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Excavations at the Palangana, Kaminaljuyu Guatemala, Guatemala EXCAVATIONS AT THE PALANGANA, KAMINALJUYU GUATEMALA, GUATEMALA Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic); maps Authors Cheek, Charles D. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 04/10/2021 11:33:09 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/287813 EXCAVATIONS AT THE PALANGANA, KAMINALJUYU GUATEMALA, GUATEMALA by Charles Dale Cheek A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 19 7 1 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE I hereby recommend that this dissertation prepared under my direction by Charles Dale Cheek entitled EXCAVATIONS AT THE PALMGANA, KAMINALJUYU GUATEMALA, GUATEMALA be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy /<?7/ Dissertation Director Date / ' After inspection of the final copy of the dissertation, the follov/ing members of the Final Examination Committee concur in its approval and recommend its acceptance:"" in U27( fa /s tr?/ This approval and acceptance is contingent on the candidate's adequate performance and defense of this dissertation at the final oral examination. The inclusion of this sheet bound into the library copy of the dissertation is evidence of satisfactory performance at the final examination. PLEASE NOTE: Some Pages have indistinct print. Filmed as received. UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to bor­ rowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or re­ production of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judgment the proposed use of the material is in the in­ terests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from "the author. SIGNED ACKM OWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank first of all Dr. T. Patrick Culbert for his valuable direction and assistance in the preparation of this disser­ tation, He was very generous with his time, ideas, and encouragement. My two other advisers, Dr. Raymond H. Thompson and Dr. William A. Longacre, deserve thanks for helpful criticisms and intellectual stimulation. Dr. Arthur J. Jelinek was also on my committee for a short time and contributed helpful advice. I would like to express my gratitude also to Drs. William T. Sanders and Joseph R. Michels, the co-directors of the Pennsylvania State University Kaminaljuyu Project, who provided me with the oppor­ tunity to do this research. I also want to thank the people who aided me in the excavation at different times: William Bedoian, Ken and Laura Brown, Annetta Cheek, Boyd Dixon, Kate Dutt, Richard Kirsch, Joseph and Leslie Lischka, John and Cindy Reynolds, Joseph Stewart, and Robert Tilling. The assistance of Boyd Dixon and my wife, Annetta Cheek, was invaluable since, under my direction, they prepared most of the profiles during the second and third seasons. Numerous individuals, some of whom worked for the Project, gave freely of their time and provided me with a great deal of neces­ sary but unpublished information. These include Carl Bebrich, Jacinto CiPuentes, Michael Davis, Gustavo Espinoza, James Fitting, Thomas Grey, Joseph Lischka, Joseph Michels, Vivian Broman Morales, William Sanders and Ronald Weatherington. iii I would like to thank my illustrators, Terry Dolan, Allison Hyde, Joyce Rhem, Gail Hartmann and Sharon Urban. Mrs. Hazel Gillie deserves much gratitude for her patience while typing the final draft. Finally, my wife Annetta has also contributed substantially to the completion of the dissertation by reading and criticizing it and by her attempts to organize it in a more reasonable fashion. TABLE TO CONTENTS Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS vii ABSTRACT x 1. INTRODUCTION 1 Physical Setting U Previous Work at Kaminaljuyu 6 Early Explorers and Archaeologists Prior to 1930 6 Carnegie Project 7 Guatemalan Projects . 12 The Pennsylvania State University Kaminaljuyu Project li| Goals 15 Results 16 2. THE PALANGANA 2k The Environs 25 History of Research at the Palangana 26 The Excavations at The Palangana 27 Provenience Control System 27 Schedule of Operations 31 Excavation Techniques 33 Analysis of the Excavated Units 3h History of the Palangana 35 Pre-Verbena-Arenal 37 Verbena-Arenal (Terminal Formative) 38 Aurora (Early Classic) ..... hO Esperanza-Amatle I (Middle Classic) h2 Amatle II (Middle Classic and Late Classic) ... U7 Amatle III (Late Classic) 50 Post-Amatle III (Post-Classic to Present) .... 51 3. THE EXCAVATIONS 53 Construction Area L, The Lower Plaza 53 Stage LI 56 Stage L2 58 Stage L3 6l Statue Lit 68 Stage L5 71 Stage L6 72 v vi TABLE OF CONTENTS---Continued Page Construction Area E 76 Stage El 78 Stage E2 Blj Stage E3 99 Stage EU 12U Stage E£ .133 Construction Area A 135 Stage A1 136 Construction Area C 137 Stage CI 139 Stage C2 lbO Stage C3 lUl Construction Area D lifiU. Stage D1 Ibh Stage D2 l£2 Stage D3 170 Construction Area U, The Uoper Plaza 15S> Stage U1 190 Stage U2 191* Stage U3 19U it. COMPARISON OF MIDDLE CLASSIC ARCHITECTURE AT KAMINALJUYU AND TEOTIHUACAN 196 The Middle Classic at Kaminaljuyu 196 Architectural Comparison with Teotihuacan 199 Construction Materials and Techniques 199 Architectural Elements ............. 205 Structural Types 207 Layout ..... 216 Summary Sequence of Teotihuacan Influence .... 218 Conclusion ...... 221 5. EXPLANATIONS OF TEOTIHUACAN INFLUENCE AT KAMINALJUYU . 223 Hypotheses on the Nature of Teotihuacan Influence . 22h Assessment of Hypotheses in the Light of the New Kaminaljuyu Sequence 228 The Gradual Process 228 The "Abrupt" Process 23h Revised Hypothesis on Kaminaljuyu-Teotihuacan Relations 236 The Middle Classic and the Kaminaljuyu Sequence . 237 Conclusion 2h0 LIST OF REFERENCES 2Wi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala, Guatemala . 2 2. Chronology at Kaminaljuyu 11 3. The Palangana, Kaminaljuyu In Pocket 1;. Interrelationship of the construction stages at the Palangana 36 5. Profile, west wall, 2E/22-2ltS & 6. Profile, west wall of T2, 12E/U-2iiN £7 7* Profile, east wall of T2, 12E/ii8-5hN" ......... $9 8. Profile, south wall, 11-12E/hN 63 9. Profile, east wall of T2, 12E/2h-3bN 6£ 10. Profile, east wall of T2, 12E/36-38W, U0-U2N, I1W16M . 70 11. Profile, west wall, 17E/26-30N 7h 12. Reconstructed profile of structures in construction area E 77 13. Reconstruction of Stage El 79 lit. Reconstruction of substage E2-a 8£ 1$, Reconstruction of substage E2-b ........... 86 16. Reconstruction of substage E2-c 88 17• Planview of substage E2-a In Pocket 18. Planview of substage E2-b In Pocket vii viii LIST OP ILLUSTRATIONS—Continued Figure Page 19. Planview of substage E2-c In Pocket 20. Reconstruction of substage E3-a 100 21. Reconstruction of substage E3-bl 101 22. Reconstruction of substage E3-c 102 23. Planview of substage E3-a . In Pocket 2lu Profile, north and east wall, 20-22N/16E and 22E/l^-l6N 106 2^. Planview of substage E3-bl In Pocket 26. Profile, north wall, 11-20E/6N 112 27. Profile, east wall, 1SE/2-6N 113 28. Planview of substage E3-c In Pocket 29. Profile, west and north wall, 19E/2U-26N and 19-22E/26N 123 30. Planview of Stages ELi and E£ In Pocket 31. Profile', south, west, and north walls, 7-9E/10N, ?E/ 10-11N, and 7-9E/11N . 129 32. Profile, north wall, 3-20W/6N ll(.2 33. Reconstructed profile of structures in construction area D lit!? 3k» Profile, north wall, 31-3UE/12N 1U7 35# Profile, south wall, 39-UUE/6N l£0 36. Profile, south and east walls, Ul-UiE/l3.63N and U1E/ 13.63-1U.17N l& 37. Planview of l4l-hliE/l2-l6N . 1$6 ix LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS--Continued Figure Page 38. Profile, north wall, h$-h9E/8N .. l£9 39. Profile, east wall, hi>E/h-8N 160 iiO. Reconstructed planview of Stage D2 162 Ul. Reconstructed profile of Stage D2 . 163 Il2, Profile, east wall, U2E/U-10M 165 h3» Profile, south wall of cross-section of Features 281 and 28h 167 liU. Profile, east wall, LiUEA~l6N 173 Profile, north wall, bij.-U5E/6N 175 I46. Profile, north wall, Li2-l|ljE/lON 178 U7. Planview of U3-h!?E/]4-6N " . 181 U8. Profile, east, south and west wall, Li6E/lO-12N, U5-U6E/ ION, U5E/10-12N 183 U9. Profile, ea3t wall, 55E/8-6N 1 186 $0. Profile, east wall, 78E/0-8N 187 51. Profile, south wall of T3, 56-76E/6N 189 52. Architectural and ceramic sequences at Kaminaljuyu . .. 198 ABSTRACT The Palangana is an architectural complex at the Highland Maya site of Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala, The complex consists of five mounds and two plazas. Excavations at the Palangana were carried out in three years by the Pennsylvania State University Kaminaljuyu Project. This study describes the architectural history of the Palan­ gana and its changing form and function, and relates the Palangana to the rest of Kaminaljuyu during the Verbena-Arenal, Aurora, Esperanza and Amatle phases, the time during which the complex "was built and occupied. The excavations at the Palangana, together with a reassessment of previous work, provided new evidence for the timing and nature of Teotihuacan influence at Kaminaljuyu during the Middle Classic period.
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