Professor of Anthropology, Vanderbilt University
Due to its strategic economic position as the transfer point between the ancient highland world and the lowland cities, Cancuen became incredibly rich with the largest workshops of the Maya in both jade and obsidian, and one of the largest Classic Maya royal palaces. Follow along while I continue our tour through Cancuen!
Cancuen sits in a narrow peninsula where the Pasión river sharply bends and first slows down to be navigable by canoe. It’s a huge rich city built at “the head of navigation of the Pasión river,” the beginning of the great river trade route of the Classic Maya world. Due to its strategic economic position as the transfer point between the ancient highland world and the lowland cities, Cancuen became incredibly rich with the largest workshops of the Maya in both jade and obsidian, and one of the largest Classic Maya royal palaces.
By Dan Vergano
Move over, Indiana Jones. A real American archaeologist was instrumental in the recovery of a priceless Mayan altar that was looted from an excavation.
Now safe in Guatemala’s National Museum, the limestone altar, whose recovery was announced Wednesday, sheds light on the political life of the Mayan era. Carved in the year 796 to honor a treaty in the Mayan city of Cancuén, the altar depicts two kings playing a ritual ballgame.
The altar’s recent past sheds light on the extent of modern looting.
Continue reading “Raiders Of The Lost Altar, USA Today, Arthur Demarest”
On May 27th British Airways experienced a simple power supply failure that caused cancellation of all flights worldwide and the closing of Heathrow and Gatwick airports and leaving thousands stranded Continue reading “Hypercoherence: The British Airways IT Failure”
