The Explorers Journal_fall_2011(1)

RETURN OF E XPLORERS CLUB FL AG # 51

SCORPIONS,
WETL ANDS,
AND JADE
20 years of fieldwork at
Blue Creek, Belize

by THOMAS H. GUDERJAN

For more than 1,500 years—from evident at Tikal, Copán,
ca. 500 b.c. to a.d. 1100—the Palenque, and El Mirador—all
ancient Maya culture flourished built during the Classic Period
from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, (ca. a.d. 250–850) when Maya
across the highlands of Chiapas civilization reached it apogee.
and Guatemala, into the Petén, Then, in the mid-ninth cen-
south into Honduras and El tury, their civilization mysteriously
Salvador, and east and north into “collapsed,” resulting in the near
the lowland areas of Tabasco, abandonment of these once
Campeche, Yucatán, Quintana Roo, and Belize. great centers of art and culture in favor of smaller,
Today, their extraordinary achievements are architecturally less ambitious settlements that
52 TK TK
A NEW DAY DAWNS AT THE BLUE CREEK RESEARCH STATION. PHOTO BY COLLEEN HANRATTY © MRP.

were more widely dispersed across the landscape. that the principal buildings at the site were razed,
What events and processes led to such a dra- expanded, and modified throughout the site’s
matic societal transformation in such a seemingly occupational history. Each remodeling was ac-
short period of time? Was it the result of persistent companied by a “termination ritual,” that is a cer-
warfare, environmental overexploitation, overpopu- emonial closing of the building with the deposition
lation, drought, or some combination of these? Or of offertory caches.
were there other factors involved that remained On top of the escarpment the terrain is a mix-
unknown? These were questions we hoped to ture of eroded limestone hills separated by large
help answer when we began work at Blue Creek in expanses of clayey soils that are prized by mod-
northwestern Belize two decades ago. ern large-scale farmers. These bajos and bajitos
Superficially, Blue Creek appears unexcep- range in size from a square kilometer to 40 square
tional: surrounding its main plaza are 15-meter-tall kilometers. No Maya homes have been found
buildings, relatively small by Maya standards, as on them, and on adjacent hillsides fields, were
is its only ballcourt. And the site is largely devoid expanded and terraces and dams built, indicating
of the inscribed stelae depicting Maya rulers for that the bajos were fully cultivated in the Early
which so many other sites are famed. Yet its loca- Classic period. Moreover, below the escarpment
tion on the Río Hondo—a critical trade artery be- are equally rich soils, but these were subject to
tween the great Classic capitals and the coastal seasonal inundation that could easily lead to com-
regions (which saw a florescence in the wake of plete crop losses. To prevent this, several hundred

the collapse) made it a tantalizing target for under- kilometers of drainage ditches were dug as early
standing the change in this mutable landscape. as the Early Classic period and maintained until
Two decades of multidisciplinary field research the abandonment of Blue Creek ca. a.d. 850.
are now paying off, revealing a site with a long oc- By the end of the Late Preclassic period ( a.d.
cupational history—from the Middle Preclassic to 150–250) and through the Early Classic period
the Terminal Classic (ca. a.d. 200–1000)—that is ( a.d. 250–600), Blue Creek became a wealthy
providing a wealth of information on the sociopo- city. We found a building (Structure 9) with a set
litical forces that may have been in play during this of plaster masks of the image of an Early Classic
critical period of ancient Maya history. ajaw or king, along with a unique set of dedica-
The central precinct of Blue Creek is atop the tory caches, which identified the site’s axis mundi
100-meter-high Bravo Escarpment, which divides or symbolic central place. These included nearly
the low coastal plain from the karstic upland 1,000 jade artifacts, the fourth largest collection
hills. The site core consists of two primary build- of Maya jade ever found. More accurately known
ing groups: Plaza A, a large plaza consisting of as jadeite and nephrite, these were prized in
five Early Classic period structures, one Late the Maya world and, like many naturally sourced
Preclassic building, and a ballcourt; and Plaza products of great value, came from a restricted
B, a series of Classic period buildings running area and were available only to elite members of
north-south, including a palace. The central pre- society. Other prestige goods have been found,
cinct also contained the houses of lesser nobles including metamorphic grinding stones, obsidian
and those who served the ruling elites. It is clear tools, and sponges from the Caribbean, indicating
from the architectural remains we have excavated that Blue Creek was considerably wealthier than
IMAGES FROM LEFT: AN EARLY CLASSIC POLYCHROME LIDDED BOWL, FOUND WITH SACRIFICED INFANT INSIDE STRUCTURE 4; TERMINAL PRECLASSIC THE EXPLORERS JOURNAL
POTS AND JADE ARTIFACTS, TOMB 5; AND A LATE CLASSIC LIDDED VESSEL DEPICTING GOD K, STRUCTURE 3. PHOTOS BY BILL COLLINS © MRP.

other comparable cities. political families for nearly a millennium. In 2000,
Blue Creek’s wealth derived from two equally excavations of a tomb in one complex revealed
important factors. The first was the availability the burial of an important person, probably the
of some of the richest and most extensive agri- founder of a family lineage, beneath a shrine. He
cultural soils in Central America. Blue Creek en- was interred ca. a.d. 150–250 with ceramic ves-
compassed an area of approximately 150 square sels and a jade acrobat pendant, indicating that
kilometers, more than half of which was used for he may have been a shaman or religious leader.
agriculture. This was simultaneously used for dif- The burial of another important male, perhaps a
ferent agricultural practices, from small household son or grandson, was found in front of the shrine.
gardens to the large-scale production of upland Judging from the continued expansion, construc-
non-irrigation and lowland drained field farming. tion, and wealth attested here, the house and its
Blue Creek produced far more food than its popu- tombs belonged to a family of increasing political
lation could consume. A wide variety of crops and economic influence.
were grown, including Other barrios did
kakaw (cacao) which not attain the same
was used as money. power and authority as
The second factor Kín Tan. Sayap Ha, for
was its extraordinary example, located east
access to trading mar- of the central precinct,
kets. Blue Creek is at and surrounded by
the headwaters of the ditched agricultural
Rio Hondo, the north- fields, had houses of
ernmost river draining a modest character.
into the Caribbean Most of these were
Sea, a three-day canoe thatch-roofed, wooden
trip. It was possible pole homes, and ex-
to export goods on cavations yielded little
canoes bound for cit- in the way of prestige
ies in the north, which goods apart from one
had lesser agricultural founder burial that is
potential and a higher contemporary with the
risk of crop failure. Blue earliest one at Kín Tan.
Creek would have also This consisted of a
been the final port of male buried under the
call for canoes traveling from the Caribbean en floor of a house with a variety of grave goods, in-
route to the interior. From here commodities were cluding a royal head carved from bone, and a pair
most likely conveyed overland to Petén sites such of shell ornaments inlaid with exotic stones and
as Tikal and Uaxactún. coral inscribed with imagery from Teotihuacán in
In addition to linking Blue Creek into the ex- Mexico. Although the founder of this lineage clear-
tensive Maya trade system as a provider of com- ly achieved some prestige, his descendants did
modities traded for long distances, we recognized not inherit and build upon his wealth and power.
that Blue Creek was composed of numerous Blue Creek’s sociopolitical structure changed
geographically separated neighborhoods. Typical during the sixth century, perhaps in part due to the
of most Maya sites, each had their own leadership wider shifts of power and trade in the Maya world.
and local religious shrines, but was beholden to During this period a massive caching event oc-
the elites who lived in the central precinct. These curred at Structure 4 in Plaza A.A large part of the
outlying residential districts or barrios were sepa- building was removed and a masonry lined shaft
rated by broad expanses of agricultural lands. A was constructed. Caches were placed around the
kilometer west of the central precinct, a residen- shaft, including more than 100 ceramic vessels.
tial district known as Kín Tan comprises a group The shaft then was filled with incense, nearly a
of large masonry houses occupied by important thousand jade artifacts, and a human finger.
54 A PAIR OF PLASTER MASKS DEPICTING AN EARLY CLASSIC AJAW OR KING GRACE THE WEST FACE OF STRUCTURE 9, TOP. PHOTO
BY BILL COLLINS © MRP. THE 2011 MRP TEAM, BOTTOM, WITH EXPLORERS CLUB FLAG #51. PHOTO © MRP.

During the Late Classic period ( a.d. 600–900), protect sites in this part of the world—where log-
significant population growth took place at Blue ging and the clearing of sites for cultivation and
Creek. In addition to the expansion of the elite pasturage proceeds apace unchecked—is to own
residences within the site core, 85 percent of them. We have succeeded in halting bulldozing at
all construction in Kín Tan occurred then. While several sites simply because we asked as friends
the large ditched agricultural systems below the to stop the destruction. However, such efforts have
escarpment had been in place for several hundred proven temporary. As time passes, circumstances
years, growing platforms were built at its base to change and sites become at risk again. Recently,
expand the amount of productive land. And in the through untold amounts of political maneuvering
area of the bajos separating residential compo- and with financial support from colleagues and a
nents atop the escarpment, terracing and cross- bridge loan, our not-for-profit was able to acquire
drainage features were built to expand the amount Grey Fox, a medium-size Maya center near the
of arable land, which may have been driven by Mexican border, which is still in unlogged forest.
lowered productivity due to soil erosion. Despite Over the past two decades our project has
such efforts, Blue Creek’s agricultural potential grown to encompass a multidisciplinary team of
was increased by less than five percent. researchers working to further refine the story of
By the end of the Classic Period, construction this Maya state. Preparations are now underway
activities in the central precinct and adjacent resi- for the 2012 summer season, during which we
dential areas, such as Kín Tan, came to an abrupt hope to uncover yet more details on the lives of the
halt. Ultimately, the Terminal Classic is marked at Maya of Blue Creek. For those interested in joining
Blue Creek by the abandonment and termination our project, we have grown from a rather bare-bones
of sacred structures, both within the site core and operation to a fully functional research station with
within its most elite residences. electricity, water, and even flush toilets! We have
For the past few seasons, we have focused on a permanent lab, curation space, and a wonderful
two important areas—Chum Balam-Nah, an elite Mennonite woman, Margaretha, who cooks and
residence a kilometer south of Plaza A, and a makes our lives easier. Despite such amenities, we
low-lying area known as the Alacranes Bajo, 25 still often wake up in the morning to find scorpions in
kilometers to the west, which is being transformed our coffee cups.
into rice fields and pasturelands. The bajo is
ringed with small- and medium-size settlements,
including Nojol Nah and Grey Fox, newly discov- INFORMATION
ered centers with monumental architecture some
15 kilometers west of Blue Creek. In addition, The Blue Creek project is open to student and non-student partici-
we have devoted part of our ongoing research to pants. Participants will receive training in archaeological field and
developing a better understanding of wetlands laboratory techniques. Academic credit and scholarships are avail-
agriculture. Also, during the past two years we able. For information: mrpinquiries@gmail.com.
have been flying over the Río Hondo Valley from
Blue Creek to the Caribbean, where previous 2 0 12 S E A S O N D AT E S :
work had shown that there were many ditched ag- Session 1: Monday, May 28–Sunday, June 10
ricultural systems. We were surprised, however, Session 2: Monday, June 11–Sunday, June 24
at their extent and scale. The entire valley, several Session 3: Monday, July 2–Sunday. July 15
kilometers wide and 100 kilometers long, looks Session 4: Monday, July 16–Sunday, July 29
more like a result of modern agribusiness than the
old swidden model of 40 years ago.
Unfortunately, much of our work is directed by a BIOGRAPHY
need to keep ahead of the bulldozers. Vast areas
are being cleared for mechanized agriculture and A Fellow of The Explorers Club since 1991, Thomas H. Guderjan,
the damage done to Maya sites cannot be under- Ph.D., is on the faculty of the University of Texas at Tyler, president of
estimated. In 2010, for example, several thousand the Maya Research Program (www.mayaresearchprogram.org), and
hectares of land surrounding Nojol Nah were director of the Blue Creek Project. He is the author of The Nature of a
cleared. Long ago, I realized that the best way to Maya City (University of Alabama Press, 2007).
THE EXPLORERS JOURNAL

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