summit resulting in serious structural damage and exposing a vaulted chamber with an intact doorjamb on its north side. The corbel vault and parts of the walls still retain their original stucco covering, the remains of which have revealed that the chamber was originally painted red, possibly together with other colours. Structure L7-18 has been dated to the Early Classic based on its architectural style. A looted tomb was found under the temple, it was roughly rectangular in shape with a curved roof, similar to tombs at the site of
Río Azul
Río Azul is an archaeological site of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is the most important site in the Río Azul National Park in the Petén Department of northern Guatemala, close to the borders of Mexico and Belize. Río Azul is s ...
.
Structure L8-13 is the north pyramid on the Plaza of the Five Temples.
The pyramid stands high and measures at the base. It still has traces of a wooden
lintel
A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of w ...
supported on thick
door jambs. One of the jambs is marked with
prehispanic
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...
graffiti. The pyramid once contained a royal tomb but it has been completely looted. The tomb was carved directly from the limestone bedrock under the pyramid, it is thought to have been the source of various fine quality ceramic vessels painted with images of ''
wayob Wayob is the plural form of (or ), a Maya word with a basic meaning of 'sleep(ing)', but which in Yucatec Maya is a term specifically denoting the Mesoamerican nagual, that is, a person who can transform into an animal while asleep in order to do ...
'' (spirit companions).
The South Causeway begins at the southeastern extreme of the Plaza of the Five Temples and runs south to the South Group.
[Laport 2006, p. 956.]
South Group (Group 4)
The South Group consists of a large acropolis-type complex laid out around an internal patio.
The group consists of ten or more structures built on a raised platform and covered by dense vegetation.
A further complex was identified by Bailey when he mapped the site. It consisted of a rectangular platform measuring located to the southeast of the site core. The platform supports a tall pyramid in its centre. Although appearing on Bailey's plan, in 2006 the complex had not yet been investigated on the ground.
El Diablo
El Diablo is located about west of the site core, it is the smaller of the two known main ceremonial centres at El Zotz. The name ''El Diablo'' means "the Devil" in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
. It is situated in a defensive position on the highest outcrop at El Zotz and is visible from Temple IV at Tikal. The El Diablo complex contains the cave containing the large quantity of bats that gave rise to the name of the site. The El Diablo complex is believed to date to the
Late Classic.
The El Diablo hill was artificially reshaped with the addition of terraces, upon which an acropolis was built that consisted of large platforms laid out around at least two plazas. Looters' tunnels have exposed decorated substructures within the El Diablo acropolis, which have been tentatively dated to the
Early Classic.
The main plaza of El Diablo is small when compared to the plazas of the site core and the architecture is less impressive.
The discovery of a royal tomb in the El Diablo complex was announced in July 2010. The tomb is believed to contain the remains of a king named Chak who ruled in the late 4th century AD. The ruler was aged in his fifties or sixties at the time of his death and was interred with the remains of six
sacrificed children aged between 1 and 5 years old.
[Prensa Libre, 15 July 2010.]
Notes
References
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Further reading
* ''National Geographic'' (March 1, 2019)
"Lasers reveal Maya war ruins"
External links
Mesoweb: El Zotz researchEl Zotz in the Trafficking Culture EncyclopediaEl Zotz on Global Heritage Network
{{Authority control
Zotz
Archaeological sites in Guatemala
Former populated places in Guatemala
Classic period in Mesoamerica
Populated places established in the 6th century
8th-century disestablishments in the Maya civilization
6th-century establishments in Central America