Book

Excavations in the Tigre Complex, El Mirador, Peten, Guatemala

New World Archaeological Foundation, Brigham Young University • (62) • Published In 1990 • Pages: xviii, 308

By: Hansen, Richard D..

Abstract
El Tigre is the largest Preclassic Mayan structure ever uncovered and one of the largest Maya Lowland structures of any period, requiring 5,000,000 man-days in the total construction effort. This feat has forced scholars to change their ideas about the complexity of Mayan Preclassic 'civilization.' As with other Mayan Preclassic sites, El Tigre was abandoned in the Late Preclassic. Over a four-year period, Hansen and his team dug 32 pits and trenches, and unearthed over 40,000 sherds and 890 stone artifacts. Half of the studied ceramics are Preclassic (mostly Chicanel Late Preclassic) and five percent are Classic (44 percent are unclassifiable.) The most outstanding features of El Tigre are the large stucco jaguar masks bordering the stairway. Hansen interprets the iconography and architecture of the whole structure as a representation of Mayan cosmology and the rising and setting sun. Hansen provides a comprehensive and detailed description of the excavation and artifacts.
Subjects
Archaeological excavation methods
Ceramic technology
Structures
Visual arts
tradition
Preclassic Maya
HRAF PubDate
2001
Region
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub Region
Maya Area
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Archaeologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard ; 2000
Field Date
1979-1982
Coverage Date
2400-1800 BP
Coverage Place
El Mirador, Petén, Guatemala
Notes
Richard D. Hansen
Includes bibliographical references (p. 299-308)
LCSH
Mayas--Antiquities