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Revision as of 04:15, 15 May 2013
Template:Infobox Pre-Columbian site Nohmul (or Noh Mul) is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site located on the eastern Yucatán Peninsula, in what is today northern Belize. The name Nohmul may be glossed as meaning "great mound" in (Yucatec) Maya. A significant portion of the site was destroyed in May 2013.
History
Nohmul was occupied initially during the Preclassic era of Mesoamerican chronology (c. 350 BCE to 250 CE). By the 5th century monumental construction at the site had effectively ceased, and the site seems to have been largely abandoned save for some scattered rural-domestic activities. After a hiatus in construction activities of several centuries, Nohmul was reoccupied and large-scale building resumed, with maximal activity seen during the Late Classic era (c. 7th–10th centuries).[1]
The site is noted for its unusual layout, with the urban or ceremonial precinct spanning the crest of a ridge and consisting of two separated clusters of structures linked by Maya raised causeway, or sacbe, running between the two groups.[2]
Nohmul is spread out among privately owned sugar cane fields 7 miles (11 km) north of Orange Walk Town in northern Belize. The site occupies about 12 square miles (31 km2) of land. The ceremonial center is located on a limestone ridge overlooking the Río Hondo, a permanent river that forms the local modern border between Mexico and Belize. The main site also consists of two groups of buildings with ten plazas. Combined, these complexes house more than 80 separate buildings. Most of them were constructed either in the Preclassic or Classic period, although there is evidence of additional building activity in the early Postclassic.[2]
Built at a vantage point on the Río Hondo to control the region's trade routes, the site had a long life. Structures of the northern Yucatán type were built over those erected in the Classic era. Some of these new constructions covered the front of older stairways. These newer constructions include one that resembles the Caracol in Chichén Itzá. These later constructions support the theory that outsiders from the Yucatán settled in Nohmul.[2]
2013 damage
On 13 May 2013, it was reported that the largest temple structure at Nohmul was heavily damaged despite government protection. Large portions were removed by excavators and bulldozers belonging to contractors, who were using the gravel and limestone content to fill roads in nearby Douglas Village. The heavy equipment responsible for the damage was labeled D-Mar Construction, a company owned by the UDP politician Denny Grijalva.[3] John Morris of the Belizean Institute of Archaeology stated that the workers would have known that they were bulldozing Mayan ruins.[4]
The Belizean police indicated that criminal charges could be levied pending their investigation. Similar destruction occurred at the nearby San Estevan site in 2005, as well as at many other ancient sites throughout Belize.[5]
References
- ^ Hammond et al. 1988, pp. 1–2
- ^ a b c Kelly, Joyce (October 1996). Archaeological Guide to Northern Central America: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0806128610. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- ^ Vasquez, Jules (10 May 2013). "No More Noh Mul? Contractor Bulldozes Mayan Temple". 7 News Belize. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Mayan pyramid bulldozed by Belize construction crew". BBC News. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Nohmul Pyramid Bulldozed In Belize For Rocks". The Huffington Post. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
External links
- Hammond, Norman (1988). "Excavation and Survey at Nohmul, Belize, 1986". Journal of Field Archaeology. 15 (1). Boston, MA: Boston University – Association for Field Archaeology: pp.1–15. doi:10.2307/530126. ISSN 0093-4690. JSTOR 530126. OCLC 8560818.
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