Striking distance

Investigating the epigraphy and geography of a Late Classic Maya war

Bibliographic Data

ID6033396
AuthorsNicholas Carter (0000-0002-2693-8916, Texas State University, corresponding author), Samantha Krause (0000-0002-6587-3166, Texas State University), Jacob Lozano (Texas State University)
Year2024
Volume35
Issue1
Pages304-318
Publication date2024-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAncient Mesoamerica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0956-5361 • E-ISSN: 1469-1787
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s095653612300010x
OpenAlexW4382064941
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited26

We present a photogrammetric model and new line drawing of Sacul Stela 3 at the ancient Maya site of Sacul 1, Guatemala. Although virtually illegible in person and from photographs, the inscription on the eroded stela can largely be read or reconstructed in the 3D model. Our reading confirms a previous argument that the kingdom based at Sacul 1 was attacked in A.D. 779 by forces from the site of Ucanal. Traveling by night, warriors from Sacul retaliated with a raid at dawn next day on an unidentified site and, months later, followed up with an attack on Ucanal itself. The same narrative appears substantially on a well-known monument, Ixkun Stela 2, but there are differences between the two texts which suggest that Sacul and Ixkun had their own sculptors and record-keepers and which offer insights into the implications of verbs ( pul, “to burn” and ch'ak , “to chop”) commonly attested in Classic Maya accounts of war. We then present the results of GIS analysis which suggests that the site area of El Rosario (between Sacul 1 and Ucanal) is an appealing candidate for the unidentified site mentioned in the stela text

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Epigraphy · Literature · Maya · Narrative · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · History · Latin American history and culture

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