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The widespread significance of tobacco in Mesoamerica is documented in historical and ethnographic sources, yet recovery of the organic remains of this plant from archaeological contexts is rare. Here, the authors present evidence for the ritual use of tobacco at Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala, during the Late Classic period (AD 650-950). Detection of nicotine in residue analysis of three cylindrical ceramic vases recovered from cache deposits near the El Baul acropolis suggests that these vessels contained tobacco infusions or other liquid preparations. These results suggest an ancient ritual practice involving tobacco for which there was previously no physical evidence in Mesoamerica. Keywords: Guatemala, Cotzumalhuapa, El Baul, Late Classic period, LC-MS, nicotine, Nicotiana, Introduction Tobacco (Nicotiana sp., Solanaceae) is one of the most significant and ubiquitous ritual plants of the Americas (Linton 1924; Mason 1924; Wilbert 1987, 1979; Winter 2000). Early colonial accounts [...]

Despite the high degree of technological sophistication visible in other aspects of urban engineering, the archaeology of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica has revealed curiously few examples of bridges or formal, permanent water-crossing structures. The ancient city of Cotzumalhuapa, where at least five such structures have been identified, is a notable exception. The author reviews the archaeological and historical evidence for these bridges, and reflects upon the diversity of engineering technologies that they reveal. Although it remains unclear why bridges are absent at many other contemporaneous sites, these examples offer a fascinating glimpse into the urban planning of structured mobility in Mesoamerica. Keywords: Guatemala, pre-Columbian, bridges, causeways, urbanism, water, In 2010, Tropical Storm Agatha destroyed a dry-stone bridge that had stood for more than a millennium over a small stream at the ancient city of Cotzumalhuapa in Guatemala (Figure [...]

El artículo discute numeros versiones de mitos mayas asociados con el canibalismo en las comunidades mayas nahuas contemporáneas en Mesoamérica y mitos asociados con la antropofagia de personas que comían personas en las eras cósmicas en Mesoamérica.

Recent scholarship on the Spanish invasion of the New World has brought under scrutiny the historiographic theme of apotheosis--the notion that Indigenous peoples regarded the invaders as gods or godlike beings and that such beliefs influenced their responses. This article examines the question by focusing on Pedro de Alvarado, a leading member of Hernán Cortés's contingent, who was known as Tonatiuh--a Nahuatl word that designated the sun, the day, and the sun god. Indigenous peoples in Mexico and Guatemala used the name during the invasion, and Nahua, K'iche', and Kaqchikel authors employed it frequently in later writings that variously hinted at, endorsed, or questioned Alvarado's associations with the sun god. Rather than an imposition resulting from Spanish teachings, the association of Alvarado with the sun god derived fromMesoamerican beliefs about the rise and fall of successive eras, which provided Indigenous paradigms to explain the Spanish invasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1834, the government of the newly-independent state of Guatemala organized exploratory expeditions to the pre-Hispanic ruins of Copan, Iximche and Utatlan. Scarcely noticed so far, this was one of [...]

The Linguistics of Maya Writing. SOREN WICHMANN, editor. The University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, 2004.452 pp., figures, bibliography, index. $60.00 (cloth). How to Read Maya Hieroglyphs. JOHN MONTGOMERY. [...]

The monumental sculptures known as 'barrigones' (potbelly sculptures) form a distinctive genre of Pre-Columbian art in the southern Maya area. In this article, we explore the provenance and history of three sculptures that were extracted in the nineteenth century from finca Concepción, Escuintla, Guatemala, and taken to museums in Germany and France. Through the study of unpublished documents, we demonstrate that they originated from a single archeological site, and correct mistakes in previous works, which attributed them to other sites and even other regions. We summarize the role and motivations of three individuals (a landowner, a diplomat, and an archaeologist) who participated in the sculptures' appropriation, who illustrate the economic, political, and intellectual processes that determined the fate of the sculptures. Our conclusions allow a better understanding of the genre and contribute to the history of archaeology in Guatemala. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The birds represented at Stela 25 of Izapa and Copan ball court are the starting point for the analysis of the mythological topic focused on the vagina dentata in Ancient Mesoamerica, as well as their expressions on art and narrative. A large body of mythological narratives is used as a basis for the examination of the "Siete Guacamayo" story included in the Popol Vuh, which is interpreted as part of a widely extended myth related with the creation of the Sun and the Moon. The identification of common issues, as the vagina dentata topic, strengthens the links between the Popol Vuh myth and the lzapa and Copan representations. It also reveals less known details on the sexual symbolism included in the Mesoamerican cosmogonic myths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A speech is presented, pronounced on the occasion of the November 28, 2007, viewing of the documentary film "Excursión de la Sociedad de Geografía e Historia a Quiriguá y Río Dulce," produced in 1927 by members of the Sociedad de Geografía e Historia (Historical and Geographical Society) of Guatemala. The author cites a travel chronicle by society member Flavio Guillén in which he recounts the expedition to the archaeological site of Quiriguá in Guatemala, published in the society's journal in 1927.

A speech is presented by Guatemalan historian Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos on the occasion of the acceptance of biologist and historian Miguel Francisco Torres Rubín into the Academy of Geography and History of Guatemala. The author describes the academic trajectory of Torres Rubín and makes reference to his ethnobotanical research on the historical gardens of Antigua Guatemala (published as an article in this issue of the journal).

El artículo enfoca en una pieza arqueológica maya (una tapadera de fuente del Periodo Clásico Temprano, hallada en Becán, en Campeche, México) y su representación del jaguar iguana, un ser mitológico prehispánico. Se describe su iconografía y se la relaciona con otras representaciones del jaguar iguana provenientes del Periodo Clásico Tardío halladas en Cotzumalguapa, Guatemala.

El artículo discute la arqueología y el medio ambiente del Petén. Uno de las cuestiones fundamentales dentro de la arqueología maya es el desarrollo de varias ciudades dentro del Petén que presenta limitaciones en áreas como la explotación agrícola, el abastecimiento de agua y las comunicaciones. Existen varios obstáculos a la formación de una civilización dentro de la región. Sin embargo, el área acomodó una densa populación durante el período Clásico.

This article discusses the archaeological work of Luis Luján Muñoz, who the author considers a pioneer in Guatemalan archaeology. He comments on Luján Muñoz's education at the Escuela Nacional de Antropología de México (National School of Anthropology of Mexico), including his field research conducted in such historical sites as Teotihuacán, Tecoaque, and Teopisca. He also describes Luján Muñoz's work in Guatemala, particularly in Tikal and La Culebra. His career as a teacher of archaeology is also detailed.