Discovery of two predicted Ancient Maya sites in Belize.

TOURTELLOT, GAIR ; WOLF, MARC ; BELLI, FRANCISCO ESTRADA 等

Since 1992 we have been mapping the Classic Maya city of La Milpa in northwestern Belize (Tourtellot et al. 1993; Hammond et al. 2000), finding dense occupation of the period AD 700-850 and a potential population of some 46,000 within a 5-km radius of the site core. The map by early 2000 (FIGURE 1; see also http://www.bu.edu/ lamilpa) included the central square kilometre, 15 randomly located survey blocks, a short northern transect and long transects to the east and south. On each of the latter two, at some 3.5 km distance from the Great Plaza, we noted a hilltop minor ceremonial centre', each with a broad plaza enclosed by low substructures with a pyramid on the east and, in the case of La Milpa East (LME), a still-standing monument (Stela 19). A viewshed GIS showed that both groups were intervisible with the top of the main pyramid, Structure 1, on the Great Plaza: in the case of LME a narrow corridor of vision led directly to the stela (FIGURE 2).

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The season of 2000 was devoted to testing a model of intentional city planning based on a cosmogram of the Maya world known from Classic hieroglyphics and sculpture, Maya maps of Conquest period date and modern Maya beliefs. This model builds on the Maya fascination with aligning buildings and rituals to significant world directions. It consists of a centre (in this case focused on the main pyramid), representing the axis mundi between heaven, earth and underworld, with sightlines radiating to the four cardinal points of the compass. That we might actually have a concrete realization of this ancient scheme occurred to us when we discovered the secondary minor centres of LME and La Milpa South on sightlines 90 [degrees] apart. If we correctly interpreted the ancient Maya mind, this cosmogram would have been completed by similar centres on sightlines projected 3.5 km to the west and north from La Milpa centre, in previously unexplored and heavily forested terrain.

Examination of the Belize 1:50,000 topographic map suggested suitable hilltops were indeed located at each point, and a Geographic Information System (GIS) of our mapping data, accumulated since 1992, confirmed that the unexplored hilltops 3.5 km due west and north of La Milpa centre would also be intervisible with Structure 1. Coordinates for the predicted La Milpa West and North minor centres were obtained from the topographic map, and MW navigated to the target hills using 12-channel Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite radio receivers with canopy-penetration capability. These sensitive and inexpensive pocket-size receivers promise to revolutionize archaeological survey in the tropical forest: at La Milpa they located both minor centres close to their predicted positions.

La Milpa West (LMW) has a large pyramid, on a small plaza, on the very crown of its hill. Unexpectedly, but perfectly, the pyramid faces east, across a valley towards La Milpa Centre (rather than facing west as do most Maya pyramids). Thus, La Milpa West is a mirror image of La Milpa East, whose pyramid faces west toward the centre. Excavation and analysis of its plan suggests LMW was not finished when La Milpa was abandoned.

La Milpa North (LMN) was found where expected but, surprisingly, its form was a residential palace, rather than a ceremonial plaza group with a pyramid. It consists of numerous long multi-room buildings in five groups, each arrayed around 1-3 small courtyards, the largest number seen outside La Milpa Centre. Like LMW, LMN was found within 100 m of its predicted location, within the GPS radius of error.

We believe this is the first time that the precise location of unknown Maya sites has been successfully predicted. These were not rumoured centres, or statistically or spatially projected to occur, but point predictions. All these groups of buildings appear to be very late in the history of La Milpa, probably taking their final form around AD 800. Furthermore, it was only then that Pyramid 1 grew tall enough (FIGURE 3), and the landscape sufficiently denuded of forest by sprawling intensive agriculture, for the sightlines to be established.

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Acknowledgements. Mapping was directed by GT, GIS models were developed by FEB and GT, and ground-truthing was executed by MW. Site centre investigations were directed by NH, through whom survey at La Milpa and the GIS database were funded by the National Geographic Society and by Raymond and Beverly Sackler, with additional funding from an anonymous donor and Boston University. Permission for investigations was granted by Programme for Belize and the Belize Department of Archaeology, Belmopan.

References

HAMMOND, N., G. TOURTELLOT, G. EVERSON, K.L. SAGEBIEL, B. THOMAS & M. WOLF. 2000. Survey and excavation at La Milpa, Belize, 1998, Mexicon 22: 38-45.

TOURTELLOT, G., A. CLARKE & N. HAMMOND. 1993. Mapping La Milpa: a Maya city in northwestern Belize, Antiquity 67: 96-108.

GAIR TOURTELLOT, MARC WOLF, FRANCISCO ESTRADA BELLI & NORMAN HAMMOND, Department of Archaeology, Boston University, 675 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston MA 02215, USA. ndch@bu.edu