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Mirador, Guatemala Mirador, Guatemala 2012 Project Progress Report Photo: R. D. Hansen Mirador, Guatemala – 2012 Progress Report Executive Summary The Mirador Basin Project conducted field research from the months of July through September 2012. This field season had some extremely important discoveries which can be considered part of the historic importance of the site which will positively strengthen the potential for future World Heritage status. In addition, great efforts were incorporated in the conservation, not only of the cultural heritage but of the natural heritage as well. The work included emergency interventions, systematic conservation and preservation monitoring. Other advances have been made in the social- and economic development of the communities due to the number of workers from the surrounding villages involved in the Project and the educational training implemented during the field season. For decades now, the Project has taken an active role in the defense and protection of the Mirador Basin because of severe threats from deforestation, logging, poaching, looting and drug-trafficking. Major fires were located on the western edge of the Basin where logging roads have facilitated the invasion of slash-and-burn farmers. The Mirador Basin Project has maintained guards in many of the primary sites in the Basin since 1992 and is a major force in the protection of the area. Above: Fires burning what was pristine forest on the western edge of the Mirador Basin in April 2012. (Photo: R. D. Hansen) 2 Mirador, Guatemala – 2012 Progress Report 2012 Project Progress Planning Planning work in 2012 focused on preparations for the protective shelter to be installed over the Popol Vuh frieze in the Great Central Acropolis as well as continued mapping and documentation in the greater Mirador Basin area to allow for the management of the entire area’s cultural heritage resources. Protective Shelter Preparation. A number of areas of the site received special attention during the 2012 field season, but one of the most significant was the Grand Central Acropolis which was the object of extensive and intensive archaeological excavations and conservation measures. The primary objective was to determine the extent of the modeled stucco frieze associated with the water collection system within the Central Acropolis, and identified as Operation 610. In addition, excavations were conducted on Structure 316 in order to define the limitations of the architecture of the building and attempt to understand its role in the water collection system. Above: Dr. Richard Hansen and Francesca Hapsburg at the Popol Vuh Frieze in the Central Acropolis at El Mirador, to be protected with a permanent shelter. (Photo: Diego Arzu) 3 Mirador, Guatemala – 2012 Progress Report With regard to planning, excavations were needed on the building to determine the form and nature of the Preclassic structure so as to be able to define the design of the protective roof which will be constructed over the frieze. There were also test excavations that later functioned as the base pits for the foundation settings for the future permanent protective roof. This roof will be similar to those which have been previously constructed with great success over the Jaguar Paw Temple (Str. 34) and Monument 1 at La Muerta, a southern suburb of El Mirador. The test pit program was conducted throughout the area of the frieze, particularly in the areas where the pits could serve as the base foundations for installing a protective cover. The foundation pits will serve to bear the load of the structure with metal by providing the cement footings for the beams and polycarbonate roof. Currently, interim protective covers are in place over the frieze consisting of thin plastic tarps which cover over 900 m² of horizontal excavations, including those that were made in previous years. The proposed protective roof will allow permanent protection and exposure of the art to enhance the visitor experience. Mapping of the Greater Mirador Area. Archaeological mapping is still incomplete at El Mirador due to the size and sophistication of the site and the difficulty of mapping such a vast area with Total Station technology. The record of important buildings and spaces is being completely accomplished with excellent teams and good technology which allows the accuracy of structures and landscapes in maps of the site. Archaeological mapping was conducted on both the western and eastern sides of El Mirador, locating major causeways, plazas, and buildings that expand the area of the site inventory and the geographical area of El Mirador. These buildings were not previously known and were added for inclusion in the site map. Above: Map of a portion of the site of El Mirador with Total Station technology allows the perspective of architecture in relation to the topography. (Map: FARES) 4 Mirador, Guatemala – 2012 Progress Report One of the most important discoveries included evidence of a looted structure on the eastern side of the site which had been profoundly decorated, anciently in elaborate polychrome stucco art. Salvage investigations recovered the surface remains of the architectural art, which appear to date to the Late Classic period, and future salvage excavations will be conducted so as to recover the remaining elements of the stucco art and reconstruct the images portrayed there. The art consisted of fragments of modeled stucco in red, blue, orange, black, and cream stucco. Above: Mapping team recovering painted stucco fragments from a looters’ trench to the south east of Danta pyramid. (Photo: D. Mauricio) Above: Stucco fragments from architectural art destroyed by looters. Painstaking efforts will be employed to construct the art and architecture. (Photo: D. Mauricio) 5 Mirador, Guatemala – 2012 Progress Report Conservation In 2012, extensive conservation work was conducted in numerous parts of the site including the Great Central Acropolis (particularly on the Popol Vuh frieze), Tigre Pyramid, Danta Pyramid and the Jaguar Paw Temple. Great Central Acropolis. Considerable progress was made in consolidating the original stucco on the walls of rooms and associated architectural constructions, mainly those associated with the Popol Vuh frieze. In particular, those directly related to walls exposed in previous excavations as well as those excavated during the 2012 season were treated to stabilize and preserve them. Above: Consolidation by conservation expert Lisa Sardegna of stucco on the walls of architecture associated with and flanking the water collection pools (north) (photo: A. Pozuelos) Excavations continued on the northern façade of the Great Central Acropolis to expose the primary stairway of the complex group of buildings, and to enable access to summit of the platform the Great Acropolis by the main staircase. In addition, a primary focus of the investigation was to understand the relationship of the main staircase to the platform of Structure 304, considered to be a royal throne and the probable focal point of many important rituals and events in the history of the site. The horizontal expansions were also necessary to assess the conservation status of the staircase. This work provided good results because they have discovered several features previously unknown in Preclassic architecture, as well as several construction stages of the steps, including a version that seems to belong to the Middle Preclassic period, ca. 600-400 B.C. However the last superficial stairs of the building are in poor condition, but there is evidence of interior, earlier phase of the 6 Mirador, Guatemala – 2012 Progress Report stairs in an excellent condition and of possible importance for tourism purposes. Temporary plastic tarp protective coverings were installed over the access stairway to the Great Central Acropolis to protect excavations and architectural remains until comprehensive conservation treatment can be conducted. Tigre Pyramid. Excavations were initiated at the base of Structure 4D3-1, the central, main building on the summit platform of the Tigre Pyramid with the purpose of knowing the main facade of the second largest building in the Maya world. This excavation was conducted by Laura Velasquez. This building will receive greater efforts for stabilization and consolidation due to tourist pressure and the delicate state of architecture. Important findings included an offering consisting of two vessels dating to the Early Classic period. Also recovered was a large number of additional projectile points, as found in previous seasons, which continue to provide evidence of a battle that took place on the platform of the pyramid. Archaeological investigations were also conducted in the upper portions of Structure 4D3-2, by Edgar Ortega, who managed to define remains of two masks and upper part of the steps of this building. In addition, major progress was made in the stabilization, conservation and restoration of the building and which has now been completed and consolidated for the tourist exhibition. Above: Structure 4D3-2 the north building of the main triadic pyramid group located on the upper platform of El Tigre during conservation work. It shows the remains of masks and panels, and the front steps of the building (Photo E. Suyuc) 7 Mirador, Guatemala – 2012 Progress Report Above: Structure 4D3-2 on the summit of the Tigre Platform in its completed, stabilized state. Note the preserved architectural art showing trefoil elements in the middle. (Photo: R.D. Hansen) Danta Pyramid. Archaeological explorations were conducted on the third level of the Danta Complex which is the largest platform construction on the pyramid (itself the largest pyramid in the world by volume). The work located the remains of the original Preclassic walls, and was supervised by Francisco Lopez and Sheryl Carcuz. The facade consists of several, staggered Preclassic levels, and Preclassic ceramics were found directly on the surface levels of the terraces, indicating that the Preclassic collapse impacted structures as large as La Danta and that there was no intervention by the subsequent inhabitants for centuries after the building had been abandoned.
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