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| You can linger along the garden path or follow directly
into the Maya residence of Tzunu'un, a Maya residential patio group.
Tzunu'un, the Mayan word for hummingbird,
is the mythical protector of flowers and gardens. Hummingbirds are
truly an American bird, native to the New World, and found at most
latitudes and elevations. They abound in this area, feasting on the
red flower of Axcanan, or Polly Red Head, that flourishes in
the open areas along roads and near houses. The hummingbird's delicate
nest may be encountered in shady spots off the trails. Be careful
as you approach the hummingbird's home--these tiny birds are feisty. |
| Encountering the residential patio group, you will recognize its
human proportions and the domestic space. Patio groups, such as Tzunu'un,
come in all shapes and sizes, often oriented to the cardinal directions
(N, S, E, W), as are the major plazas at the centers. The large size
of Tzunu'un suggests that its inhabitants were more privileged than
most. As in our society, size implies wealth. There are hundreds of
residential units around El Pilar. Most are simple foundations supporting
pole-and-thatch structures similar to those seen in the region today,
built with materials from the Maya forest. Examples are the northern
two structures of Tzunu'un. The earliest occupation of Tzunu'un was
in the Middle Preclassic, before 250 B.C. The structures continued
to be used, expanded, modified, and remodeled into the Terminal Classic
Period. (See Ancient Maya Timeline) |
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Residents of Tzunu'un occupied this ample setting, which includes
five formal buildings around a courtyard. Life outdoors must have
taken up much of the home experience. While Tzunu'un is large, its
composition represents the range of typical Maya households. South
of the patio courtyard, an imposing structure dominates the space.
Clearly this is the most significant building of this group. A large
stone structure, like a palace, once stood here, composed of three
rows of rooms each supporting corbel arched
ceilings. The roof would have supported a facade of stucco with modeled
designs like those pieces discovered during the excavations. You may
climb the remnants of the stairs and enter the first rooms from the
opening that was the front door. Here you will see benches of different
heights, representing levels of the hierarchy of this household. Sitting
on these benches you can imagine the reception scenes depicted on
vases in museums and understand the importance of such places. |
| Over the years many changes and modifications were made
to the large southern building at Tzunu'un. The entry was once wider;
the western bench was enlarged and required adjustments to the entrance;
the room beyond that bench once provided access to the rear rooms
but was later sealed. Earlier floors were filled to raise the level
of the back rooms. Ultimately, the rear of the building was dismantled
in an effort to repair a collapse in a last maintenance effort. |
| The most astonishing archaeological discovery at Tzunu'un
is that the final remodeling of the Terminal Classic was never completed.
Evidence for the abrupt halt in construction is found in the expanded
terrace to the west of the stairs that was never completed. The unfinished
west terrace certainly was intended to be paired with one to the east,
yet it was barely started. We are not the only society to experience
financial failures--we speculate that this was the case for the household's
eastern shrine. |
| The household shrine is isolated on the east side of the courtyard
and represents a pyramid in proportion to the household. Rising several
levels to the main room, this would have been an altar for private
needs that could have been shared within the neighborhood. Such eastern
shrines have been recognized across the Maya area and were first noted
by Marshal Becker at Tikal in the 1960s. This shrine is in poor condition,
attributed largely to the remodeling that it underwent before the
abandonment of the project and likely the home. |
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| Still, specific features are noteworthy. As with the imposing palace-like
building, the entrance room had two benches. The north bench is well-preserved,
with a niche at its base. Again harking to Maya depictions from the
Classic Period, one can imagine Copal incense from the garden rising
from this alcove and imparting a mystique to the household rituals. |
| The ceremonial style and archaeological data suggest
that it may have been an ancestral shrine. We discovered several caches
pottery vessels in the central stair and the remains of ancient burials,
desecrated by the looter's trench as the rear of this small structure.
(See Looting) |
| The three other structures surrounding the patio are partially reconstructed
to protect the ancient foundations and show how these buildings may
have appeared to the household. Elongated shapes of mounded surface
rubble first identified these buildings. Archaeologists call these
features house mounds. Pay close attention, and you will begin to
note the signature shapes of mounds along your walks at El Pilar and
elsewhere in the Maya region. When the structural collapse is excavated,
foundations, walls, and floors are revealed. |
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| Each building faced onto a patio and was used contemporaneously
during the Classic Period; yet, each is constructed in an entirely
different way, and probably for distinct uses. Today, we entertain
in the living room, eat in the dining room, bathe in the bathroom,
and sleep in the bedroom. Whether these are spaces of a large room,
divided rooms of one structure, or separate buildings around a patio,
it is not difficult to envision these separate uses. |
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Each building is different in size, in shape, and in
the construction materials. The larger southeastern building once
had wattle-and-daub construction, known as colche in Mayan.
Neatly dressed limestone blocks retained the base and there was once
a nice plaster floor across the large interior. One can easily imagine
swinging hammocks in this spacious and cool place. |
| To the west, a large cobble foundation, a rough unfinished floor,
and an informal stone platform that could have served as a storage
unit define a small structure. We have roofed these structural remains
with Corozo, or Cohune palm leaves,
readily available in the Maya forest. |
| A third structure is found on the far west and has been
only partially revealed and consolidated. Exposed foundations have
been stabilized as they were uncovered. This building had more formal
walls than the ones in the north, and the interior bench rose to conceal
a burial, reminding us of the ancient custom of venerating ancestors
in the home. This structure would have also supported a thatched-roofed
building. |
| The stonework seen at the residential structures of Tzunu'un has
been carefully consolidated to protect the archaeological remains.
Loose Maya mortars, orginally slaked from local limestone, were painstakingly
removed and replaced, and where necessary, new stones were substituted
for badly deteriorated ones. The techniques used in the consolidation
mirror those of the Maya and follow international protocols established
by UNESCO and ICOMOS. These protocols are promoted by the World Monument
Fund, where El Pilar was listed as an endangered site in 1996. |
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| Our work at Tzunu'un represents a process developed by Rudy
Larios over the past four decades. |
| As you leave Tzunu'un and its forest-garden you pass through several
other residential structures of different forms and sizes, representing
a variety of groups. These give a sense of household spacing, size,
and distribution. Beyond Tzunu'un, you pass a large unexcavated structure
on your right. You then pass into the courtyard of one of Tzunu'un's
nearest neighbors. Look back towards Tzunu'un and you can picture
the neighborhood, the urban gardens separating households, and the
privacy of each home. |
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