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PRESERVING AN ANCIENT MAYA CITY Plan for Documentation, Conservation, and Presentation NaraNjo-Sa’al Petén, Guatemala LA CONSERVACIÓN DE UNA ANTIGUA CIUDAD MAYA Plan para Documentación, Conservación, y Presentación PRESERVING AN ANCIENT MAYA CITY Plan for Documentation, Conservation, and Presentation NaraNjo-Sa’al Petén, Guatemala LA CONSERVACIÓN DE UNA ANTIGUA CIUDAD MAYA Plan para Documentación, Conservación, y Presentación Based on the work of Vilma Fialko and Team Edited by Angela M.H. Schuster and World Monuments Fund Publication developed with the support of Temple B-18 about World Monuments Fund Templo B-18 INCE 1965, WORLD MONUMENTS FUND has worked with local communities, governments, and affinity organizations to preserve cultural heritage around the globe. WMF has engaged in over 600 projects in more than 90 countries. Through five core programs: Cultural Legacy, Capacity Building, Advocacy, Education Sand Training, and Disaster Recovery, WMF seeks to advance innovation in the field and to ensure sustainable stewardship of the world’s most treasured places. For additional information about WMF and its programs, please visit www.wmf.org Sobre el World Monuments Fund Desde el año 1965, el World Monuments Fund ha colaborado con comunidades locales, entidades guberna- mentales y organizaciones afines en la preservación del patrimonio cultural del mundo. El WMF ha participado en más de 600 proyectos en más de 90 países. A través de cinco programas principales: Legado Cultural, Fortaleci- miento de Capacidades, Defensa, Educación y Capacitación, el WMF busca promover la innovación en el campo de la conservación y asegurar el manejo sostenible de los lugares más preciados del mundo. Para obtener informa- ción adicional sobre el WMF y sus programas, visite www.wmf.org. Copyright © 2012 World Monuments Fund Empire State Building 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2412 New York, NY 10118 ISBN-10: 0-9841732-9-3 ISBN-13: 978-0-9841732-9-7 This report in its entirety may be freely circulated; however the images contained herein may not be used independently without the permission of World Monuments Fund and the photographers. Este informe completo puede ser circulado libremente; no obstante las imágenes que contiene el documento no pueden ser utilizadas de forma independiente del conjunto sin el permiso del World Monuments Fund y los fotógrafos. 2 Contents 4 Acknowledgements 5 Foreword 6 Introduction and Overview 12 Current Project 16 1. Complete Mapping and Site Documentation 18 The Preclassic Period Settlement (600 b.c.–a.d. 250) 22 The Early Classic Period Settlement (a.d. 250–600) 26 The Late Classic Settlement (a.d. 600–800) 32 The Terminal Classic Settlement (a.d. 800–900) 34 2. Consolidation of the Monuments 36 3. Documentation and Conservation of the Site’s Exotic Flora 38 4. Development of an Environmental Stewardship Education Program 38 5. Drafting of an Interpretation and Management Plan for the Sustainable Development of Naranjo-Sa’al as an Ecotourism Destination 40 6. Documentation and Conservation of the Site’s Surviving Sculptural Monuments 42 Bibliography Contenido 4 Agradecimientos 5 Prefacio 7 Introducción y Perspectivas 13 El Proyecto Actual 17 1. Completar el Mapeo y la Documentación del Sitio 19 El Asentamiento del Periodo Preclásico (600 a.C.—250 d.C.) 23 El Asentamiento del Periodo Clásico Temprano (250–600 d.C.) 27 El Asentamiento Clásico Tardío ( 600–800 d.C.) 33 El Asentamiento Clásico Tardío y Terminal (800–900 d.C.) 35 2. Consolidación de los Monumentos 37 3. Documentación y Conservación de la Flora Exótica del Lugar 39 4. Desarrollo de un Programa de Gestión de Educación Ambiental 39 5. Elaboración de un Plan de Interpretación y Administración para el Desarrollo Sostenible de Naranjo-Sa’al como Destino para el Ecoturismo 41 6. Documentación y Conservación de los Monumentos Escultóricos Sobrevivientes. 42 Bibliografía 3 acknowledgements HE CONSERVATION and archaeological interventions in Naranjo-Sa’al carried out to date would not have been possible without the generous support of several institu- tions and organizations. Since 2007, the General Directorate of Cultural and Natu- Tral Heritage of Guatemala has increased its sustained investment in Naranjo-Sa’al, focusing on the Central and West Acropolis. In 2005 and 2006, the Foundation for the Advance- ment of Mesoamerican Studies (FAMSI) supported the first stage of the mapping process of the peripheral residential groups. Since 2005, World Monuments Fund has continued its steadfast support for the rescue and conservation of Naranjo-Sa’al. In 2007, World Monu- ments Fund and the Gilbert & Ildiko Butler Foundation provided resources needed to carry out a feasibility study that has enabled researchers to determine the features in most urgent need of conservation at Naranjo-Sa’al, echoing the reasons the site was included on the 2006 World Monuments Watch. The restoration of the Hieroglyphic Stairway Temple, the creation of the GIS map of the residential periphery, and the present publication were made possible thanks to generous support from the United States Department of State Ambas- sadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, in 2009 and 2010, which has been administered by the Fundación para la Conservación en Guatemala. Other work has been carried out with funding from the Guatemala’s Ministry of Culture and Sports. Collectively, the conservation efforts carried out over the past decade may pay off in a more international context as the site of Naranjo-Sa’al and the Yaxhá-Nakum-Naranjo National Park in which it is located are included on the 2012 UNESCO Tentative List for World Heritage designation in Guatemala. agradecimientos AS INTERVENCIONES arqueológicas y de conservación en Naranjo-Sa’al llevadas a cabo hasta la fecha no habrían sido posibles sin el generoso apoyo de varias instituciones y organizaciones. Desde el año 2007, la Dirección Nacional del LPatrimonio Natural y Cultural de Guatemala ha incrementado su inversión sostenida en Naranjo-Sa’al, concentrándose en las Acrópolis Central y Occidental. En 2005 y 2006 la Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies1 (FAMSI) apoyó la primera etapa del proceso de mapeo de los grupos residenciales periféricos. Desde el 2005, World Monuments Fund ha continuado su apoyo inquebrantable para el rescate y la conservación de Naranjo-Sa’al. En el 2007, el World Monuments Fund y la Gilbert & Ildiko Butler Foundation proporcionaron los recursos necesarios para llevar a cabo un estudio de factibilidad que permitió determinar a los investigadores cuáles eran las partes que necesitaban ser conservadas más urgentemente en Naranjo-Sa’al, se hizo eco a las razones y el sitio fue incluido en el World Monuments Watch 2006. La restau- ración del Templo de la Escalinata Jeroglífica, la creación del mapa GIS de la periferia residencial y esta publicación fueron posibles gracias al generoso apoyo del Fondo de Embajadores del Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos para Conservación Cultural en 2009 y 2010, el cual ha sido administrado por la Fundación para la Con- servación en Guatemala. Otros trabajos han sido llevados a cabo con la financiación de Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes de Guatemala. Colectivamente, los esfuerzos de conservación que se llevaron a cabo durante la última década rendirán frutos en un contexto más internacional cuando el sitio ar- queológico Naranjo-Sa’al y el Parque Nacional Yaxhá-Nakum-Naranjo, en el cual se encuentra, sean incluidos en la lista indicativa para designación de los lugares que son Patrimonio de la Humanidad de la UNESCO para el 2012 en Guatemala. 1 Fundación para el Avance de los Estudios Mesoamericanos (N. de la T) Image Credits Figure 13: Àlvaro Martínez. Figures 28, 33: Beatriz Bracamonte. Figures 3, 12, 14, 15, 17, 24, 30: Breitner González. Figures 19, 27: Daniel Aquino. Figure 23: Erick Palacios. Figure 2: NASA, con modificación de Vilma Fialko. Figure 10: Oscar Quintana. Figure 4: Oscar Quintana y Wolfgang Wurster, con modificación de David Cerezo. Figure 1, back cover: Raul Noriega. Figure 8: Rigoberto Choc. Figures 31, 32: Sergio Solís y Paulino Morales. Figures 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 29, 34, 35: Vilma Fialko 4 Foreword/Prefacio HE PETÉN REGION is the heart of the area once occupied by the Classic Maya culture. The territory’s vast archaeological richness includes several important prehistoric cit- ies and sites scattered throughout the subtropical forest, a context that has helped Tpreserve these significant archaeological remains. Naranjo Sa’al is one such city. Located in the northeastern quarter of the Petén, Naranjo Sa’al houses a magnificent ar- ray of architectural and sculptural arts, and represents a highly developed social structure. Archaeological studies of this classic Maya city and its context has prompted the need to address its long-term conservation and public access management. Guatemala’s Ministry of Culture and Sports is grateful to the various agencies and insti- tutions that have joined forces in the conservation of Naranjo Sa’al, where World Monu- ments Fund’s support has been instrumental. This publication outlines the conservation work taking place at the site, and presents an interpretation of the city based on the research so far. In sharing the Naranjo Sa’al team’s work, we hope to increase public interest in Guatemala’s culture, and also raise awareness of Maya sites in general. As we approach the turnover of the Maya calendar known as Oxlajuj B’aqtun, we have an opportunity to promote a greater appreciation of Guatemala’s magnificent cultural heritage, and the knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, agriculture, society, and spirituality that our forebears bequeathed us. A REGIÓN DE PETÉN conforma el corazón del área que ocupaba la cultura Maya clásica. Este territorio está compuesto por una gran riqueza arqueológica repre- sentada por varias ciudades y sitios prehispánicos importantes enmarcados por Lel bosque subtropical, un contexto que de cierta manera ha preservado estos restos arqueológicos significativos.
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