Who Were The Ancient Maya Builders Of Altun Ha?

Altun Ha is an ancient Mayan city in Belize, located around 31 miles north of Belize City and 6 to 10 kilometres west of the Caribbean Sea. The site covers an area of about 8 square kilometres and was home to approximately 8,000 to 10,000 people. The city was occupied for many centuries, from around 900 BC to AD 1000, and was a rich and important Maya trading and agricultural town.

The earliest structures found at Altun Ha are two round platforms in Zone C, which date back to around 900–800 BC. The site's name, Altun Ha, means Rockstone Water in Yucatec Mayan and is derived from the name of the nearby village of Rockstone Pond.

The largest of Altun Ha's temple-pyramids is the Temple of the Masonry Altars, which stands at 16 metres tall. Another notable structure is the Temple of the Green Tomb, where a tomb containing the remains of a priest-king dating from around AD 600 was discovered.

Altun Ha is known for its jade objects, including a unique 6-inch-tall carved head of Kinich Ahau, the Maya sun god, which is the largest well-carved jade object ever recovered from a Maya archaeological site.

The Ancient Maya People

The Maya civilisation in Altun Ha flourished from as early as 900 B.C. until its gradual decline around A.D. 1000. During its peak, the city was home to a thriving community of approximately 8,000 to 10,000 people. The ancient Maya were known for their religious practices and elaborate funerary rites, as evidenced by the burial sites and ceremonial centres discovered in Altun Ha.

The Maya people had a sophisticated understanding of their environment and terrain. They built a large reservoir to support their extensive farming practices and engineered it in such a way that prevented water from leaking away. This reservoir, along with the nearby creek and Camp Aguada, served as a vital water source for the community.

The ancient Maya are also renowned for their trade networks, which extended across Mesoamerica. They valued rare and precious commodities, such as jade and obsidian, which were often buried with their elite members as funerary goods. The discovery of these items in burial sites, such as Tomb F8/1, provides valuable insights into the cultural and trade connections of the Maya people.

The Maya diet was primarily maize-based, but they also utilised marine and reef resources, demonstrating their knowledge of the land and sea. Altun Ha served as a prominent trading hub, where goods such as jade, obsidian, flints, and skins were exchanged.

The City's Wealth and Religion

The ancient Mayan city of Altun Ha was a place of wealth and religious activity. The city's wealth is evidenced by the vast quantities of jade found at the site, as well as other exotic goods found in elite burials, such as shell necklaces, jade ear flares, pottery, pearls, stingray spines, and gold-copper alloy beads. The city's religious practices are reflected in the construction of temples and reservoirs, as well as the burial rites and funerary offerings found in tombs.

The construction of a large reservoir marks the beginning of Altun Ha's rise from a small Preclassic settlement to a Classic Era city. The reservoir was built to supply water to a large community for extensive farming, indicating a structured religious society. A temple, known as Structure F8, was built next to the reservoir in approximately 200 AD, further linking the healthy supply of water with religion.

One of the most significant findings at Altun Ha is the tomb F8/1, which dates back to around 250 AD. This burial includes all the hallmarks of divine Mayan kingship, with grave goods of jade and shell necklaces, jade ear flares, five pottery vessels, fifty-nine valves of spondylus shell, and obsidian pieces. Jade was a highly prized and religious commodity, while spondylus shells were used in ritual bloodletting auto-sacrifices that Mayan kings had to perform. Therefore, it is believed that this is the burial of a Mayan lord or high priest.

Another notable discovery is the Temple of the Masonry Altars (Structure B-4), which is the largest temple-pyramid at Altun Ha, standing at 16 meters high. Within this temple, a tomb was found containing the remains of an elderly person accompanied by numerous jade objects, including a unique 6-inch-tall carved head of Kinich Ahau, the Maya sun god. This jade head is the largest well-carved jade object ever recovered from a Maya archaeological site and is considered one of the greatest treasures found in a Mayan city.

The people of Altun Ha also burned jade and copal during rituals around the masonry altars of Structure B4, indicating that jade was not a rare commodity but was still considered deeply religious. The city's diet was primarily maize-based, but they also consumed a significant amount of marine and reef resources compared to other Maya sites.

Altun Ha's wealth and religious practices are further highlighted by its role as a trading centre. The city traded with the superpower Teotihuacan, located in the Mexican Highlands. Teotihuacan's involvement in the region is widely accepted, and it is believed that they held influence over nearby Mayan cities. Altun Ha's proximity to the Caribbean Sea also made it a thriving trading stop, where jade, obsidian, flints, and skins were commercially exchanged.

The City's Abandonment

The ancient Mayan city of Altun Ha was occupied from around 900 B.C. to A.D. 1000, with the Classic Period, from A.D. 400 to A.D. 900, marking the height of its power. However, by the beginning of the eleventh century, the site was completely abandoned.

The decline of Altun Ha began around A.D. 800, when the population started to decrease. By A.D. 850, structures B5 and A8 were completely abandoned, and modifications in the Central Precinct became rarer. However, the site did experience a brief reoccupation during the Late Postclassic period, which probably lasted until the fifteenth century.

The reasons for Altun Ha's abandonment are not entirely clear, but it may be due to a combination of factors, including political, economic, and environmental changes. One possible factor is the decline of the nearby city of Teotihuacan, which had close trade links with Altun Ha. The end of Teotihuacan's regional dominance may have disrupted the trade networks that Altun Ha depended on, leading to its eventual abandonment.

Another factor could be the increasing scarcity of resources in the area. As the population of Altun Ha grew, the demand for food and water may have outstripped the local supply. Deforestation and environmental degradation could have made the surrounding land less able to support agriculture, leading to food shortages and forcing the inhabitants to seek more favourable settlements.

Additionally, the absence of stelae, or carved stone slabs, at Altun Ha suggests that the site may have been abandoned due to religious or cultural changes. Stelae were commonly used in Maya religious and ceremonial practices, and their absence at Altun Ha indicates that the inhabitants may have had different religious practices or beliefs that led them to abandon the site.

The abandonment of Altun Ha was a gradual process, and the site was likely affected by a combination of interrelated factors. Further archaeological and historical research may provide more insights into the specific reasons for its decline and eventual abandonment.

The Jade Head

The head is believed to represent the Maya sun god, Kinich Ahau, featuring crossed eyes, fang-like elements on either side of the mouth, and the "ahau" glyph on the forehead. However, there are also similarities to Tlaloc, the rain god of Teotihuacan, a city closely associated with Altun Ha, and the "Jester God," associated with royalty in the eastern part of the Maya World.

The tomb in which the Jade Head was found contained the fragmentary remains of an adult male, who would have stood approximately 170cm (or 5 feet 6 inches) tall. The wealth of goods and their religious connotations suggest that the tomb was that of a chief, lord, or high priest. The burial is estimated to date back to between 600 and 650 AD.

The City's Rediscovery

The ancient Mayan city of Altun Ha lay hidden for centuries, with the stones of its structures reused for the construction of the agricultural village of Rockstone Pond. It was not until the 1950s that the archaeological site was discovered, with the earliest inhabitants of the area occupying the land from around 1000 B.C. to 200 A.D.

In 1957, the site first received the attention of archaeologists, with A.H. Anderson of the Belize Institute of Archaeology investigating the area. However, it was not until 1963 that the ancient site was truly brought to light. During this time, local villagers' quarrying activities led to the discovery of a large, elaborately carved jade pendant. This prompted a reconnaissance trip by Dr. David Pendergast of the Royal Ontario Museum, who had also conducted excavations at nearby sites in 1961.

From 1964 to 1970, Dr. Pendergast led extensive excavations and restorations of Altun Ha, totalling 40 months of exploration. The site, located about 50 kilometres north of Belize City, covers an area of approximately 8 square kilometres. The ancient city was occupied for many centuries, from about 900 B.C. to A.D. 1000, with the Classic Period (around A.D. 400 to A.D. 900) providing the most insight into the city and its people.

The earliest structures discovered at Altun Ha are two round platforms, C13 and C17, found in Zone C. These date back to around 900-800 B.C. and include remnants of postholes, burials, and evidence of fire. The discovery of these structures and their contents suggested that Altun Ha was a place of wealth and religious activity from its earliest stages.

One of the most significant finds at Altun Ha is Tomb F8/1, an adult male burial located within Structure F8. This tomb, dating to around 250 A.D., contained an array of funerary offerings, including jade and shell necklaces, jade ear flares, pottery vessels, and Spondylus shells. Notably, the burial also included 248 Pachuca green obsidian objects, linking the site to the distant city of Teotihuacan in Mexico.

The excavations at Altun Ha revealed a wealth of information about the ancient Mayan city and its people. The site's prominence as a centre for the production and trade of jade, its religious practices, and its connections to other Mayan centres, such as Lamanai and Teotihuacan, have all contributed to our understanding of this fascinating civilisation.

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