Artículos by Juan Francisco Saravia
XXXII Simposio de Investigaciones Ar queológicas en Guatemala, 2018 , 2019
One of the main obstacles that the study of rock art presents is to establish dates that allow a ... more One of the main obstacles that the study of rock art presents is to establish dates that allow a historical interpretation within a sociocultural context. From this problematic some investigators have been based on the iconography to realize chronological approximations. In the present paper, a stylistic study of several cases reported in the Central American area will be carried out, which are associated with Mesoamerican iconographic complexes, such as Olmeca, Maya and Mixteca-Puebla. These cases differ from the great majority of rock art in this region, where there are countless local and regional traditions that are difficult to associate with specific cultural groups. Therefore, these evidences are of great importance because they allow an interpretation of the rock art, by means of comparisons with other artistic manifestations, such as mural painting, sculpture and ceramics. These styles were presented throughout the history of occupation of the territory and correspond to phenomena of intense interaction and movements of populations, resources and ideas between different areas. In addition, these evidences denote political and religious connotations through the representation of deities and symbols of power
XXXI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2017 , 2018
Previous studies carried out by the Guatemalan Group of Investigation of Rock Art, reported the e... more Previous studies carried out by the Guatemalan Group of Investigation of Rock Art, reported the existence
of two rock art shelters with a great amount of petroglyphs. These are located in the Finca El Talpetate, on
the north bank of the Motagua River, municipality of Morazán, El Progreso. So far, 150 motifs engraved
on limestone rock walls have been classified. These include zoomorphic, anthropomorphic and abstract,
which make up various scenes of daily life and ritual aspects. The results of the documentation will be
presented through non-invasive methods, such as digital photogrammetry, high resolution photography
and freehand drawings. With these data a proposal of interpretation and classification of the motives is
proposed, which has made it possible to make iconographic comparisons with different artistic manifestations, both rock art and sculptoric and those present in ceramics traditions of the region, specifically the
Copador and Gualpopa groups of the Late Classic. The various stages of development indicate that this
was a sacred place on the commercial route of the Motagua.
XXXI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2017, 2018
In the year 2015 the epicenter of Sesakkar was excavated for the Regional Archaeological Project ... more In the year 2015 the epicenter of Sesakkar was excavated for the Regional Archaeological Project Cancuen.
The site is located in the sub-basin of the river Santa Isabel-Cancuen, in Fray Bartolomé de las Casas,
Alta Verapaz. The discovery of this site suggested a new exchange route to connect Sesakkar with Southeast
of Petén, Belice and the Caribe. The epicenter present Civic Ceremonial Group strongly related to sacred
geography, constituted by two hills modified with a Palace in the East, and a Plaza with three groups of
aligned stelaes, and flat altars in the West. One of them presents the Cancuen sculpture style, which reflects politic alliances to control exchange routes. Additionally, was found a hieroglyphic altar and seven
lithic deposits associated to monuments during their dedication ceremonies. With respect to chronology
it is possible to stablish that Sesakkar had a short time occupation during the Late Classic. The ceramic
indicate Cancuen, Transversal, El Petén and Izabal influenced.
XXVII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2013, 2014
The petroglyphs recently discovered in the town of Flores Costa Cuca, in Quetzaltenango, enriches... more The petroglyphs recently discovered in the town of Flores Costa Cuca, in Quetzaltenango, enriches the rock art iconographic corpus after the studies and recognitions of Shook, Ericastilla, Wolley, Lemus and
Velázquez that demonstrated evidence of pre-Hispanic people who inhabited Guatemala’s South-Western Coast. The findings include three basalt monuments. Two of them comprising a number of motives and elements distinctive of prehistoric rock art such as spirals, abstract figures, points and bars, hands, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic full body figures While there is a short catalogue and the elements are grouped, the methodology used is based on an iconographic analysis of the petroglyphs that attempts to infer a possible connection with iconographic elements of the complex societies that inhabited the Southern Pacific Coast; the deductions are based on the interpretation of two of the most representative monuments.
XXX Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2016 (editado por B. Arroyo, L. Méndez Salinas y G. Ajú Álvarez), pp. 959-968. Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala., 2017
The investigations of the Cancuén Regional Archaeological Project have proven that everything in ... more The investigations of the Cancuén Regional Archaeological Project have proven that everything in the peninsular epicenter of Cancuén had a function related to its interregional commerce. In contrast our 2016 investigations of the North Transect discovered the local populations of farmers who provided the subsistence goods for the epicenter. Each season of excavations in the epicenter or in the periphery reveals a settlement pattern of the ancient population that was well adapted to the irregular terrain of the area. Furthermore, the 2016 investigations on the North Transect continued to reveal a pattern of scarcity in both obsidian and jade which supports the hypothesis that production and export at Cancuén was controlled by the elite merchants of the epicenter.
XXXI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2017, 2018
Torres, Paola; Melanié Forné, Carlos Fidel Tuyuc, Miryam Saravia y Juan Francisco Saravia
2018 T... more Torres, Paola; Melanié Forné, Carlos Fidel Tuyuc, Miryam Saravia y Juan Francisco Saravia
2018 Tipología cerámica de Cancuen: evidencia de la relación con sus vecinos cercanos y distantes. En XXXI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2017 (editado por B. Arroyo, L. Méndez Salinas y G. Ajú Álvarez), pp. 169-182. Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala.
Apuntes Arqueológicos, 2018
En la región del Altiplano Norte de Guatemala se desarrolló una práctica particular de adosar com... more En la región del Altiplano Norte de Guatemala se desarrolló una práctica particular de adosar complejos arquitectónicos de tipo ceremonial a elementos de la geografía natural. Varios de estos conllevaron una considerable inversión de trabajo en la modificación del paisaje, conformando escenarios para rituales de legitimación y sedes administrativas de los linajes gobernantes durante el Clásico Tardío y Posclásico. En el presente estudio se presentará una descripción de los ejemplos más relevantes y una aproximación al significado que pudo tener esta práctica con fundamento en analogías etnográficas y otras líneas de evidencia como la iconografía y los textos jeroglíficos.
XXXIII SIMPOSIO DE INVESTIGACIONES ARQUEOLÓGICAS EN GUATEMALA, 2020
During the last phase of the Late Classic and the beginnings of the Early Postclassic in the regi... more During the last phase of the Late Classic and the beginnings of the Early Postclassic in the regions of Nebaj and Alta Verapaz, pottery traditions influenced at the iconographic level by the Lowland Maya culture were developed, as well as interesting links with the Highlands of Chiapas. In the present paper will be focus in the different characters represented in molded and modeled ceramics, among which stand out deities of corn, the underworld and solar, mainly in its aspect of God Jaguar of the Underworld, as well as portraits of anthropomorphic characters. Apparently there was a series of mythological narratives that have parallels with representations in the sculptural art and polychrome Lowland vessels, linked to the cycle of death and resurrection of the Maize God. At the morphological level they are found in urns, incense burners, vases decorated with flat reliefs and figurines. When evaluating this set of representations, we intend to know the implications of cultural interaction between different Mayan groups and the integration of innovative ideological aspects.
XXIX Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2016
The cities of Q’umarkaj, Kawinal and Kajyub, as main centers of a determined territory, formed a ... more The cities of Q’umarkaj, Kawinal and Kajyub, as main centers of a determined territory, formed a part of
the vast and complex network of Late Postclassic sites that dominated the socio-political, cultural and economic landscape of prehispanic Guatemala. It is evident that these three cities are marked by a singularity
in their settlement pattern and architecture. As capitals, they enjoyed a level of recognition and unique
prestige, as attested in various indigenous texts. In several passages they are described as protagonist centers, with a complex social and political structure which defined internally their construction and urban
design. As major urban centers they occupied notable defensive spaces, in which they integrated the landscape and architecture as fundamental to the symbolic construction of these spaces. Temples, large houses,
ball courts, altars, platforms and plazas are some of the relevant architectural elements, where each and
every space played a transcendental role as public place, a source and symbol of civic power, and a place
of convergence for the societies of that time.
XXIX Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2016
Each region of the Classic Maya world had different characteristics, styles, and cultural traject... more Each region of the Classic Maya world had different characteristics, styles, and cultural trajectories, but
Cancuen and other sites of the southwestern frontier were among the most diverse and specialized. They
were dedicated to commerce in commodities on a very large scale including obsidian, salt, cacao, and jade
– jade as a commodity more than a sacred good. The wealth of these sites, each one different with unique
characteristics, was based on control of the routes of the Pasion river and land routes to the highlands,
Veracruz and Tabasco, and possibly to the Caribbean. To understand the complexity and nature of these
frontier sites it is necessary to analyze each network of interaction of the sites and groups of agents along
the frontier and also the exchange system for each material. The apogees of these sites, their interaction
networks, changes in their economies, and abandonments have implications for theories of economy, frontiers,
and the end of the Classic Maya lowland states.
Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2015
Several archaeological studies in Baja Verapaz and Eastern Quiche in past decades show a corpus o... more Several archaeological studies in Baja Verapaz and Eastern Quiche in past decades show a corpus of rock
art, mostly associated with Postclassic sites or hills located in Rabinal, Cubulco and Salama. To analyze
them from a regional perspective, we make a graphic recording and descriptions done in the field, since in
most cases, only brief descriptions were done in the past. In general the predominance of circular depressions ("cupules") is observed, and two basic patterns are clearly represented: groups of schematic human
faces and linear patterns. Other important aspects are the evidence of contemporary ritual activity and the
oral tradition associated with several of the examples studied. The research is proposed as a complementary
contribution to the understanding of the complex history of the region.
Dioses, reyes y comerciantes en la frontera Perspectivas iconográficas y epigráficas de las relac... more Dioses, reyes y comerciantes en la frontera Perspectivas iconográficas y epigráficas de las relaciones interregionales en el Altiplano Norte a partir de los estilos cerámicos Chama, Nebaj, Chajkar y Chipoc
XXXI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2017 , 2018
2018 Dioses, reyes y comerciantes en la frontera: perspectivas iconográficas y epigráficas de las... more 2018 Dioses, reyes y comerciantes en la frontera: perspectivas iconográficas y epigráficas de las relaciones interregionales en el Altiplano Norte a partir de los estilos cerámicos Nebaj, Chamá, Chipoc y Chajkar. En XXXI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2017 (editado por B. Arroyo, L. Méndez Salinas y G. Ajú Álvarez), pp. 109-120. Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala. 7. dioses, reyes y comerciantes en La frontera: perspectivas iConogrÁfiCAs y epigrÁfiCAs de Las reLaciones interregionaLes en eL aLtipLano norte a partir de los estilos CerÁMiCos nebAj, ChAMÁ, chipoc y chajkar
Informes técnicos by Juan Francisco Saravia
INFORME FINAL, Temporada 2019. PRALC , 2020
Informe de resultados del análisis cerámico del sitio La Corona (Noroeste de Petén, Guatemala). S... more Informe de resultados del análisis cerámico del sitio La Corona (Noroeste de Petén, Guatemala). Se presenta la metodología de análisis y estudio de la muestra de dos contextos del sitio.
Proyecto Regional Arqueológico La Corona, Informe Final, Temporadas 2020-2022. Tomo I. , 2023
Informe de resultados del análisis cerámico de distintos grupos residenciales del sitio arqueológ... more Informe de resultados del análisis cerámico de distintos grupos residenciales del sitio arqueológico La Corona (Noroeste de Petén, Guatemala), datados en su mayoría para el Clásico Tardío (600-850 d.C.).
Proyecto Regional Arqueológico La Corona: Informe Final Temporadas 2020-2022 , 2023
Resultados del análisis cerámico de varias operaciones excavadas en El Achiotal y su región perif... more Resultados del análisis cerámico de varias operaciones excavadas en El Achiotal y su región periférica.
Proyecto Regional Arqueológico La Corona, Informe Final, Temporadas 2020-2022 (Tomo II), 2023
Tipología cerámica de el sitio El Achiotal, ubicado en el Noroeste de Petén. Su ocupación abarca ... more Tipología cerámica de el sitio El Achiotal, ubicado en el Noroeste de Petén. Su ocupación abarca desde el Preclásico Temprano hasta el Clásico Terminal. Se presentan descripciones de los tipos identificados bajo el sistema Tipo-Variedad Modal.
Proyecto Arqueológico Regional Cancuen Informe Final N°16, Temporada de Campo 2016, 2017
Excavación de monumentos lisos (estelas y altares) en el sitio Raxruha Viejo, fechados para el Cl... more Excavación de monumentos lisos (estelas y altares) en el sitio Raxruha Viejo, fechados para el Clásico Tardío. Estos se asocian con elementos de la Geografía Sagrada del Epicentro del sito, tales como un cerro kárstico con cuevas en su interior que reportaron actividad ritual. Debajo de las espigas de algunas de las estelas se localizaron ofrendas líticas (navajas y excéntricos).
Proyecto Arqueológico Regional Cancuen Informe Final N°16, Temporada de Campo 2016, 2017
Registro de artefactos (cerámica, lítica, concha, estuco, etc. provenientes del sitio Cancuen y s... more Registro de artefactos (cerámica, lítica, concha, estuco, etc. provenientes del sitio Cancuen y sitios de laregión del Alto Pasión.
Proyecto Arqueológico Regional Cancuen Informe Final N°17, Temporada de Campo 2017, 2018
Documentación de pictografías rupestres de la Cueva Jul Ix.
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Artículos by Juan Francisco Saravia
of two rock art shelters with a great amount of petroglyphs. These are located in the Finca El Talpetate, on
the north bank of the Motagua River, municipality of Morazán, El Progreso. So far, 150 motifs engraved
on limestone rock walls have been classified. These include zoomorphic, anthropomorphic and abstract,
which make up various scenes of daily life and ritual aspects. The results of the documentation will be
presented through non-invasive methods, such as digital photogrammetry, high resolution photography
and freehand drawings. With these data a proposal of interpretation and classification of the motives is
proposed, which has made it possible to make iconographic comparisons with different artistic manifestations, both rock art and sculptoric and those present in ceramics traditions of the region, specifically the
Copador and Gualpopa groups of the Late Classic. The various stages of development indicate that this
was a sacred place on the commercial route of the Motagua.
The site is located in the sub-basin of the river Santa Isabel-Cancuen, in Fray Bartolomé de las Casas,
Alta Verapaz. The discovery of this site suggested a new exchange route to connect Sesakkar with Southeast
of Petén, Belice and the Caribe. The epicenter present Civic Ceremonial Group strongly related to sacred
geography, constituted by two hills modified with a Palace in the East, and a Plaza with three groups of
aligned stelaes, and flat altars in the West. One of them presents the Cancuen sculpture style, which reflects politic alliances to control exchange routes. Additionally, was found a hieroglyphic altar and seven
lithic deposits associated to monuments during their dedication ceremonies. With respect to chronology
it is possible to stablish that Sesakkar had a short time occupation during the Late Classic. The ceramic
indicate Cancuen, Transversal, El Petén and Izabal influenced.
Velázquez that demonstrated evidence of pre-Hispanic people who inhabited Guatemala’s South-Western Coast. The findings include three basalt monuments. Two of them comprising a number of motives and elements distinctive of prehistoric rock art such as spirals, abstract figures, points and bars, hands, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic full body figures While there is a short catalogue and the elements are grouped, the methodology used is based on an iconographic analysis of the petroglyphs that attempts to infer a possible connection with iconographic elements of the complex societies that inhabited the Southern Pacific Coast; the deductions are based on the interpretation of two of the most representative monuments.
2018 Tipología cerámica de Cancuen: evidencia de la relación con sus vecinos cercanos y distantes. En XXXI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2017 (editado por B. Arroyo, L. Méndez Salinas y G. Ajú Álvarez), pp. 169-182. Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala.
the vast and complex network of Late Postclassic sites that dominated the socio-political, cultural and economic landscape of prehispanic Guatemala. It is evident that these three cities are marked by a singularity
in their settlement pattern and architecture. As capitals, they enjoyed a level of recognition and unique
prestige, as attested in various indigenous texts. In several passages they are described as protagonist centers, with a complex social and political structure which defined internally their construction and urban
design. As major urban centers they occupied notable defensive spaces, in which they integrated the landscape and architecture as fundamental to the symbolic construction of these spaces. Temples, large houses,
ball courts, altars, platforms and plazas are some of the relevant architectural elements, where each and
every space played a transcendental role as public place, a source and symbol of civic power, and a place
of convergence for the societies of that time.
Cancuen and other sites of the southwestern frontier were among the most diverse and specialized. They
were dedicated to commerce in commodities on a very large scale including obsidian, salt, cacao, and jade
– jade as a commodity more than a sacred good. The wealth of these sites, each one different with unique
characteristics, was based on control of the routes of the Pasion river and land routes to the highlands,
Veracruz and Tabasco, and possibly to the Caribbean. To understand the complexity and nature of these
frontier sites it is necessary to analyze each network of interaction of the sites and groups of agents along
the frontier and also the exchange system for each material. The apogees of these sites, their interaction
networks, changes in their economies, and abandonments have implications for theories of economy, frontiers,
and the end of the Classic Maya lowland states.
art, mostly associated with Postclassic sites or hills located in Rabinal, Cubulco and Salama. To analyze
them from a regional perspective, we make a graphic recording and descriptions done in the field, since in
most cases, only brief descriptions were done in the past. In general the predominance of circular depressions ("cupules") is observed, and two basic patterns are clearly represented: groups of schematic human
faces and linear patterns. Other important aspects are the evidence of contemporary ritual activity and the
oral tradition associated with several of the examples studied. The research is proposed as a complementary
contribution to the understanding of the complex history of the region.
Informes técnicos by Juan Francisco Saravia
of two rock art shelters with a great amount of petroglyphs. These are located in the Finca El Talpetate, on
the north bank of the Motagua River, municipality of Morazán, El Progreso. So far, 150 motifs engraved
on limestone rock walls have been classified. These include zoomorphic, anthropomorphic and abstract,
which make up various scenes of daily life and ritual aspects. The results of the documentation will be
presented through non-invasive methods, such as digital photogrammetry, high resolution photography
and freehand drawings. With these data a proposal of interpretation and classification of the motives is
proposed, which has made it possible to make iconographic comparisons with different artistic manifestations, both rock art and sculptoric and those present in ceramics traditions of the region, specifically the
Copador and Gualpopa groups of the Late Classic. The various stages of development indicate that this
was a sacred place on the commercial route of the Motagua.
The site is located in the sub-basin of the river Santa Isabel-Cancuen, in Fray Bartolomé de las Casas,
Alta Verapaz. The discovery of this site suggested a new exchange route to connect Sesakkar with Southeast
of Petén, Belice and the Caribe. The epicenter present Civic Ceremonial Group strongly related to sacred
geography, constituted by two hills modified with a Palace in the East, and a Plaza with three groups of
aligned stelaes, and flat altars in the West. One of them presents the Cancuen sculpture style, which reflects politic alliances to control exchange routes. Additionally, was found a hieroglyphic altar and seven
lithic deposits associated to monuments during their dedication ceremonies. With respect to chronology
it is possible to stablish that Sesakkar had a short time occupation during the Late Classic. The ceramic
indicate Cancuen, Transversal, El Petén and Izabal influenced.
Velázquez that demonstrated evidence of pre-Hispanic people who inhabited Guatemala’s South-Western Coast. The findings include three basalt monuments. Two of them comprising a number of motives and elements distinctive of prehistoric rock art such as spirals, abstract figures, points and bars, hands, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic full body figures While there is a short catalogue and the elements are grouped, the methodology used is based on an iconographic analysis of the petroglyphs that attempts to infer a possible connection with iconographic elements of the complex societies that inhabited the Southern Pacific Coast; the deductions are based on the interpretation of two of the most representative monuments.
2018 Tipología cerámica de Cancuen: evidencia de la relación con sus vecinos cercanos y distantes. En XXXI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2017 (editado por B. Arroyo, L. Méndez Salinas y G. Ajú Álvarez), pp. 169-182. Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala.
the vast and complex network of Late Postclassic sites that dominated the socio-political, cultural and economic landscape of prehispanic Guatemala. It is evident that these three cities are marked by a singularity
in their settlement pattern and architecture. As capitals, they enjoyed a level of recognition and unique
prestige, as attested in various indigenous texts. In several passages they are described as protagonist centers, with a complex social and political structure which defined internally their construction and urban
design. As major urban centers they occupied notable defensive spaces, in which they integrated the landscape and architecture as fundamental to the symbolic construction of these spaces. Temples, large houses,
ball courts, altars, platforms and plazas are some of the relevant architectural elements, where each and
every space played a transcendental role as public place, a source and symbol of civic power, and a place
of convergence for the societies of that time.
Cancuen and other sites of the southwestern frontier were among the most diverse and specialized. They
were dedicated to commerce in commodities on a very large scale including obsidian, salt, cacao, and jade
– jade as a commodity more than a sacred good. The wealth of these sites, each one different with unique
characteristics, was based on control of the routes of the Pasion river and land routes to the highlands,
Veracruz and Tabasco, and possibly to the Caribbean. To understand the complexity and nature of these
frontier sites it is necessary to analyze each network of interaction of the sites and groups of agents along
the frontier and also the exchange system for each material. The apogees of these sites, their interaction
networks, changes in their economies, and abandonments have implications for theories of economy, frontiers,
and the end of the Classic Maya lowland states.
art, mostly associated with Postclassic sites or hills located in Rabinal, Cubulco and Salama. To analyze
them from a regional perspective, we make a graphic recording and descriptions done in the field, since in
most cases, only brief descriptions were done in the past. In general the predominance of circular depressions ("cupules") is observed, and two basic patterns are clearly represented: groups of schematic human
faces and linear patterns. Other important aspects are the evidence of contemporary ritual activity and the
oral tradition associated with several of the examples studied. The research is proposed as a complementary
contribution to the understanding of the complex history of the region.