RAPID: Improved Understanding of Regional Trade and Development from the Emergency Salvage of a Late Classic Site

Winthrop University, Rock Hill SC

Investigators

Abstract

Dr. Brent Woodfill of Winthrop University will conduct an emergency salvage of a vital archaeological site. This RAPID award supports the collection of critical but ephemeral data where the largest figurine workshop ever encountered in the Maya world has been just recently unearthed. This is an important discovery that is worthy of scientific study for several reasons. Academically, this is a little-understood region in spite of its importance to the Mexican and Central American economy as the source of the lion's share of vibrant green quetzal feathers that were used by Maya, Aztec, and other Mesoamerican rulers. Ethically, the owners want to preserve this find and support scientific advances. This emergency RAPID project will provide a solid framework upon which to test the extent to which trade routes and trends observed by the Spaniards were present before the Classic Maya collapse and provide for a detailed model for Classic Maya figurine production and exchange, thereby improving the robustness and reliability of archaeological findings related to regional trade and development. The project improves scientific infrastructure through international scientific collaboration. Research data and findings will further be disseminated through a variety of means to improve scientific and technological understanding. In May 2018, heavy machinery on the outskirts of the city of Coban, Guatemala cut into a large earthen mound, revealing hundreds of Classic Maya figurine molds, figurines, and incense burners. The contractor stopped construction immediately and contacted local authorities, who in turn brought in Dr. Brent Woodfill to assess the site's importance. Dr. Woodfill and his team will investigate the techniques for figurine production, which can be tested against previous models based on limited archaeological data. By studying this workshop in a largely undisturbed state, they will be able to relate figurine production and exchange to other economic activities that occurred here, and the relationships the producers maintained with local and far-flung Mesoamerican groups. There has never been a formal archaeological project in this important region, so much of our understanding is based on limited Spanish writings about the local Maya after the Spanish conquest. By examining the figurines and other archaeological materials, we can test the degree of cultural continuity before and after the drastic changes caused by the Classic collapse and the arrival of Europeans. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.