Tres Islas
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Tres Islas (
Tres Islas is one of only a few Maya cities that erected dated monuments in the Early Classic period (c. AD 250 - 600).[1]
Location
Tres Islas is situated on the west bank of the Pasión River in the municipality of Sayaxché in Guatemala's northern department of Petén.[2] It is approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of the ruins of Machaquila and about the same distance north of Cancuén.[3] It is about 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Seibal.[4]
History
The early presence of the
Discovery
Although both
Site
The site consists of a group of 3 stelae and an altar 200 metres (660 ft) north of three small structures, each 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) high. These two groups are located on the edge of a scarp overlooking the Pasión River.[8]
The low platform supporting the three stelae measures 8.5 by 5 metres (28 by 16 ft) (north-south by east-west).[4]
Monuments
The three stelae were aligned in a north-south row, facing to the west. The stelae originally stood on a long, low platform bordered with worked stone. An altar was placed directly west of the central stela. The arrangement of the stelae and altar precisely mimics the orientation and relationships of the E-Group astronomical complex at Uaxactun, suggesting that the monument group served a similar purpose. The siting of the stela-altar complex on the edge of an east-facing scarp offers a perfect location for observing the sunrise. Ceramic finds from the southern portion of the stela platform have been dated to the Late Preclassic and the Late Classic periods.[9]
The combined hieroglyphic texts of the three stelae contain 137 glyphs and 12 Maya calendrical dates.[10] All three stelae were dedicated in AD 475, although they refer to events in AD 400 and 416.[3]
Stela 1 is badly damaged. Fragments of the monument were excavated in 2003 and were moved to the town of Santa Elena.[11]
Stela 2 is the central stela of the three.
Stela 3 is the smallest of the three stelae. It is broken diagonally in two fragments. The stela depicts a personage dressed in the war-garb of
Notes
- ^ Belli 2001.
- ^ Tomasic and Fahsen 2004, pp.794-795.
- ^ a b c Tomasic et al 2005, p.389.
- ^ a b Barrios and Quintanilla 2008, p.214.
- ^ Barrios and Quintanilla 2008, p.215.
- ^ a b Tomasic and Fahsen 2004, p.794.
- ^ Tomasic and Fahsen 2004, pp.794, 796.
- ^ a b c Tomasic and Fahsen 2004, p.796.
- ^ a b Tomasic and Fahsen 2004, p.798.
- ^ a b Tomasic and Fahsen 2004, p.800.
- ^ Tomasic et al 2005, p.391.
- ^ Tomasic and Fahsen 2004, p.802.
References
- Barrios, Edy; Claudia M. Quintanilla (2008). J.P. Laporte; B. Arroyo; H. Mejía (eds.). "Tres Islas: Un pequeño centro de comercio de las Tierras Bajas en el río Pasión, Sayaxche, Petén" [Tres Islas: A small trading site in the Lowlands on the Pasión River, Sayaxche, Peten.] (PDF). Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2007 (in Spanish). XXI. Guatemala City, Guatemala: Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología: 214–238. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
- Estrada-Belli, Francisco (December 2001). "Maya kingship at Holmul, Guatemala". Antiquity. Antiquity Publications Ltd. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- Tomasic John; Federico Fahsen (2004). J.P. Laporte; B. Arroyo; H. Escobedo; H. Mejía (eds.). "Exploraciones y excavaciones preliminares en Tres Islas, Petén" [Preliminary investigation and excavations in Tres Islas, Peten.] (PDF). Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2003 (in Spanish). XVII. Guatemala City, Guatemala: Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología: 794–809. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
- Tomasic John; Claudia M. Quintanilla; Edy Barrios (2005). J.P. Laporte; B. Arroyo; H. Mejía (eds.). "Excavaciones en el sitio arqueológico Tres Islas, río Pasión, Petén" [Excavation in the archaeological site of Tres Islas, Pasión River, Peten.] (PDF). Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2004 (in Spanish). XVIII. Guatemala City, Guatemala: Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología: 389–399. Retrieved 2012-05-08.