Aguada Fénix

Coordinates: 17°48′N 91°09′W / 17.800°N 91.150°W / 17.800; -91.150
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Aguada Fénix
Aguada Fénix from the air
Alternative namePhoenix Reservoir[1]
LocationTabasco, Mexico
Coordinates17°48′N 91°09′W / 17.800°N 91.150°W / 17.800; -91.150
History
PeriodsPreclassic
CulturesMaya civilization
Site notes
ConditionIn ruins
Aguada Fénix digital survey using laser mapping
This article is part of a series on the
Maya civilization
Drawing of a Mayan stone carving with elaborate decoration.
History
Spanish conquest of the Maya

Aguada Fénix is a large Preclassic Mayan ruin located in the state of Tabasco, Mexico, near the border with Guatemala was discovered by aerial survey using laser mapping, and announced in 2020.[2] The flattened mound, nearly a mile in length and between 33 and 50 feet tall, is described as the oldest and the largest Mayan ceremonial site known.[3] The monumental structure is constructed of earth and clay, and is believed to have been built from around 1000 BC to 800 BC.[4]

Discovery

The finding of Aguada Fénix was announced in June 2020 by Takeshi Inomata, an archaeologist with the University of Arizona in Tucson, who is part a research team started in 2017 called the Middle Usumacinta Archaeological Project.[5] The site is located near the San Pedro River in northeastern Tabasco.[6] It was mapped from the air and excavation begun, resulting in finds including pottery and jade axes.[7]

Characteristics

The large platform, resembling structures at Olmec

Olmec San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, 300 miles west,[1] is conjectured by scientists to have been built by communal labor, possibly showing the importance of communal work in the initial development of Maya civilization.[9] The clay and earth rectangular mound is about 1,400 m long and 400 m wide, and in volume reported to be greater than the mass of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Nine massive causeways and several reservoirs are components of the overall structural site, which currently is partially wooded and otherwise used for cattle ranching.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Powell, Eric (January 2021). "Oldest Maya Temple". Archaeology Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Laser mapping reveals largest and oldest Mayan temple". CNN. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  3. ^ Machemer, Teresa (5 June 2020). "Aerial Survey Identifies Oldest, Largest Maya Structure Ever Found in Mexico". Smithsonian. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b Bower, Bruce (3 June 2020). "Lidar reveals the oldest and biggest Maya structure yet found". Science News. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  5. ^ Machemer, Teresa (5 June 2020). "Aerial Survey Identifies Oldest, Largest Maya Structure Ever Found in Mexico". Smithsonian. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Preclassic Maya Social Transformations along the Usumacinta: Views from Ceibal and Aguada Fénix". The Digital Archaeological Record. 2019.
  7. ^ "Laser mapping reveals largest and oldest Mayan temple". CNN. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  8. ^ Vázquez López, Verónica; Triadan, Daniela (2019). "Aguada Fénix: An Early Middle Preclassic Monumental Site in the Middle Usumacinta Region". The 84th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  9. S2CID 219281856. PDFOpen access icon
  10. ^ "Oldest and largest Maya structure discovered in southern Mexico". The Guardian. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.


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