Holmul Project Burial 10

Burial 10 is located in the Phase 4 substructure of Building B, Group II (see Figure 6). It was discovered in the fill of the substructure platform south of Room 1 and below the floor of Room 8 (Neivens Reference Neivens and Estrada-Belli2005). Burial 10 is the lowest stratigraphically positioned tomb found in the building to date—lower even than Merwin and Vaillant's Room 9. A single body was laid out on a plastered floor according to an east-west axis with the head facing east. The remains were of a young adult, the sex unknown due to the poor preservation of the bones and lack of diagnostic fragments (Novotny Reference Novotny2006:12). Associated with the remains were one Ixcanrio Polychrome: variety unspecified vessel (Figure 8), a tubular jade bead which would have been worn as a pendant, a piece of animal bone, and a thin stucco lining from an unknown perishable object (possibly a gourd or paper/codex). Collagen from a rib fragment associated with Burial 10 was analyzed using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and produced an uncalibrated date of 1840 ± 40 b.p., with a calibrated 1-sigma range of a.d. 120–230 and a 2-sigma range of a.d. 80–250, producing a probable date of deposition of approximately a.d. 150 (Estrada-Belli Reference Estrada-Belli2006b:4). This date falls well within the beginning of what Brady and colleagues (Reference Brady, Ball, Bishop, Pring, Hammond and Housley1998) consider the second half of the Terminal Preclassic period in the Maya lowlands and correlates to the Wayaab sub-complex at Holmul.

Figure 8.

Vessel from Holmul Project Burial 10, Building B, Group II. Ixcanrio Orange Polychrome: variety unspecified. Photo by author.

The vessel is a bowl with outcurving walls, direct rim, rounded lip, and concave base with four hollow mammiform supports with air vents, rattles, and nubbin tips. It is slipped a glossy orange and decorated with red and black paint. The main design on the exterior is a frame enclosing a cream or buff background upon which is depicted a repeating mat, or weave, pattern in black fine line execution. Mat, or weave, motifs are separated by crosses of fine red and black lines. While the design is not common to other Wayaab sub-complex vessels found in the tombs of Building B, certain elements of the design are. The cream or buff background panel is also found on Vessel 10 of the Room 8 Burial vault which depicts stylized macaws flying on a cream background panel (Figure 13b). The mat pattern later becomes a symbol of elite or royal power in the Classic period, as it was on a woven palm-frond mat, or petate, that elites and royalty sat when receiving subjects. The weave pattern is found on Terminal Preclassic subcomplex pottery from other sites including Chetumal (Pring Reference Pring2000:98, Figure 63) and K'axob (Berry et al. Reference Berry, Varela, Bartlett, Martz, McAnany and McAnany2004:239). While specific aspects of decoration may differ from the other Wayaab subcomplex vessels found in Room 9 and the Room 8 vault, the Burial 10 vessel does share similarities in form and other decorative techniques. The Burial 10 vessel has a slightly concave base and the tetrapod mammiform supports also have nubbin tips and air vents. Orange slip color is also quite similar to the other vessels falling in the Munsell 2.5 YR 5/8 range. The similarities in the form and decorative modes certainly place it contemporaneous with the Room 9 vessels. This is evidence that Burial 10, and the skeletons in Rooms 8 and 9 were all interred very close in time to one another shortly after a.d. 150.

Room 9 and its Vault (Skeleton 21)

Room 9 is the second lowest stratigraphically positioned tomb in Building B, Group II (see Figure 6). Although at the time of discovery it was the lowest positioned tomb in the building, Merwin believed the skeleton and vessels found in Room 9 were actually deposited after those in Room 8 above it. Merwin's (Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:39) argument for this ordering of deposition can be seen in his original notes published in the Peabody monograph. His first impression of the architecture in Room 9 is that it was “very crude” when compared to Room 8. It apparently lacked the finished plaster floors and walls of Room 8. This suggested to him that this tomb was perhaps an afterthought in the construction of the substructure of Building B and that Room 8 served as the original and earlier burial chamber. Merwin made this clear where he stated that it was possible for builders to build Room 9 and exit through the Room 8 vault, into Room 8, and eventually through the floor of Room 2. Hammond (Reference Hammond1984:5) also notes this part of Merwin's description and leans toward this explanation of the Building B chronology. The skeletal material associated with Room 9 appears in a vault dug through the floor in the east half of the room. Novotny's (Reference Novotny2006:1–2) analysis of Skeleton 21 reveals that the bones represent the remains of at least one adult male. The skeleton appears to have been found disarticulated and the bones were very badly eroded. Merwin (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:39) noted that while no pots were found directly associated with the burial, approximately “twenty sherds of at least six broken pots” were discovered. Neither Hammond, Pring, nor I were able to locate these sherds in the Peabody Museum collections.

Seven vessels were found in Room 9—Merwin and Vaillant's Vessels 1–7 (Figure 9). Six of the seven vessels belong firmly within the Wayaab subcomplex: these are Vessels 1–4, 6 and 7 (see Figure 10 for location of vessels). Vessel 5 displays form and surface modes more characteristic of Itzamkanak/Chicanel ceramics. After Merwin and Vaillant (Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932; Vaillant Reference Vaillant1927), Smith (Reference Smith1955:22–23) was the first to publish his opinion about the chronological significance of the vessels in Room 9. He correctly pointed to the combination of Late Preclassic form modes and Early Classic decorative modes in the seven vessels. However, he incorrectly classified the Sierra Red ceramics located in the south side of Room 8 as Aguila Orange types. This classification may have added to confusion about Terminal Preclassic ceramic complexes over the past century. Despite this past confusion, what can be concluded at this point is that Sierra Red group ceramics were still being produced at the time of the Terminal Preclassic polychromes—something once suggested by earlier scholars (Laporte Reference Laporte and Grube1995; Lincoln Reference Lincoln, Willey and Mathews1985).

Figure 9.

Room 9 vessels: (a) Vessel 1, Ixcanrio: Turnbull; (b) Vessel 2, Ixcanrio: unspecified; (c) Vessel 3, Aguila: unspecified; (d) Vessel 4, Ixcanrio: Ixcanrio; (e) Vessel 5, Accordion: unspecified; (f) Vessel 6, Ixcanrio: Ixcanrio; (g) Vessel 7, Aguila: unspecified. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, and courtesy of the Holmul Archaeological Project.

Figure 10.

Plan of Room 9 deposit showing location of vessels based upon Merwin's original excavation data (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:39).

Room 8 and its Vault

South Side (Skeletons 17, 18, 19)

Room 8 is located directly below the floor of Rooms 1, 2, and 3 in Building B, Group II (Figure 6). The north side of the room appeared to be separated from the south side of the room by a crudely built wall (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:37). The vault in Room 8 was dug into the floor of the northeast corner of the room (Figure 11). Merwin (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:37) speaks of the south side of the room being “sealed up with heavy rocks laid in thick plaster,” creating a spatial and probably even chronological division between the north and south sides of the room. It is only in the sealed south end that human bones were found. He initially identified three groups of bones and assumed they represented the remains of three separate individuals, naming them Skeletons 17, 18, and 19. Novotny's (Reference Novotny2006:2–4) skeletal analysis reveals that none of these groups of burials represented a complete skeleton. Based on the count of specific bones found with each “Skeleton” grouping, she believes Skeletons 17, 18, and 19 may have represented at least two, but possibly as many as six individuals. Overall particular bone fragment counts, however, suggest the lower number of two individuals. All three groups contained bones with evidence of burning or at least coming in contact with fire.

Associated with the bones are five vessels all of the Sierra Red type. These are Merwin and Vaillant's Vessels 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7 of Room 8 (Figure 12). As a group and based on form and slip characteristics, Smith (Reference Smith1955:22) places these vessels firmly within the Tzakol sphere. Like Hammond (Reference Hammond1984:4) and Pring (Reference Pring2000:47), I disagree and based on personal observations (except Vessel 2), believe they belong in the late Chicanel sphere or Itzamkanak/Chicanel complex in the Holmul region. All five vessels display characteristic production modes of the Late Preclassic period in the Maya lowlands. As a note, Vaillant (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:61) placed all five vessels within his Holmul I Burial period. As Hammond suggests (Reference Hammond1984:4) the original contents of Room 8 may have been first placed in the center of the room, but later pushed to the south side and sealed sometime during the Terminal Preclassic period.

Figure 11.

Plan of Room 8 and its vault deposit showing approximate location of vessels and skeletal groupings based upon Merwin's original excavation data (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:38).

Figure 12.

Room 8, south side vessels: (a) Vessel 1, Sierra: Sierra; (b) Vessel 2, Sierra: Sierra; (c) Vessel 3, Sierra: Sierra; (d) Vessel 6, Sierra: Sierra; (e) Vessel 7, Sierra: Sierra. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, and courtesy of the Holmul Archaeological Project.

Vault (Skeleton 20)

The Room 8 vault was dug into the northeastern quarter of Room 8 (see Figure 11) and contained Merwin and Vaillant's Room 8 Vessels 8–10. The vault also contained the disarticulated remains of one adult (Novotny Reference Novotny2006:4). The sex of the individual could not be determined because the skeleton only contained six bones belonging to the feet, and three teeth. Like Skeletons 17, 18, and 19, bones from Skeleton 20 showed signs of burning. The three whole vessels represent form and decoration modes from the Late Preclassic, Terminal Preclassic, and Early Classic complexes at Holmul. Vaillant placed all vessels within his Holmul I Burial period (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:61).

Aside from the form of Vessel 9 (Flor Cream pitcher decorated with painted stucco), the form and decorative modes of vessels in the Room 8 vault appear to be later than those of the Room 9, Burial 10, and Room 8 south side vessels (Figure 13). Upon closer examination of the decorative modes, even Vessel 9 can be safely placed within the end of the Terminal Preclassic period and beginning of Early Classic period in the Holmul region. Covering pots with painted stucco decoration is an Early Classic mode of decoration in the Holmul region and would imply that the Late Preclassic Flor Cream pitcher may have been an heirloom which was later modified at the start of the Early Classic period and placed in the Room 8 vault along with Vessels 8 and 10.

Figure 13.

Room 8 vault vessels: (a) Vessel 8, Aguila: unspecified; (b) Vessel 9, Ixcanrio: unspecified; (c) Vessel 10, Flor group. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, and courtesy of the Holmul Archaeological Project.

North Side

As mentioned, the north side of Room 8 was separated from the south side by a crude wall (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:37) creating a spatial and chronological division in the room (see Figure 11). The vessels on the south side of the wall all share form and surface modes common among pottery made in the Late Preclassic Sierra Red tradition. The remaining two vessels on the north side of the room share form and decoration modes common to Early Classic ceramics of the K'ahk 1/Tzakol 1 complex (Figure 14). According to Merwin's notes (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:38), these pots were found directly atop the large stones covering the Room 8 vault, making them the last vessels to be placed in Room 8. With the conclusion of the discussion of vessels found in Room 8, the Room 8 vault, Room 9, and Burial 10, we now move forward in time, out of the Terminal Preclassic period and the Wayaab subcomplex, and firmly into the Early Classic period.

Figure 14.

Room 8, north side vessels: (a) Vessel 4, Actuncan: unspecified; (b) Vessel 5, Sierra: Sierra. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, Holmul Archaeological Project.

Room 7 (Skeleton 16)

Room 7 is located in the Phase 5 sub-substructure of Building B, Group II (Figure 6). The Phase 5 substructure was added to the north side of Building B and consisted of the expansion of the Phase 4 substructure to the north as well as the addition of Room 4 which could be entered through the main entrance of Building B after passing through Rooms 1, 2, and 3. In other words, during the fifth construction phase Room 4 became the northern most, or back, room in Building B. Room 7 (more appropriately labeled “Tomb” 7) is located below Room 4 in the Phase 5 substructure making it chronologically later than Burial 10, Room 9, and Room 8. Merwin (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:36–37) explained that approximately four inches of construction fill separated the floor of Room 4 from the roof of Room 7. Room 7 contained the remains of what Merwin thought was one individual. Novotny (Reference Novotny2006:18) identifies the bones as belonging to an adult, sex unknown due to poor preservation and lack of diagnostic material. Also found associated with the human remains in the burial chamber were five vessels (only four of which I was able to locate in the Peabody collections) clearly diagnostic of the K'ahk 1–2/Tzakol 1–2 complexes and the first two thirds of the Early Classic period in the Holmul region (Figure 15). Vaillant placed the vessels within his Holmul II Burial period (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:65).

Figure 15.

Room 7 vessels: (a) Vessel 3, Aguila: unspecified; (b) Vessel 4, Lucha: unspecified; (c) Vessels 5 (lid) and 6 (bowl), Lucha: unspecified. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, Holmul Archaeological Project.

Vessels 5 and 6 are worth discussing in more detail here. They are the lid and bowl of the same vessel. The lid (Vessel 5) is a scutate cover with effigy handle. The lid is slipped black and incised with a decoration consisting of two bands around the circumference and the splayed out body of an animal represented by the effigy handle. The bowl (Vessel 6) has flaring walls, a direct rim, rounded lip, a small basal flange with slightly concave base, and four hollow swollen supports. The bowl is slipped black and incised. The main incised design repeats and appears to be either a stylized serpent, or what Smith (Reference Smith1955:73) refers to as a “sky band” element. I classify the vessel as Lucha Incised: variety unspecified. Interesting to note is the relatively mottled appearance of the black slip. The pot dates well within the K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 complex and the early part of the Early Classic period in the Maya lowlands. Vessels 5 and 6 from Room 7 in Building B, Group II at Holmul are similar to Vessel 8 found in Tomb I, Structure III at Calakmul (Folan et al. Reference Folan, Marcus, Pincemin, Domínguez Carrasco, Fletcher and Lopez1995:322–323; Pincemin Reference Pincemin1994:57–75) which dates to the early fifth century. The vessel also bears resemblance to an unprovenienced black incised vessel with lid and effigy handle in the Dallas Museum of Art holdings portraying the sun god in a canoe paddling through the sky. On this vessel, the supports are fashioned into peccary heads (see Finamore and Houston Reference Finamore and Houston2010:Plate 61). Finally, Merwin and Vaillant's Vessels 5 and 6 also resemble black incised vessels recently discovered in a Tzakol 2 period tomb at the site of El Diablo, Guatemala, observed by the author in 2010.

Room 3 (Skeleton 15)

Room 3 is a narrow, east-west oriented, space between Rooms 2 and 4 of the stone superstructure of Building B (Figure 6). It was sealed in Phase 6 of the current architectural sequence (Vallaint's first phase of the second building episode [Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:40]) and included the interment of Burial 15 which was found with no offerings. However, Merwin did encounter two whole pots in the fill of Room 3 (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:40). These vessels are likely Peabody catalogue numbers c-5622 and c-5623, both listed as “Pottery Dish Holmul, Ruin B, Room 3, Group II.” The vessels are bowls with flaring walls, direct rims, rounded lips, and flat bases (Figure 16). They belong to the Aguila Orange group and display the characteristic peloid calcite inclusions found in that type of ceramic during the K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 complex.

Figure 16.

Room 3 vessels: (a) Vessel 1, Aguila: unspecified; (b) vessel 2, Aguila: unspecified. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, Holmul Archaeological Project.

Room 2 (Skeletons 13 and 14)

Room 2 is another relatively narrow east-west oriented space between Rooms 1 and 3 in Building B (Figure 6). The entrance to Room 3 to the north was sealed in Phase 6 and two benches, H and I, constructed against this new north wall. Slightly later, Room 2 began to be converted into a burial chamber with the interment of Skeletons 13 and 14. Skeletons 13 and 14 were discovered by Merwin in extended position oriented east-west with heads to the east (Figure 17). They were relatively centered in the room, but extended slightly more into the east side. Because of their position below the remains of Skeletons 9 and 10 above to the east, and Skeleton 5 above to the west, Merwin and Vaillant believed these skeletons were the first of the Room 1 and Room 2 multiple interments to be deposited. Novotny (Reference Novotny2006:10–11) reports that the bones of Skeleton 13 were that of an adult, sex unknown, and the bones of Skeleton 14 an adult, possibly male. Like the rest of the osteological remains in Building B, these “Skeletons” contained bones of more than one individual—most likely indicating that the rooms were entered and remains disturbed on more than one occasion. Grave goods including shell beads and discs, and one piece of jade, were found associated with these individuals (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:34–35). Seven vessels (12 according to the Peabody catalogue numbers which counts lids of the same vessel as separate pots) were found associated with the bodies and piled up in the east side of Room 2 (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:35). The vessels all display form and surface modes consistent with K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 complex material and indicate possible political links to other powerful sites in the Maya lowlands including Tikal, Uaxcatun, and even Calakmul and Becan in Campeche, Mexico (Figures 18–20). Vaillant (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:66) placed all these vessels within his Holmul III Phase 2 Burial period.

Figure 17.

Plan of Rooms 1 and 2, Building B, Group II. Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, 11-6-20/76072.1.30.

Figure 18.

Room 2, vessels associated with Skeletons 13 and 14: (a) Vessel 1 (lid) and 2 (bowl), Lucha: unspecified; (b) Vessel 8 (lid) and 9 (bowl), Lucha: unspecified; (c) Vessels 10 (lid) and 11 (bowl), Lucha: unspecified. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, Holmul Archaeological Project.

Figure 19.

Room 2, vessels associated with Skeletons 13 and 14: (a) Vessel 4, Triunfo: unspecified; (b) Vessel 5, Quintal group. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, and courtesy of Holmul Archaeological Project.

Figure 20.

Room 2, vessels associated Skeletons 13 and 14: (a) Vessels 6 (lid) and 7 (bowl), Dos Arroyos: unspecified; (b) Vessel 3, Dos Hermanos: Dos Hermanos; (c) Vessel 12, Urita: unspecified. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, and courtesy of the Holmul Archaeological Project.

Vessels 1 and 2, 8 and 9, and 10 and 11 are lids and vessels of singular pots (Figure 18). They are all slipped black and incised, and I designate them Lucha Incised: variety unspecified. On these vessels the lids are slipped black and incised with fine lines. The handles for the lids are modeled in the shape of an effigy jaguar or other creature. On two of the vessels, the incision on the lid depicts the body of the animal. The actual vessels are bowls with composite silhouette sides, direct rim, rounded lip, basal flange, and ring base. The bowls are also slipped black and incised with fine lines. Decoration is simple consisting of circumferential bands around the rim, and circumferential bands on the basal flange together with groups of vertical tick marks. The slip is the same mottled brown color like Vessels 6 and 7 in Room 7 as well as other black incised vessels of this complex found in the Holmul region. It would not be surprising if these vessels were locally manufactured. The overall form and decorative modes of these vessels are common in the lowlands from approximately a.d. 250–400. They date to the Tzakol 2 complex at Uaxactun (a.d. 300–400) (Smith Reference Smith1955), Manik 2 complex at Tikal (a.d. 300–378) (Culbert Reference Culbert1993), and Chacsik complex in Becan (a.d. 250–450) (Ball Reference Ball1977). This is the time period before the significant political events of a.d. 378 and the widely documented “entrance” or influence of Mexicanized elite culture and ideology into the Peten lowlands (Stuart Reference Stuart, Carrasco, Jones and Sessions2000).

Vessel 5 (see Figure 19) is unique in that the jar has an almost “shoe-pot” shape, outcurving neck, direct rim, rounded lip, spout, and flat base. It is an effigy pot with the modeled snout and ears of a peccary. A single appliqué fillet with tick impressions encircles the neck at the shoulder-break. The vessel form is reminiscent of Late Preclassic period shoe-pots which are usually found in ritual deposits, often in caves (Brady Reference Brady1989, Reference Brady1992). Relatively course-grained calcite inclusions show through the surface suggesting a carbonate-based paste recipe. The type and variety are difficult to determine owing to the unique form and decoration of the vessel. I place the vessel within the Quintal group for the present time, type and variety unspecified.

Vessels 6 and 7 (see Figure 20) are the lid and vessel of the same pot. Vessel 6 is a scutate lid with cylindrical knob. The vessel appears to be slipped orange with polychrome red and black decoration. The lid, like the rest of the vessel, was then covered in stucco and painted red and green. Vessel 7 is a bowl with composite silhouette walls, direct rim, rounded lip, basal flange, and ring base. The exterior was also decorated in red and black polychrome paint and then covered with red and green painted plaster. Only traces of the plaster still remain. The form and decorative modes place the vessel in the K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 complex and I classify the pots as Dos Arroyos Polychrome: variety unspecified. Vessels 6 and 7 are contemporaneous with similar vessels from Burial 22 at Tikal (Culbert Reference Culbert1993:Figures 22–24) and Problematical Deposits (PNT 025, 062, 019) in the Mundo Perdido Complex also at Tikal (Laporte and Fialko Reference Laporte and Fialko1995:Figures 29 and 31). Vessel 9 from Calakmul Tomb I, Structure III at Calakmul (Folan et. al. Reference Folan, Marcus, Pincemin, Domínguez Carrasco, Fletcher and Lopez1995:322–323; Pincemin Reference Pincemin1994:57–75) is also similar to Vessels 6 and 7. All of these vessels date to a.d. 300–450 within their respective sites. As noted above, this is the time period before or at the immediate moment (in the case of Burials 10 and 22 at Tikal) of the introduction of highland Mexican political and cultural influence into the Peten lowlands. It is possible that these types of polychromes, as well as the black incised vessels found in association with them, constituted parts of a local Peten lowlands ceramic industry which existed prior to the influence of Mexican ideology (Laporte Reference Laporte and Grube1995; Laporte and Fialko Reference Laporte and Fialko1995).

Shortly after a.d. 378, ceramic form modes begin to change and preference is given to slab foot cylinder tripods, sometimes with lids, and basal flange bowls with lower, more open walls, lacking lids. Decoration still emphasizes polychrome painting, but a new form of black slip gauge-incision is introduced to pottery surfaces as well as the frequent use of appliqué elements in the form of “screwheads,” “feathers,” and other stylized objects. Finally, at least in the Holmul region, paste composition also changes dramatically shifting from carbonate to volcanic ash based recipes in serving vessels. This is supported by microscopic examination and tests with hydrochloric acid. Sherds of serving vessels with no visible carbonate temper but visible ash temper do not react to hydrogen chloride (HCl). It is still possible the same clays were being used, but that all carbonate inclusions were removed in a fine sifting process. Only further chemical analysis on Early Classic serving vessels in comparison to Late and Terminal Preclassic vessels will answer this question.

Vessel 12 (see Figure 20) is a sole scutate lid slipped black and gouge-incised. The handle is not an effigy, but a simple cylindrical knob. Incised design composition also varies from Vessels 1, 8, and 10. Vessel 12 depicts two faces with associated abstract elements staring across the lid at one another. I classify the vessel as Urita Gouged-Incised: variety unspecified. Merwin and Vaillant (Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:35) believed Vessel 12 is the lid for another black slipped incised pot found in Room 1; specifically, Vessel 16 associated with Skeleton 1. While the lid fits the vessel and the Peabody museum has the two vessels displayed together in the exhibition of Building B, Group II ceramics, there is really no clear evidence to suggest the two pots should be grouped together. Although, considering the multiple interments in Rooms 1 and 2 of Building B, Group II, it certainly is possible that one part of the vessel was moved after initial deposition.

Taken together, the vessels associated with Skeletons 13 and 14 display form and surface modes of the K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 complex. In comparison to funerary or cache assemblages at other lowland Maya sites (Culbert Reference Culbert1993; Folan et. al. Reference Folan, Marcus, Pincemin, Domínguez Carrasco, Fletcher and Lopez1995; Laporte and Fialko Reference Laporte and Fialko1995), it is safe to assume they were manufactured and deposited anywhere from a.d. 250–400, before the introduction of highland Mexican influence into the Peten lowlands. Compared to the other vessels in Rooms 1 and 2, this date fits well within Merwin and Vaillant's original depositional sequence of skeletons. These pots, and to a lesser extent those associated with Skeleton 5/12 (see below), represent the earliest form and decoration modes for ceramics in Rooms 1 and 2 of Building B, Group II. The presence of these vessels in Building B shows that the elites buried there participated in the greater political and social networks of the Peten lowlands and nearby Campeche Mexico, and possibly enjoyed a relatively high local and interregional socio-economic status.

Rooms 1 and 2 (Skeletons 5 and 12)

Physical placement and ceramic evidence suggest that Skeletons 5 and 12 were the next bodies interred in the Room 1 and 2 mortuary deposit (see Figure 17). Vaillant places the interment of Skeleton 5 in the third phase of his own Holmul III Burial period (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:40–41). Merwin's notes and drawings pertaining to the placement and description of Skeletons 5 and 12 reflect the mixed nature of the actual deposit. From the drawing of Rooms 1 and 2 it appears he discovered the cranium and upper torso of either Skeleton 5 or 12 (or both) in the center of Room 2 placed over the lower limbs of Skeletons 13 and 14. The lower limbs of Skeleton 5 or 12 (or both) stretched into the center of Room 1. Novotny (Reference Novotny2006:11–13) reports that the bones labeled as belonging to the remains of Skeleton 5 did not contain cranial fragments and that multiple examples of the same bones suggest that the osteological grouping labeled “Skeleton 5” represented skeletal fragments from as many as four individuals, all adults, sex unknown. Bones found in boxes labeled “Skeleton 12” did, however, contain cranial remains, but from as many as two individuals, both adults, sex unknown.

The Skeleton 5/12 grouping was associated with a large amount of burial furniture including the most amounts of worked non-ceramic material (such as jade, shell, pyrite, obsidian, and bone) in Building B (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:31–33). Among the most significant finds was a stingray spine carved with legible text. Tokovinine (Reference Tokovinine and Estrada-Belli2006:328–331) reports that the text on the stingray spine included the title Chak-Tok-Wayab which has been found carved or painted on objects belonging to sub-royal or perhaps royal elites associated with sites in the eastern Peten lowlands, and also specifically with royalty associated with the site of Naranjo (Figure 3; also see Estrada-Belli et al. Reference Estrada-Belli, Tokovinine, Foley, Hurst, Ware, Stuart and Grube2009:Figures 10 and 11). The Chak-Tok-Wayab title could signify some kind of high-ranking important political and/or religious office in the Holmul region. This title is found on other examples of material culture associated with prestigious objects or locations in the region at different periods in time: for example, on Mural 7 in an Early Classic phase of Structure 1 at La Sufricaya and carved onto a Terminal Classic piece of pottery found in Group III at Holmul (Tokovinine Reference Tokovinine and Estrada-Belli2006:324–332) (see Figure 3). Tokovinine (Reference Tokovinine and Estrada-Belli2006:329) does not think it improbable that the skeletal remains associated with Skeletal groups 5 and 12 in Building B, Group II at Holmul belonged to the holder of the title Chak-Tok-Wayab in this phase of the Early Classic period at Holmul.

Merwin associated two groups of ceramic material with Skeleton 5/12. Vessels 1 through 5 were discovered in the north center of Room 1 and possibly placed around the pelvic area of Skeleton 5/12 (Figure 21). Vessels A through C were discovered in the northwest corner of Room 2 (Figure 22). Both groups of material share similar form and decorative modes placing them in the K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 complex. Vaillant (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:68) placed all these vessels within his Holmul III Phase 3 Burial period.

Figure 21.

Room 2, vessels associated with Skeleton 5/12: (a) Vessel 1, Balanza: Balanza; (b) Vessels 3 (lid) and 4 (bowl), Dos Arroyos: unspecified; (c) vessel 5, Balanza: Balanza. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, and courtesy of the Holmul Archaeological Project.

Figure 22.

Room 2, vessels associated with Skeleton 5/12: (a) Vessel A, Dos Arroyos: unspecified; (b) Vessel B, Aguila: unspecified; (c) Vessel C, Lucha: Lucha. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, and courtesy of the Holmul Archaeological Project.

Vessels 3 and 4 (see Figure 21) are worth discussing in more detail. They are actually the lid and bowl of the same vessel. Vessel 3 is a scutate cover with bird effigy handle. The decoration appears to consist of a cream or buff underslip and a light coat of orange slip, upon which is painted the breast design, wings, and tail feathers of the bird-head handle in red and black. Vessel 4 is a bowl with composite silhouette walls, direct rim, rounded lip, basal flange, and ring base. The bowl is decorated with the same cream underslip, orange slip, and red and black polychrome paint. The main design frame consists of two sets of repeating designs. One of the designs is a simple rectangular panel showing the cream underslip and orange overslip. The second design consists of another panel containing a step design surrounded by undulating or squiggly lines. The design is framed by a scroll pattern, still within the larger panel. I classify Vessels 3 and 4 as Dos Arroyos Orange Polychrome: variety unspecified. The form and decoration of the vessels are very similar to others dating to the Tzakol 2 Sphere and found in Uaxactun (Smith Reference Smith1955:Figure 29), the Three Rivers region in Belize (Sullivan Reference Sullivan, Masson and Freidel2002:Figure 7.8), Burial 22 at Tikal (Culbert Reference Culbert1993:Figures 15 and 16), and deposits within Mundo Perdido also in Tikal (Laporte and Fialko Reference Laporte and Fialko1995:Figures 29, 33, 35). The form and decorative modes place this vessel, like those associated with Skeletons 5, 13, and 14 within the Tzakol 2 or Manik 2 ceramic spheres.

Pot A (see Figure 22), the first labeled vessel discovered in the northwest corner of Room 2, is a bowl with scutate lid. Like vessels 3 and 4, it displays bird imagery. The lid handle takes the form of a modeled bird, possibly a parrot or macaw effigy. The entire exterior of the lid is slipped orange with a black band on the lip. The bowl has composite silhouette walls, a direct rim, rounded lip, basal flange, and ring base. The bowl was first decorated with a cream underslip and then slipped orange. The main design is painted red and black polychrome and consists of two repeating themes. The first of the two themes is a simple framed rectangular panel. The second is an outstretched individual lying on its stomach with hands stretched in front and legs crouched behind. Inside the bowl is an eroded red and black design, possibly representing a coiled serpent. I classify the vessel as Dos Arroyos Orange Polychrome: variety unspecified.

Pot B (see Figure 22) is a bowl with composite silhouette walls, direct rim, rounded lip, Z-angle basal break, and four large hollow cylindrical supports with slash vents. The bowl is slipped orange on the exterior and interior. The interior walls display some black fire-clouding. The vessel form is extremely rare for the K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 complex, but does not belong in any earlier complex—specifically the Wayaab subcomplex. The supports are not mammiform, the base is not concave, and the slip resembles color and application more in keeping with K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 complex techniques. I classify the vessel as Aguila Orange: variety unspecified.

To conclude, the ceramic material associated with the remains of Skeleton 5/12 display K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 complex form and decorative modes, but do not represent the same ceramic traditions as the vessels found with Skeletons 13 and 14. More specifically, the vessels associated with Skeletons 5 and 12 contain the traditional Early Classic Tzakol 2 sphere polychromes, but lack much of the incised black ware associated with Skeletons 13 and 14. This could represent a change or difference in social and political relations as they were materialized through the presence of pottery in funeral deposits or perhaps even a factor of chronology, the Skeleton 13 and 14 materials being slightly earlier than that associated with Skeleton 5/12. The high quality of many of the vessels supports the notion that the individual(s) associated with this pottery certainly may have been an important political figure in the Holmul region at the time of his/her death and deserving of the Chak-Tok-Wayab title engraved onto the piece of bone found associated with the osteological remains.

Room 1 (Skeleton 1)

Vaillant places the interment of Skeleton 1 in the fourth phase of his own Holmul III Burial Period (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:40–41). It is impossible to tell from Merwin's notes and drawings which one of the Skeletons (1, 2, or 6) was interred after Skeleton 5. They both believed that the interment of Skeletons 1, 2, and 6 all occurred shortly after the interment of Skeleton 5, and possibly even all at once (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:29, 40–41). From Merwin's drawing (see Figure 17) it appears Skeleton 1 was discovered with head to the north in Room 1, the body relatively extended to the south with parts of the lower limbs stretching into Room 2. Novotny's analysis reveals that the osteological remains catalogued as belonging to the group of bones labeled “Skeleton 1” actually contains the remains of at least two individuals, both adults, sex unknown. Skeleton 1 was associated with the largest amount of ceramic vessels dating to the late K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 and possibly even early K'ahk 3/Tzakol 3 complexes (Figures 23 and 24). Most interesting about the collective vessels associated with Skeleton 1 is a general lack of fine polychrome or black incised serving vessels—such as that associated with Skeletons 13, 14, and 5/12. This could be an indication of lower status or, perhaps as Merwin and Vaillant suggest, later placement in the Holmul region chronology. Because we do not have a greater representative sample of monochrome serving vessels associated with the K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 complex, however, it is hard to support this argument strongly. As will be discussed below, the similarities between the form and decorative modes of the monochrome serving vessels associated with Skeleton 1 and those associated with later K'ahk 3/Tzakol 3 deposits at the site of La Sufricaya are apparent.

Figure 23.

Room 1, vessels associated with Skeleton 1: (a) Vessel 1, Dos Arroyos: unspecified; (b) Vessel 2, Aguila: Polished Buff; (c) Vessel 3, Aguila: unspecified; (d) Vessel 4, Balanza: Balanza; (e) Vessel 5, Nitan: unspecified; (f) Vessel 6, Lucha: unspecified; (g) Vessel 7, Aguila: Unpolished Buff; (h) Vessel 8, Pita: unspecified; (i) Vessel 9, unnamed red; (j) Vessel 10, Aguila: Aguila. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, and courtesy of the Holmul Archaeological Project.

Figure 24.

Room 1, vessels associated with Skeleton 1: (a) Vessel 11, unnamed cream and orange; (b) Vessel 12, Balanza: Balanza; (c) Vessel 14, Balanza: Balanza; (d) Vessel 15, unnamed black on unslipped; (e) Vessel 16, Lucha: Lucha; (f) Vessel 17, Aguila: Aguila; (g) Vessel 18, Balanza: Balanza. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, and courtesy of the Holmul Archaeological Project.

Vessel 9 (see Figure 23) is worth discussing in more detail. It is a cylinder with vertical walls, slightly everted rim, rounded lip, flat base, and four hollow cylindrical supports. The vessel also has two chamfers on the exterior; one near the base and one at the rim. The entire vessel, except the base and supports, is slipped red. The form and surface modes are extremely rare. The only other vessel in the Holmul region that comes close to displaying these modes is Vessel 3 associated with Skeleton 6 in Room 1. The cylindrical form and short supports are common to ceramics of the Tzakol 3 or Manik 3 spheres found elsewhere in the lowlands (Culbert Reference Culbert1993:Figures 19, 20; Smith 1995:52) and are part of the suite of Mexican-influenced material culture that was introduced to the Peten lowlands after a.d. 378. Vessel 9, however, does not display the usual or common form and decorative traits of Tzakol 3 sphere ceramics. It has four supports that are cylindrical and hollow, not three solid slab supports (see also Smith Reference Smith1955:Figure 22i, w, and k'). The short squat cylinder form is chamfered on the exterior and has an everted rim, unlike the vertical-walled cylinders with direct rim common to Tzakol 3 sphere ceramics in the lowlands. In summary, Vessel 9 may represent a local imitation of Tzakol 3 sphere modes. I place Vessel 9 in the early K'ahk 3/Tzakol complex, but leave the type and variety unspecified.

Vessel 11 (see Figure 24) is a bowl with markedly incurved walls, direct rim, rounded lip, and round base that is fastened upon a pot stand with cylindrical body, everted rim and base, and rounded lip. The bowl is fashioned from a buff or cream paste and slipped a brownish cream. Two bands of red paint encircle the restricted orifice at the rim. The pot stand is slipped orange and contains four repeating cross designs framed by fine, but crude, post-slip incision on its body. The entire vessel composition is extremely rare for the Holmul region, but the pot-stand mode is common to Early Classic period ceramic complexes in general. The vessel may have been produced during the K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 or even K'ahk 1/Tzakol 1 complexes. Other vessels like it have been found at the site of Nohmul (Hammond Reference Hammond1984:11; Pring Reference Pring2000:77–78) that date to the early Early Classic or even Terminal Preclassic periods. Although the type and variety are left unspecified for now, I believe the vessel may have been an import into the Holmul region.

Merwin reported that Vessel 12 and Vessel 19 are a set and were found together placed roughly over the pelvic area of Skeleton 1 (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:30–31). Vessels 13 and 14 were also a set of similar pots found in the same area of the Skeleton in Room 1. The catalogue numbers were somewhat confused at the Peabody and one vessel from each set was on display at the time of my visit, possibly Vessels 13 and 19. Vessel 12 (see Figure 24) was available in the storage collection and is a modeled animal effigy. Merwin described it as a “cover” and reported it being found within a spouted bowl. The vessel is hollow and slipped black on the exterior with many rootlet marks. Vessel 19, or the spouted bowl that Vessel 12 was supposedly found within, was paired with Vessel 13 or 14 (the other animal effigy) in the display case of the Peabody museum. Finally, the remaining spouted black bowl (again, either Vessel 13 or 14 with Peabody catalogue number c5436) is currently located in the storage facilities of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. All the vessels are Balanza Black: variety unspecified. Similar animal effigies have been found in Burial A22 at Uaxactun (Smith Reference Smith1955:Figure 5) where Smith dates them to the Tzakol 3 complex. Sullivan (Reference Sullivan, Masson and Freidel2002:204–210) also reports a similar vessel found at the site of Dos Hombres in the Three Rivers region, Belize, and places it within the Early Classic period, but does not assign it a specific subphase or ceramic complex. She suggests the animal represents a coatimundi effigy. Vessels of similar form were also found in Burials 10 and 22 (Culbert Reference Culbert1993:Figures 18b, 26b) and the Burial PNT-062 in the Mundo Perdido Complex (Laporte and Fialko Reference Laporte and Fialko1995:Figure 30), all at Tikal.

To complete the discussion of ceramics associated with Skeleton 1, while the vessels seem to suggest a mixture of both K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 and K'ahk 3/Tzakol 3 complex material, it is difficult to draw any firm conclusions. Firm chronological conclusions cannot be supported because most of the vessels associated with Skeleton 1 are monochrome serving vessels. Because we do not currently have an adequate representative sample of K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 complex monochrome serving ware it is difficult to know if these possible K'ahk 3/Tzakol 3 vessels were actually contemporaneous with K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 highly decorated fine ware (such as the polychrome and black material associated with Skeletons 5/12, 13, and 14). The presence of sherds from similar vessels found in K'ahk 3/Tzakol 3 complex deposits in Structure 1 at La Sufricaya do lend credence to the argument that these monochrome vessels may be slightly later than the material associated with Skeletons 5/12, 13, and 14. Some vessels, however, such as Vessels 8 and 15, are so similar to K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 complex pottery found elsewhere in Building B that they must have been produced during that time. Also, as discussed above, strong typological comparisons to pottery from other sites with well established sequences support this idea. However, until more reliable K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 contexts containing both decorated and monochrome serving vessels (as well as utilitarian vessels) are discovered, I cannot make any irrefutable statements about the chronological or sociopolitical significance of the vessels associated with Skeleton 1 in Room of Building B, Group II.

Room 1 (Skeleton 6)

Skeletons 2 and 6 were also part of Vaillant's fourth phase of his Holmul III Burial Period (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:40–41) (see Figure 17). No ceramic material was associated with Skeleton 2, so it is not discussed here. Merwin reported that Skeleton 6 was interred in an extended position with head to the north in Room 1 and lower limbs extending into Room 2. Novotny's analysis reveals that while Skeleton 6 may not have been complete, it did represent the remains of only one individual, juvenile, sex unknown. The skeletal material was associated with seven vessels (Figure 25). Like Skeleton 1, the vessels share form and decorative modes with both K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 and K'ahk 3/Tzakol 3 complex material.

Figure 25.

Room 1, vessels associated with Skeleton 6: (a) Vessel 1, Nitan: unspecified; (b) Vessel 2, Nitan: unspecified; (c) Vessel 3, unnamed red; (d) Vessel 5, unnamed red; (e) Vessel 6, Blanaza: unspecified; (f) Vessel 7, Caldero: unspecified. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, and courtesy of the Holmul Archaeological Project.

Vessel 3 (see Figure 25) is worth noting in that it is a cylinder with vertical walls, slightly everted rim, rounded lip, and flat base with three solid slab supports. The exterior vessel walls display two chamfers: one appears at the base and the other below the rim. The vessel is slipped red and heavily fire-clouded with rootlet marks on both the interior and exterior. Aside from the three slab feet, the vessel is almost identical to Vessel 9 associated with Skeleton 1. Like Vessel 9, the form suggests a modified version of Tzakol 3 sphere modes.

Vessel 7 (see Figure 25) is a bowl with composite silhouette walls, direct rim, rounded lip, basal flange, and ring base. The interior of the bowl is slipped orange with a cream underslip and bands of red and black paint encircling the rim. On the base of the interior is the depiction of a human figure painted in red wearing a costume. Vaillant called the figure a “man with bee's body” (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:69). The exterior only displays the cream underslip upon which is painted a repeating design in red and black paint. The main design is a step and angular scroll which repeats twice in red and twice in black. The rim of the exterior is encircled by a band of red chevrons. The interior design on the bowl is similar to bowls found in the Three Rivers region, Belize (Sullivan Reference Sullivan, Masson and Freidel2002:Figure 7.4) and Uaxactun (Smith Reference Smith1955:Figure 76b, Number 5). Smith dates his vessel to the Tzakol 2 complex. It is possible Vessel 7 dates to the same period and is part of the K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 complex. I classify the vessel as Caldero Buff Polychrome: variety unspecified.

In conclusion, the vessels collectively associated with Skeleton 6 suggest the body was interred between the end of the K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 complex and beginning of K'ahk 3/Tzakol 3. Like the pots associated with Skeleton 1, these vessels display form and surface modes consistent with both K'ahk 2–3/Tzakol 2–3 complexes and also suggest maintained contact between elites at Holmul and other important lowland centers at this time.

Room 2 (Skeleton 10)

Merwin and Vaillant believe Skeleton 10 was the last group of osteological remains to be interred before the superstructure of Building B, Group II was sealed. Skeleton 10 is located in the east side of Room 2 (see Figure 17). Merwin's drawing depicts the body as being interred in a flexed position with head to the west above the remains of Skeletons 13 and 14. Novotny once again identifies the remains of at least two individuals, adults, sex unknown in the catalogued grouping of bones labeled “Skeleton 10.” It is possible that the remains of Skeleton 10 are mixed with the remains of Skeleton 9 that was supposedly interred, without funerary furniture, at the same time as Skeleton 5 in the third phase of Vaillant's Holmul III Burial Period. Only two ceramic vessels were found associated with Skeleton 10 (Figure 26). The vessels were formed and decorated in the same style and suggest an interment date in the late K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 or early K'ahk 3/Tzakol 3 complex.

Figure 26.

Room 2, vessels associated with Skeleton 10: (a) Vessel 1, Japon Resist: unspecified; (b) Vessel 2, Japon Resist: unspecified. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, and courtesy of the Holmul Archaeological Project.

Vessel 1 (see Figure 26) is a narrow cylinder with vertical walls, direct rim, rounded lip, flat base and accompanying lid. The lid is trapezoidal in shape and has a modeled human head complete with headdress and ear flares for a handle. The exterior of the lid and vessel displays an orange-red underslip. Potters used a black smudging technique to create designs in the red slip possibly using some sort of resist technique. Vaillant calls the main design on the lid of the vessel a “monkey pattern” (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:69). The design on the vessel exterior is much more abstract and almost looks like pseudo-glyphs. I classify the vessel as Japon Resist: variety unspecified.

Vessel 2 (see Figure 26) is also a narrow cylinder with vertical walls, direct rim, rounded lip, flat base and accompanying lid. The lid is trapezoidal in shape and has a modeled human head complete with headdress and ear flares for a handle. The exterior of the lid and vessel displays an orange-red underslip. Potters used the same smudging technique as seen on Vessel 1. No design appears on the lid. The main design on the cylinder is an abstract pattern surrounded by rows of dots and framed by two sets of diagonal lines. I also classify Vessel 2 as Japon Resist: variety unspecified.

Japon Resist is very rare in the Maya lowlands, but is reported by Culbert (Reference Culbert1993:Figures 21a and 27a, Number 1) in Burials 10 and 22 at Tikal as well as Uaxactun (Smith Reference Smith1955:Figure 1 k). Smith places Japon Resist within Tzakol 3, but because it was discovered in association with other Manik 2 vessels at Tikal, it is possible this type could represent another style that bridges the Tzakol 2–3 (or Manik 2–3) complexes. Regardless of the specific period, Vessels 1 and 2 associated with Skeleton 10 fit within the overall chronology of Rooms 1 and 2 possibly anchoring it to the beginning of the K'ahk 3/Tzakol 3 complex.

After this last deposition episode, the superstructure containing Rooms 1–4 in Building B, Group II was sealed and the entire building covered in construction fill in order to create a large plastered platform. The last of the rooms to be discussed in Building B, Group II, lies buried within this fill and outside the superstructure of the original structure.

Room 10 (Skeleton 22)

Room 10 is located in the construction fill of the last building phase of Building B, Group II (see Figure 6). The room was constructed against the exterior north wall of Room 4. A number of skeletal remains were found in the room along with four vessels (Figures 27 and 28), but we are currently unable to locate this group of osteological materials and, as a result, have nothing to report with regard to the human remains. Three vessels, however, were located in the Peabody Museum and one was located in the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Vaillant (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:71–72) placed all these vessels within his Holmul IV Burial period.

Figure 27.

Plan of Room 10, Building B, Group II, showing approximate locations of vessels based upon Merwin's original excavation data (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:40, and courtesy of the Holmul Archaeological Project.

Figure 28.

Room 10 vessels: (a) Vessel 1, Caldero: unspecified; (b) Vessel 2, unspecified orange polychrome; (c) Vessel 3, Boleto: unspecified; (d) Vessel 4, Boleto: unspecified. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, and courtesy of the Holmul Archaeological Project.

Vessels 1 through 4 of Room 10 are problematic because they display form and surface modes of the earlier K'ahk 1/Tzakol 1 complex, but they are found in a construction layer which obviously dates to the latter half of the Early Classic period. Based on quality of surface design, Vaillant placed these vessels within his Holmul IV Burial Period and believes the vessels represent a kind of decadent transitional period between the fall of the “Old Empire” (Early Classic) elites at Holmul and the rise of the “New Empire” (Late Classic) (Merwin and Vaillant Reference Merwin and Vaillant1932:72; Vaillant Reference Vaillant1927:300–334). He compares similarities in form between the vessels found in Room 10 and those from Rooms 1 and 2, assuming that because Room 10 is located in the succeeding architectural phase that covers Rooms 1–4 that the vessels in Room 10 must have been produced after the vessels in Rooms 1–4. More than once he comments on the “degeneracy” and lack of sophistication of the designs on the vessel surfaces. While Vaillant correctly assumed that Vessels 1–4 in Room 10 may not have been part of the same ceramic production traditions as those vessels discovered in Rooms 1 and 2, he may have incorrectly assumed that all the vessels in Room 10 must have been produced later than those in Rooms 1 and 2.

Vessel 1 (see Figure 28) is a bowl with composite silhouette walls, direct rim, rounded lip, basal flange, and ring base. The interior is slipped orange with a cream underlsip. Red and black bands of paint run the circumference of the rim. The exterior displays the cream underslip upon which is painted a repeating abstract motif in red and black. The motif appears three times and is separated each time by three thick vertical bands of black, red, and black paint. I classify the bowl as Caldero Buff Polychrome: variety unspecified and believe the vessel was produced within the K'ahk 2–3/Tzakol 2–3 ceramic complexes.

Vessel 2 (see Figure 28) is a bowl with composite silhouette sides, direct rim, rounded lip, Z-angle basal break, and ring base. The interior is slipped orange with one red band running the circumference of the rim. The exterior is slipped orange and painted in red and black. The main design is simple and consists of horizontal bands of red and black paint framing one single squiggly black line. The form and decorative treatment both suggest a production date that is possibly earlier than the K'ahk 3/Tzakol 3 complex, perhaps within K'ahk 1/Tzakol 1 or at least K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2. The Z-angle basal break without basal flange is rarely seen in the Holmul region after the K'ahk 1/Tzakol 1 complex. Furthermore, the crude painting style and simple design is more reminiscent of earlier attempts at polychrome painting than later ones. Smith (Reference Smith1955:Figure 26a) places the “squiggly” line main design at least as early as the K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 complex. The Z-angle basal break is decorated by enclosed black semicircles. This motif is seen on Boleto Black-on-Orange vessels found at Hamontun in association with an excellent example of a firm K'ahk 1/Tzakol 1 complex marker, Actuncan Orange Polychrome (Figure 29). The entire design scheme is also reminiscent of what Adams (Reference Adams1971:Figure 21d, Numbers 1–5) classifies as Ixcanrio Orange Polychrome at Altar de Sacrificios. Because of this chronological and stylistic confusion, the type name and complex remain unassigned for the time being.

Figure 29.

Vessels from Hamontun: (a) Actuncan: unspecified; (b) Boleto: unspecified. Drawings by Fernando Alvarez, and courtesy of the Holmul Archaeological Project.

Vessel 3 (see Figure 28) is a bowl with composite silhouette walls, direct rim, rounded lip, basal flange, and ring base. The interior is slipped orange as well as the exterior. The main design on the exterior consists of simple horizontal black bands on the rim and framing the basal flange. The basal flange is further decorated by enclosed black semi-circles. This type is Boleto Black-on-Orange and is a firm K'ahk 1/Tzakol 1 complex diagnostic marker.

Vessel 4 (see Figure 28) is a bowl with composite silhouette sides, direct rim, rounded lip, Z-angle basal break, and ring base. The interior and exterior are slipped orange. The main design on the exterior is very similar to Vessel 3 described above except that the enclosed black semi-circles appear on the Z-angle as opposed to the basal flange. Like Vessel 3, the black painting is crude and the overall polishing appearing more like a heavy burnish than a true polish. Vessel 4 bears striking resemblance to vessels of the Gavilan Black-on-Orange types found at Altar de Sacrificios (Adams Reference Adams1971:Figures 21a–21c). Although crude, the polish and shade of orange slip on Vessel 4 still warrants its inclusion in the Aguila Ceramic group as opposed to Aguacate and I classify this vessel as Boleto Black-on-Orange: variety unspecified, again possibly within the K'ahk 1/Tzakol 1 complex.

In conclusion, the form and decorative modes of the vessels in Room 10 do not seem to correspond with the placement of the room in the larger Building B architectural sequence. Vessels 2–4 could be heirlooms from the K'ahk 1–2/Tzakol 1–2 complexes that were saved and placed in Room 10 just before the building was covered. One could also argue the quality of decoration on these vessels does not represent the early stages of black-on-orange and polychrome painting, but a cruder painting style meant for a different level of consumption during a later period—the individual associated with these vessels having access to only this type of pottery. However, due to the lack of Boleto types found in K'ahk 3/Tzakol 3contexts and the similarity of Vessel 2 with Ixcanrio vessels from Barton Ramie, I prefer the former hypothesis for the time being.

Regardless of the discordance between the funerary furniture in Room 10 and its place in the architectural sequence, we do know that the building was filled sometime during the late K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 or early K'ahk 3/Tzakol 3 complexes. At the Peabody are two flaring-walled bowls with direct rims, rounded lips, and flat bases belonging to the Aguila Group, both of which were found by Merwin in the construction fill covering the superstructure of Building B as well as Room 10. The vessels are not listed in Merwin and Vaillant's monograph or Vaillant's dissertation, but they do have Peabody catalogue numbers and original tags that read "Pot 3 Roof, Bldg. B Group II" and "Pot 4 Roof, Bldg. B Group II". The vessels are in the form and decorative tradition of K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 ceramics and support the assumption that the original Building B was sealed sometime at the end of the K'ahk 2/Tzakol 2 and beginning of K'ahk 3/Tzakol 3 complexes. Building B, Group II, does not contain any material dating to Vaillant's original Holmul V Complex, or the Late Classic period.