As you read this story, you will learn the following:
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Archaeologists say the discovery of the early ninth-century burning event marked a turning point in Mayan rule.
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The discovery was a rare turning point in archaeological history.
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The burning of Mayan artifacts that were centuries old at the time was likely a public event that attracted large numbers of people.
Archaeologists have uncovered clues to a fire in Guatemala between 733 and 881 AD that they say represented a key turning point in Mayan rule – a very public one.
The discovery of the Mayan ruins of Ucanal in Guatemala “marks the open collapse of the old regime” — a rather critical moment in the collapse of rulers and a pivotal point in political power that is not often seen in archaeological finds, the authors wrote in a study published in the journal. ancient times.
The incident occurred near a cemetery near the capital of the Kingdom of Kanwitznar. The bodies and their decorations, including bejeweled stone masks, fragments of greenstone crowns, and jade ornaments, were moved from the tombs to a public crematorium, where the fire engulfed some of the centuries-old items for all to see.
“This event marked a transformative moment for the kingdom and the Lowlands,” the authors write. “Rather than seeing this fire event as a bookend to Mayan history, we view it as a pivot point around which the Canwitznar polity reinvented itself and the city of Ucanal continued to thrive.”
The new leadership regime ushered in a non-royal leader named Papamaliel, but written records give little indication of how he came to power. “Papu Malir’s reign was influential not only because of his possible foreign ancestry—perhaps breaking the line of succession of the region’s ruling dynasties—but also because his rule changed the political dynamics of the southern Maya lowlands.”
The study’s authors, led by Christina Halperin of the University of Montreal, say Papmalil appears to have ushered in an era of prosperity. Following the transfer of power, significant construction took place both in the city’s municipal ceremonial core and in its outer residential areas.
This new era could be off to a dramatic start.
The team discovered the fire incident in 2022 while excavating the construction fill of a temple pyramid located in a public square, and evidence showed that no measures were taken to protect the buried objects. The team believes that at least four adults were among the burnt remains and that the fire temperature exceeded 800 degrees Celsius. The body included 1,470 greenstone pendants, beads, plaques and mosaic fragments, as well as large blades – all representing “a burning event”. The number and quality of the burnt and broken ornaments suggest they came from royal tombs and may have belonged to multiple individuals.
The team said there is evidence that human bones and ornaments were once part of Late Classic royal tombs, and that the deposits were part of a fire-consecration ritual that “marked the symbolic and literal destruction of the early Canwitznar dynasty”.
The author notes that the event “seemed to be an act of sacrilege: it was dumped at the edge of a rough wall that served as a building enclosure, and no steps were taken to protect the fragmented bones and ornaments from the tomb blocks deposited on top of it as building filler.” It all likely amounted to an emotionally charged “dramatic public event.” “This could dramatically mark the collapse of an ancient regime,” they wrote.
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