Chocolá:
A Late Preclassic site (400 BC to 200 AD),
although it shows occupation until the late Post Classic, ca 1500 AD.
The site is a complex
of more than 100 Structures that was discovered here before the turn of
the last century, and visited in the late 20's by Burkitt, that discovered the famous Chocolá's Monument 1, ("Excavations at Chocolá" in
The Museum Journal 21:5-40). A decade later German
archaeologist visited the site, and discovered other sculptures and
ceramic, in the 60's Graham and then Shook from the Universidad del Valle
de Guatemala, inspected
the site finding other monuments and making a map. Until now, no one had undertaken systematic and
comprehensive excavations. Now, the PACH program has undertaken
systematic
research in the site and its relationships with other sites
nearby and as far as
Kaminaljuyú in the
Central Highlands, Bilbao in
Cotzumalguapa,
also in the pacific lowland to the east and
Tak'alik A'baj to the west. According
to Demarest and Sharer (1986), this center was in the same cultural area
that expanded along the Pacific Lowlands piedmont and Highlands, from
Izapa to the west, to Chalchuapa in the East. The site had the social and
cultural developments that led to the rise of the
Classic Maya, with
sophisticated city-states,
hieroglyphic literacy,
exquisite ceramics,
and the most advanced
mathematics and
astronomy
in the New World. The first two seasons of Archeological work by PACH, have demonstrated that this site,
located in the Modern Village of Chocolá, Suchitepéquez, between the
Volcanic Chain and the
Pacific Lowlands, is an ancient Maya
site. The production of
Cacao
was and remains important and the Chocolate from this area is the
finest in Guatemala.
(Valdés et al, 2004 FAMSI report).
Based on older as well as still accumulating evidence,
scholars assume that innovative developments occurred in the southern
Mesoamerican area during the Pre-Classic period (2000 B.C.–A.D. 200)
that strongly influenced the later great Mesoamerican civilizations such
as the Olmec and Maya. (see
El Mesak,
La Blanca,
Ujuxte,
Eastern Pacific
Lowlands and
Monte Alto). The excavations in 2003, demonstrated the
existence of a Water management architecture in the site, (Valdés,
2004). Due to the fact that all
southern Guatemala region is private owned and a very fertile soil, the
archaeological investigations has been difficult in this area.
Carved Vase roll out, depicting Monkey
scribe with name glyph. Hun Batz or Hun Chuen. The 2nd figure
suggests a deity with Yax Balam head. May be another version of the
Popol Vuh.
Among the
Architecture in the site, there are structures up to 25 m.
High, that held administrative buildings. Archaeo-astronomical research tentatively has identified possibly
crucial
alignments from structures in the administrative center of the city that
reflect primordial measurements that underlay development of the
Maya calendar
(Love), and large platforms and terraces with several burial
underneath. Palaces as Structure
5, 20 m. long and 5 mt. High, Also pottery workshops have been
documented there. Among the objects recovered in the site, there are
Sculptured monuments
and altars, and fine
Preclassic pottery and figurines,
nearby
there are
Caves with
archeological remains, also, there is a museum
in the modern town of Chocolá, a 3 hours drive southwest from
Guatemala City.
Several smaller sites such as San Antonio
Suchitepéquez, Santo Tomás La Unión, La Ceiba and San Francisco
Zapotitlán in Suchitepéquez and Chuajij, in Sololá,
functioned as satellites to Chocolá. You can volunteer to participate in
the site diggings for 2 weeks in
Earthwatch, the Contribution is US $2395
(2007).
