El Chicozapote is a Pre-Columbian archaeological

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

site in the Usumacinta River Basin region of the Mexican state of

Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...

. The site dates from the Classic period of the Maya civilization and it developed as a vassal state subordinated to the kingdom of

Yaxchilan Yaxchilan () is an ancient Maya city located on the bank of the Usumacinta River in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. In the Late Classic Period Yaxchilan was one of the most powerful Maya states along the course of the Usumacinta River, with Pied ...

. The site discoveries include a group of carved lintels conserving remains of the original paint.

History

El Chicozapote developed during the middle and late classic period of Mesoamerica in the Usumacinta River Basin region, it was under the domain of Yaxchilan. Numerous defensive walls have been found along the site, this type of structures have been commonly identified in other vassal sites of Yaxchilan, the function was to contain and resist the attacks of

Piedras Negras Piedras Negras may refer to: * Piedras Negras, Coahuila, a city in the state of Coahuila, Mexico ** Piedras Negras Municipality, a municipality in Mexico, with the center in the eponymous city * Piedras Negras (Maya site) Piedras Negras is the ...

during the constant war conflicts with Yaxchilan to dominate the Usumacinta region, showing that the site faced constant attacks and wars. Inside the Temple of the Four Lintels a group of carved and painted monuments were discovered showing the figure of high rank people dressed as

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...

performing ceremonies. The lintels have preserved the original ancient paint with which they were painted at the time of their creation between the years 600 and 850 AD, visible colors have been identified such as white, red, green and blue. El Chicozapote lintel 1 has a carved image of a ruler vassal of the king of Yaxchilan Yaxun B'alam IV under the title of ''sajal'' (a title given to a ruler subordinate to a larger capital), sitting on a mythological concept known as ''Witz'' (mountain) with the figure of a skull. El Chicozapote was discovered in June 1897 by archaeologist Teobert Maler during an archaeological expedition on the Usumacinta River, where Maler also documented the existence of nearby sites such as El Chile and Anaité. At the site he described and took photographs of the main structures, temples and lintels. The site remained unexplored until 1960 when an intense

archaeological looting Archaeological looting is the illicit removal of artifacts from an archaeological site. Such looting is the major source of artifacts for the antiquities trade#Illicit trade, antiquities market. Looting typically involves either the illegal expor ...

affected several forgotten and abandoned Maya sites along both sides of the Usumacinta River. At an unknown date, the lintels were removed from their original site, decades later they have been found exhibited as part of various museums and private collections.

References

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