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Sacul is an archaeological site of the
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, ...
located in the upper drainage of the
Mopan River The Mopan River is a river in Central America spanning the Petén Department of Guatemala and the Cayo District of Belize. It merges with the Macal River at Branch Mouth, Belize, forming the Belize River, which ultimately discharges to the Caribbe ...
, in the Petén department of
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 Hon ...
. The city occupied an important
trade route A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over bodies of water. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a sing ...
through the Maya Mountains. The main period of occupation dates to the Late Classic Period.Laporte 2005, p.208. In the late 8th century AD through to the early 9th century, Sacul was one of the few kingdoms in the southeastern Petén region to use its own
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 ...
, together with
Ixtutz Ixtutz () was an important Classic Period Maya city located south of Ixkun in southeastern Petén, Guatemala. Ixtutz is situated in the valley of the Poxte River in the western portion of the Maya Mountains. The site was inhabited during the P ...
and
Ucanal Ucanal is an archaeological site of the ancient Maya civilization. It is located near the source of the Belize River in the Petén department of present-day northern Guatemala. Location Ucanal is located inside a bend of the Mopan River. It is ...
. In AD 779 Sacul went to war against
Ixkun Ixkun (Ixcún or Ixkún in Spanish orthography) is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site, situated in the Petén Basin region of the southern Maya lowlands. It lies to the north of the town of Dolores, in the modern-day department of Petén, ...
and lost, but
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 ...
at both cities record a visit to Ixkun by king Ch'iyel of Sacul just 11 years later and the two cities appear to have formed a military alliance at that time. The site core is arranged around a number of plazas, one of which forms a monumental acropolis. The plazas were resurfaced in the Terminal Classic, when the city experienced a period of dense occupation. At this time Sacul experienced a major surge in construction activity, with many buildings being extended or altered. Sacul was inhabited into the Postclassic Period at a much reduced level, although it is not known if this represents a continuation of Classic Period occupation. This final phase of activity was spread throughout both the ceremonial core and the residential periphery and ceramic finds demonstrate links to the Belize Valley and the southern area of the Maya Mountains. The site core includes
pyramids 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, quadrilate ...
, a
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 ...
, a triadic complex and two
E-Group E-Groups are unique architectural complexes found among a number of ancient Maya settlements. They are central components to the settlement organization of Maya sites and, like many other civic and ceremonial buildings, could have served for astr ...
astronomical complexes.


Location

The Sacul Valley is located in the northern portion of the Maya Mountains, just from the border with
Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...
.Laporte et al 1992, p.107. The landscape is broken and hilly, with an altitude that varies between
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''. Th ...
. The Sacul River flows northwards and forms a part of the upper Mopan River drainage system. The Sacul River joins the Mopan and Xaan Rivers, crossing into Belize where it becomes the Belize River and empties into the
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexic ...
. The area is crossed by north-south
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 w ...
ridges with a narrow
flood plain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...
that is never wider than along the banks of the river and is closed by high cliffs. The mountain peaks around the Sacul Valley are covered with primary
rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
while the lower slopes have been cleared for ''
milpa Milpa is a crop-growing system used throughout Mesoamerica. It has been most extensively described in the Yucatán peninsula area of Mexico. The word ''milpa'' is derived from the Nahuatl word phrase ''mil-pa'', which translates into "cultivat ...
'' agriculture and cattle ranching. The city occupied a natural route through the mountains, with routes running south to
Poptún Poptún is a municipality in the El Petén department of Guatemala. It covers an area of 1,128 km2, and had a population of 35,663 at the 2002 Census; the latest official estimate (as at mid-2012) was 64,988. It is some 385 km from Guat ...
, west to Xaan () and
Ixtonton Ixtonton is a Maya archaeological site in the department of Petén in northern Guatemala.Laporte et al 1991, p.210. It is located in the northwestern portion of the Maya MountainsLaporte 1993, p.231. in the municipality of Dolores. The ruins are ...
(), north to
Ucanal Ucanal is an archaeological site of the ancient Maya civilization. It is located near the source of the Belize River in the Petén department of present-day northern Guatemala. Location Ucanal is located inside a bend of the Mopan River. It is ...
(), northwest to El Chal and northeast to
Caracol Caracol is a large ancient Maya archaeological site, located in what is now the Cayo District, of Belize. It is situated approximately south of Xunantunich, and the town of San Ignacio, and from the Macal River. It rests on the Vaca Plateau ...
.


History


Known rulers


Late Classic

The cities of the northern part of the Maya Mountains first started erecting their own sculpted monuments in the period between AD 760 and 820.Laporte et al 1992, p.118. This appears to reflect a profound change in the political landscape at this time, with the emergence of Sacul, Ixkun, Ixtutz and Ixtonton as strongly competing polities. Of these four cities that were producing their own stelae, only Sacul and Ixtutz used their own Emblem Glyph. The 8th-century king Ch'iyel appears to have been the most powerful ruler at Sacul and is recorded as having participated in a number of events, including wars, rituals and royal visits. He was also likely to have been the ruler responsible for the greatest period of construction activity at the city. On 12 February 760 he is recorded as having received a visit from king Shield Jaguar II of Ucanal, who oversaw Ch'iyel receiving his mannequin sceptre, a symbol of rulership. During the Late Classic period Sacul participated in a regional exchange network as well as producing its own local ceramics. Stela 2 at
Ixkun Ixkun (Ixcún or Ixkún in Spanish orthography) is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site, situated in the Petén Basin region of the southern Maya lowlands. It lies to the north of the town of Dolores, in the modern-day department of Petén, ...
records a battle between Sacul and that city that took place on 21 December 779, which Sacul appears to have lost.Laporte 2005, p.224. Ixkun fought another battle against Ucanal some months later and this may represent Ucanal intervening to support its ally, although Ixkun again appears to have been victorious. Hostilities between the two cities did not last long; the visit of king Ch'iyel of Sacul to Ixkun on 11 October 790 is recorded on stelae at both cities. The two rulers are depicted together and appear to have formed a military alliance against an unidentified city that could be
Ixtonton Ixtonton is a Maya archaeological site in the department of Petén in northern Guatemala.Laporte et al 1991, p.210. It is located in the northwestern portion of the Maya MountainsLaporte 1993, p.231. in the municipality of Dolores. The ruins are ...
. The object of the alliance may have been to procure captives for sacrifice; after the expedition both rulers celebrated a '' k'atun''-ending ceremony and participated in a
bloodletting Bloodletting (or blood-letting) is the withdrawal of blood from a patient to prevent or cure illness and disease. Bloodletting, whether by a physician or by leeches, was based on an ancient system of medicine in which blood and other bodily f ...
ritual.


Terminal Classic

In the Terminal Classic the southeastern Petén region underwent a fundamental change in its political landscape. One change that occurred at this time was the expansion of the Sacul polity, which absorbed nearby centres such as Caxeba in the Xaan River valley and El Mozote in the Chiquibul Valley.Laporte 2005, p.225. Both of these cities were abandoned as Sacul became more powerful. Coincident with this change was the shift in the focus of trade, with an increase in the use of locally produced ceramics and a movement away from region-wide exchange to focus more on the Maya Mountains to the south. By 820 the cities of the Dolores region one by one fell into silence as they were engulfed by the
Classic Maya collapse In archaeology, the classic Maya collapse is the decline of the Classic Maya civilization and the abandonment of Maya cities in the southern Maya lowlands of Mesoamerica between the 7th and 9th centuries. At Ceibal, the Preclassic Maya e ...
. The last stela erected in Sacul bears a date corresponding to AD 800. Many cities were abandoned at this time but, although it ceased to erect new monuments, Sacul outlived its regional rivals and allies and survived into the Postclassic Period, when it once again participated in the regional exchange network.


Site description

Sacul is grouped into 5 sites, all belonging to the same polity, and numbered from Sacul 1 through to Sacul 5 with Sacul 1 (or more commonly, simply Sacul) representing the Late Classic site core. The presence of a triadic complex in Plaza C demonstrates the city's participation in the wider sociopolitical arena of 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-Col ...
, with that particular
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 ...
form having its origin in the central Maya lowlands of the Preclassic Period. The site core is located upon a high natural hill, which was artificially levelled to form two terraces.


Group A

Group A (also known as the West Group) occupies the lower terrace and comprises three architectural complexes. It is notable for a concentration of sculpted monuments dating to the Late Classic,Laporte 2005, p.210. and contains most of the monuments found at the site.Laporte et al 1992, p.109. A Terminal Classic burial was interred in an opening carved out of the bedrock beneath the plaza and was covered with
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 w ...
slabs. The burial was accompanied by a funerary offering consisting of ten
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, ...
vessels, among which were an incense burner, plates and bowls. The Ballcourt is located in Plaza B. The ballcourt is aligned north-south with a playing area measuring . It had sloped sides and open end zones as is typical of the southeastern Petén. The side structures measure high. Plaza C is located to the north of Group A. It was built upon a high basal platform overlooking Group A and measuring . The group was accessed via a stairway on the southwest side. It was first built during the Late Classic Period and underwent continuous modifications through to the Terminal Classoc. Twelve structures were built upon the basal platform, including
pyramids 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, quadrilate ...
and platform structures.Laporte et al 1992, p.110. The plaza has 3 structures that are laid out in a clear example of a triadic architectural complex. Two plain stelae were found in Group C. The East Structure of Plaza C had 2 plain circular altars that were found during excavations of its facade. These altars may have been moved there from elsewhere in the city. The structure had several levels and in the Terminal Classic a
cist A cist ( or ; also kist ; from grc-gre, κίστη, Middle Welsh ''Kist'' or Germanic ''Kiste'') is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Examples can be found across Europe and in the Middle Ea ...
was inserted into the upper level and closed with limestone slabs. A dedicatory offering was placed on top of it, consisting of an
obsidian Obsidian () is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Obsidian is produced from felsic lava, rich in the lighter elements such as silicon ...
blade and eleven ceramic vessels. Within the cist were enclosed the remains of an adolescent together with a rich funerary offering that included 2 ceramic vessels, an
alabaster Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that include ...
vase, and a variety of ornaments, rings and beads crafted from snail shells,
mother-of-pearl Nacre ( , ), also known as mother of pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer; it is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is ...
, greenstone and
pyrite The mineral pyrite (), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Iron, FeSulfur, S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic Luster (mineralogy), lust ...
.


Group B

Group B (also known as the East Group) occupies the upper terrace. It was accessed from Group A via a long
causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tr ...
that measured wide and was bordered by parapets. Group B consists of 9 structures built upon a single basal platform and arranged around 2 plazas, D and E. Plaza D consists of a large traditional
E-Group E-Groups are unique architectural complexes found among a number of ancient Maya settlements. They are central components to the settlement organization of Maya sites and, like many other civic and ceremonial buildings, could have served for astr ...
astronomical complex that may have been more important ritually than a similar complex in Group A. The plaza covers an area of . The E-Group west pyramid measures high The east platform is lower, as is normal in such complexes in the wider Maya region, although it is considered unusual for the southeastern Petén. It stands high. Plaza E (also known as the Northeast Plaza) has a north structure that is of a similar form to the east platforms of E-Group astronomical complexes, with a small temple mounted upon the central portion of a longer platform. It is the only example of this form of architecture in the Dolores region that is not part of a formal astronomical complex. The North Structure of Plaza E contained a large cache of Terminal Classic ceramics, including hundreds of simple plates and a variety of incense burners. The plates were all bound with vine and were likely to have been placed in the structure by traders.


Monuments

The monuments found at Sacul include six sculpted monuments, five 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 ...
and seven plain altars in the West Group.Laporte et al 1992, p.116. Two rows of stelae were erected in front of the East Platform of Plaza A, with five stelae in the rear row. As well as the numbered monuments listed here, various unnumbered pieces were found throughout the site, especially near the west range of the ballcourt. Stela 1 was moved to the West Plaza during archaeological rescue operations. It was dedicated by king Ch'iyel on 9.16.10.0.0. 1 Ahau 3 Zip (17 March 761).Laporte et al 1992, p.117. Laporte et al 2006, p.221. It also bears the slightly earlier date of 9.16.8.16.1. 5 Imix 9 Pop (12 February 760). The text describes the participation of Ch'iyel in a bloodletting ceremony. Stela 1 is the earliest dated monument known from the city. It was sculpted from a fine-grained
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
, and had fallen, breaking into four large fragments.Laporte et al 2006, p.229. The upper hieroglyphic panel has been cut away by looters. Stela 2 was raised to commemorate the visit of king Ch'iyel to Ixkun on a date that has been reconstructed as 9.18.0.0.0. in the Long Count calendar (11 October 790) and bears portraits of the kings of both Sacul and Ixkun. The monument was found in a fallen position in Plaza A of the West Group and was associated with an altar. The monument is very similar to Stela 1 from Ixkun and depicts the two rulers facing each other and holding staves of rulership, with a prisoner in a panel beneath their feet. Stela 2 was sculpted from limestone, it is broken in two parts and is badly eroded. Stela 3 was associated with an altar in Plaza A of the West Group and was found in a fallen position. It was found to the west of Stela 2.Laporte et al 1992, p.117. It is badly eroded but was sculpted with three
cartouches In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche is an oval with a line at one end tangent to it, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name. The first examples of the cartouche are associated with pharaohs at the end of the Third Dynasty, but the fe ...
containing hieroglyphic inscriptions. Although now largely illegible, it is evident that a number of calendrical dates were included. Stela 4 is a plain monument fashioned from fossiliferous limestone that was in the rear row of stelae at the base of the East Platform. Stela 5 is a plain monument that was in the rear row of stelae at the base of the East Platform. It was carved from fossiliferous limestone. Stela 6 is in the front row of stelae at the base of the East Platform. The shaft has broken and fallen forward, leaving the stela butt in place. Stela 6 was associated with Altar 4 and was sculpted with a royal figure accompanied by a hieroglyphic text that included a Maya calendrical date.Laporte et al 1992, p.116. Laporte et al 2006, p.220. The text is badly eroded and the full date is incomplete, with just the Calendar Round day 1 Muluc 8 Zip being legible. The monument has been stylistically dated to the turn of the 9th century AD, based on its similarity to Stela 11 from
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 ...
. Stela 7 is a plain monument fashioned from slate that was in the rear row of stelae at the base of the East Platform. Stela 8 is a plain monument made from fossiliferous limestone. It was in the rear row of stelae at the base of the East Platform. Stela 9 is a sculpted monument in Plaza A of the West Group. It was dedicated on 11 October 790 (9.18.0.0.0. 11 Ahau 18 Mac in the Long Count), and bears the sculpted figure of king Ch'iyel. This stela was originally erected at the base of the causeway leading to the East Group but was moved in the late 20th century. Stela 10 was dedicated in AD 800 and may be the latest monument ever erected at the city. It was found fallen at the base of Structure 7 in the northwestern portion of Plaza A and was associated with a plain altar, Altar 5. The Long Count date appears to be 9.18.10.0.0. 10 Ahau 8 Zac,. which corresponds to 19 August 800. Stela 12 is a plain slate monument that was found in the rear row of stelae at the base of the East Platform. It is believed to have fallen from the platform itself. Altar 1 was found close to the stub of Stela 1. Altar 2 was associated with Stela 2. Altar 3 was paired with Stela 3. Altar 4 is associated with Stela 6, at the base of the East Platform of the E-Group astronomical complex in Group A.Laporte et al 2006, p.220. Altar 5 is a plain monument associated with Altar 10 in the northwestern portion of Plaza A.Laporte et al 2006, p.221.


Notes


References

* * *


Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sacul, El Peten Maya sites in Petén Department Archaeological sites in Guatemala Former populated places in Guatemala Maya sites that survived the end of the Classic Period