Caral. The latest known text at Caracol, from the summit of Structure A13, is an altar that dates to AD 884 and that portrays the interaction between two individuals, potentially indicating an alliance with a foreign individual at this late date (Fig. Quirigua: A Classic Maya Center and Its Sculptures, Carolina Academic Press, Durham, NC. Remote Sensing Significantly, the elite burials in Caracols major buildings that contain death dates or tomb closing dates all occur during time periods when the sites stone monuments record Caracol rulers as being alive, suggesting that the general tendency to automatically correlate elite tombs with rulers (e.g., Jones and Satterthwaite 1982 for Tikal; Valdes and Fahsen 1995 for Uaxactun) may be unwise. ), Function and Meaning in Classic Maya Architecture, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC, pp. Caracol Maya Ruins in Belize | Belize Maya Ruin Tours Chase, D. Z., and Chase, A. F. (2004b). Chase et al. Advances in Archaeological Practice (1994). The name 'caracal' was proposed by Georges Buffon in 1761 who referred to its Turkish name 'Karrah-kulak' or 'Kara-coulac', meaning 'black ears'. ), Interdisciplinary Approaches to Food, Culture, and Markets in Ancient Mesoamerica, Springer, New York, pp. 1990; Haviland 1970). In Whittington, S. C., and Reed, D. M. ), Classic Maya Polities of the Southern Lowlands: Integration, Interaction, Dissolution, University Press of Colorado, Boulder, pp. 2011, 2012, 2014a) and also established the enormity of landscape modification efforts undertaken by the ancient Mayaroad systems, agricultural terracing, reservoirs, household plazuela units, and civic-ceremonial space. They are frequent victims of vehicle collisions and regularly come into conflict with livestock farmers. We also acknowledge the population of Belize, and particularly those of the Cayo District for their intense interest in understanding the Maya past. (eds. Janaab Pakal of Pelenque: Reconstructing the Life and Death of a Maya Ruler, University of Arizona Press, Tucson. The site did not see extensive or continued research until the onset of the Caracol Archaeological Project (CAP) in 1985. Dreams of Las Cuevas: A location of high devotional expression of the Late Classic Maya. Small birds and rodents are dispatched by long canines and consumed immediately in their entirety. A., Tainter, J., Valdez, F., and van der Leeuw, S. (2014b). The values of Classic Maya jade: A reanalysis of Cancuens jade workshop. McKillop, H. I. (1937). The IUCNs Red List currently classifies the caracals overall conservation status as Least Concern, but this is highly variable. 13(3): 1024. (ed. In keeping with the human competitive streak, this inevitably resulted in a desire to test whose caracal was the better hunter. This species was first discovered in April 2001, and has been referred to as the "scaly-foot" gastropod since 2001. Chase and D. Chase 1996a). Territory size and caracal density are dependent on the resources available to them. Chase and D. Chase 2009; D. Chase and A. At a time when some Mesoamericanists were arguing that Maya sites were regal-ritual centers (Sanders and Webster 1988), implying a less than urban status, the archaeological data from both Caracol and Tikal, Guatemala, were used to demonstrate a much more complex social situation that was consistent with urbanism (D. Chase et al. Chase. A., and Andrews, E. W. advertisement HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF AFRICA GEOGRAPHIC: We're the Africa Geographic editorial team a diverse set of writers, editors, designers and social media natives, all united by our passion for this addictive continent. 34(1): 2533. Scale and intensity in Classic period Maya agriculture: Terracing and settlement at the garden city of Caracol, Belize. Megalopolis: The Urbanized Northeastern Seaboard of the United States, Twentieth Century Fund, New York. The complexity of the contents, directionality, and layering in these caches not only demonstrates Caracols long-distance connections and precociousness but also that the sites rulers were ritual innovators. 1938A. H. Anderson (Archaeological Commissioner, Belize) initially visits Caracol and notes large number of carved monuments at the site; spends next decade attempting to get an archaeologist to work at the site. 87101. 2012b). In fact, the ball game was not played for enjoyment. Water and Ritual: The Rise and Fall of Classic Maya Rulers, University of Texas Press, Austin. Piedras Negras Archaeology, 19311939, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Chase and D. Chase 1998a), Caracols landscape is infilled with regularly spaced residential groups and a series of dendritic roads that integrated the continuously distributed population with the epicenter of the site; the roads also connected the sites inhabitants to an economic system focused on strategically located marketplace plazas where both foreign and local goods were available (A. Jaeger, S. E. (1991). ), Studies in the Archaeology of Caracol, Belize, Monograph 7, Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute, San Francisco, pp. The use of LiDAR in understanding the ancient Maya landscape: Caracol and western Belize. Five excavations that revealed multiple deposits were undertaken in 2010. The tufted ears have led to the obvious comparison with the various lynx species, and the caracal is sometimes called the desert lynx. Gestation lasts between two and three months, resulting in a litter of one to six kittens. Archaeology and Ethnohistory of Iximche, University Press of Florida, Gainesville. (eds. 8: 2024. Culture and Agriculture [16], The relationship of the caracal is considered as follows:[14][15].mw-parser-output table.clade{border-spacing:0;margin:0;font-size:100%;line-height:100%;border-collapse:separate;width:auto}.mw-parser-output table.clade table.clade{width:100%;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-label{min-width:0.2em;width:0.1em;padding:0 0.15em;vertical-align:bottom;text-align:center;border-left:1px solid;border-bottom:1px solid;white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-label::before,.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-slabel::before{content:"\2060 "}.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-fixed-width{overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis}.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-fixed-width:hover{overflow:visible}.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-label.first{border-left:none;border-right:none}.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-label.reverse{border-left:none;border-right:1px solid}.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-slabel{padding:0 0.15em;vertical-align:top;text-align:center;border-left:1px solid;white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-slabel:hover{overflow:visible}.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-slabel.last{border-left:none;border-right:none}.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-slabel.reverse{border-left:none;border-right:1px solid}.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-bar{vertical-align:middle;text-align:left;padding:0 0.5em;position:relative}.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-bar.reverse{text-align:right;position:relative}.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-leaf{border:0;padding:0;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-leafR{border:0;padding:0;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output table.clade td.clade-leaf.reverse{text-align:right}.mw-parser-output table.clade:hover span.linkA{background-color:yellow}.mw-parser-output table.clade:hover span.linkB{background-color:green}, The caracal is a slender, moderately sized cat characterised by a robust build, a short face, long canine teeth, tufted ears, and long legs. (eds. Ancient Mesoamerica Chase, D. Z. [20] It has been observed to begin feeding on antelope kills at the hind parts. 25: 421439. How to get to Caracol, the largest Maya site in Belize They are slightly stockier than their serval cousin, and their robust bodies are covered in a uniform coat of burnished red. Bair, D. A., and Terry, R. E. (2012). Middens, construction fill, and offerings: Evidence for the organization of Classic period craft production at Tikal, Guatemala. Calakmul: New data from an ancient Maya capital in Campeche, Mexico. The Temple of the Warriors at Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Publication 406, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC. (1998b). The largest Mayan site in Belize, Caracol once occupied a large area (200 sq km) and supported a population of about 100,000 people. It also can be seen in comparisons of Caracol and Tikal. Water and the mountains: Maya water management at Caracol, Belize. 8: 318. 2015). ), Culto funerario en la sociedad maya: Memoria de la Cuarta Mesa Redonda de Palenque, Instituto Nacional de Antropologa e Historia, Mexico, pp. Chase, D. Z., and Chase, A. F. (2004a). A. (eds.) Contributions in New World Archaeology A comprehensive archaeological map of the worlds largest preindustrial settlement complex at Angkor, Cambodia. In Robertson, M. G. Ancient Mesoamerica ), Ancient Maya Women, AltaMira Press, Walnut Creek, CA, pp. Like servals, the caracal is usually classified as nocturnal, but in reality, they can be active at any time of the day, especially when the weather is cool. Methodological issues in the archaeological identification of the Terminal Classic and Postclassic transition in the Maya area. 37: 1825. Journal of Planning History Chase, A. F., and Chase, D. Z. Given that Naranjo became a second capital in the early part of the Late Classic period, sharing hieroglyphic texts and dates with Caracol, and that Caracol rulers were buried at Tikal, the Caracol polity presumably extended at least that far north and probably also encompassed the Belize Valley for part of the Late Classic period (based on the presence of finger bowls at Cahal Pech and Baking Pot, indicating ritual similar to that found at Caracol; see also Helmke and Awe 2012). Current Anthropology The South Acropolis and the C Group may have had sleeping areas, but they do not appear to have housed typical family groups; rather the buildings in these areas were probably used largely for nondomestic purposes having to do with governance and administration. In search of markets and fields: Soil chemical investigations at Motul de San Jose. This burial indicates that Caracol had long-distance trade relationships with the highlands of Guatemala and that social stratification was already present at the site by this early date. [28], African caracal populations are listed under CITES Appendix II, while Asian populations come under CITES Appendix I. Ancient Maya Cities of the Eastern Lowlands, University Press of Florida, Gainesville. (1990). Dahlin, B. H., Bair, D., Beach, T., Moriarty, M, and Terry, R. (2010). Freidel, D. A., and Sabloff, J. The next known monument (Stela 20) dates to AD 400, as mentioned above; although the text is too eroded to derive detailed historical information, it contains a boxed initial series date similar to monuments from the Guatemalan highlands (e.g., Sharer and Sedat 1987), again reinforcing Caracols early ties to the southern Maya area. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology Chase and D. Chase 2001a, 2015a; A. 66, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. (1985). Landscape research at Caracol has led to a radically different focus on Maya urbanism through the recognition of the enormity of the sites settlement, the complexity and scale of environmental modification, and the possibility of a Late Classic diminution of divine kingship. J Archaeol Res 25, 185249 (2017). (eds. Following the Tikal and Naranjo wars, there was a population boom at Caracol and this population experienced a level of general prosperity and access to both goods and ritual that was not encountered at most Maya sites. 171188. Otterbein, K. F. (1973). Chase, D. Z. 2010), all indications are that the development at Caracol was a process of internal lowland Maya elaboration rather than the result of direct external influence and pressure from other cultures like Teotihuacan (e.g., Braswell 2003). All travel bookings booked via Trust my Travel are financially protected by them. The route is well marked. El concepto de entidad segmentaria en la historia arqueolgica del noroeste de las montaas mayas. According to the Ming Shilu, the subsequent Ming dynasty continued this practice. Comments on the hieroglyphic texts of the B-group ballcourt markers at Caracol, Belize. (1990). The caracal (Caracal caracal) (/ k r k l /) is a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India.It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted ears, and long canine teeth.Its coat is uniformly reddish tan or sandy, while the ventral parts are lighter with small reddish markings. 2009, p. 181). T. D., Burton, J. H., Sharer, R. J., Buikstra, J. E., Wright, L. E., Traxler, L. P., and Miller, K. A. 40: 542559. (ed.) Caracals are extremely versatile and adapt their hunting style to the habitat and type of prey. Google Scholar. 2010). Sculptured monuments from Caracol, British Honduras. 16(4): 114. The ruins were named "Caracol," Spanish for "shell," in reference to the winding logging road that provides access to the site. Chase, A. F., and Chase, D. Z. Braswell, G. E. (2003). Yet, five epicentral tombs and one terminus tomb are associated with hieroglyphic dates. ), Tikal: Dynasties, Foreigners, and Affairs of State: Advancing Maya Archaeology, School of American Research Press, Santa Fe, NM, pp. It is territorial, and lives mainly alone or in pairs. 9, American Anthropological Association, Arlington, VA, pp. 17(2): 122. 7 EPIC Belize Mayan Ruins You Must Visit (with Map!) Chase, A. F., Chase, D. Z., Weishampel, J. F., Drake, J. Houston, S. D. (1987). 37: 4749. Thus, nearby sites like Caballo (A. Like the subspecies divisions proposed for the serval in the same report, these distinctions are based on a trend observed within other widespread mammal species. The Great Maya Droughts: Water, Life and Death, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. Caracol likely has more than 1600 of these small constructed reservoirs associated with residential groups (A. S. Chase 2016b; A. S. Chase and Weishampel 2016); some still hold drinkable water through the dry season. Chase and D. Chase 2011). A project of archaeological excavations and restorations started in 1985 and is ongoing; however, most of the site remains unexcavated. These institutions and the various sites that they had investigated formed the milieu and background for most interpretive works about the ancient Maya. (1954) Environmental limitation on the development of culture. [52], The caracal was esteemed for its ability to catch birds in flight and was used for coursing by Mughal emperors in India at least since the Delhi Sultanate. Storey, R. (2006). Caracol, Belize, and Changing Perceptions of Ancient Maya Society Networking & debating APP subscribers only, TRUSTED CONSERVATION PROJECTS 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T3847A50650230.en, "A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group", "The late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: A genetic assessment", "Phylogeny and evolution of cats (Felidae)", "Phylogenetic reconstruction of the Felidae using 16S rRNA and NADH-5 mitochondrial genes", "Nesli tkenme tehlikesi altndaki karakulak Mula'da grld", "Status of caracal in Bahram'gur Protected Area, Iran", "The importance of rodents in the diet of jungle cat (, "Historical and current extent of occurrence of the Caracal, "Caracal and African wild cat diet in the Karoo National Park and the implications thereof for hyrax", "Arabian caracal spotted for first time in Abu Dhabi in 35 years", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caracal&oldid=1162646288, This page was last edited on 30 June 2023, at 10:47. LiDAR (Light Distance and Ranging) data collected in 2009 were used to document 4,732 elevated residential groups in approximately 160km2 and estimated an equal number of nonelevated residential groups, confirming the conservative estimate of at least 100,000 people (A. Mapping and reconnaissance indicate Caracol (the city) to have a radius of 10 kilometers. The Middle American Research Institute at Tulane University had carried out archaeological research in Mexico at Dzibilchaltun (Kurjack 1974) and Becan (Webster 1976). 4 min read 1600 The ancient Maya were meticulous astronomers who not only studied the stars but built intricate structures that allowed them to observe the moon and Venus, and there is evidence they also studied Mars and different stars in the night sky. (ed. We began our research at Santa Rita Corozal, Belize, under the auspices of the University of Pennsylvania in 1979, continued at Princeton University in 1984, and then at the University of Central Florida (D. Chase 1981, 1990; D. Chase and A. 2013Research focused on the second year of a 3-year investigation of a Maya neighborhood east of the Machete Terminus on the Mechete Plateau. Uaxactun, Guatemala, Group E, 19261931, Publication 477, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC. This residential plan, focusing on an eastern mausoleum, appeared rapidly over the landscape at the beginning of the Late Classic period, precisely at or following the warfare with Tikal and Naranjo. 255: 106-115. Structure I20 produced a late burial and use-related materials dating to this era; Structure B59 proved to be a late vaulted bulding with interior stone piers. The presence of a lintel and multiple stair blocks at Naranjo referring to Kan II suggests that Kan II constructed a building at that site covered with his textual history. Social Identities in the Classic Maya Northern Lowlands, University of Texas Press, Austin. The Caracol epicenter is definable by topography and by the spatial demarcations imposed by the Maya themselves (Fig. Chase, A. F., Chase, D. Z., and Cobos, R. (2008a). (ed.) Kings and commoners at Copan: Isotopic evidence for origins and movement in the Classic Maya period. The elaborate contents and layering of Early Classic caches both in the epicenter and its residential groups indicate the importance of temporal and cosmological ritual to the Caracol population. In Brown, M. K., and Stanton, T. Los Investigadores de la Cultura Maya Constant Battles: The Myth of the Peaceful, Noble Savage, St. Martins Press, New York. Sabloff, J. The literature points to three potential results: the organizational integration of a society (because of mobilization of necessary resources), more prosperity for that society (the benefits of being the winner), and an influx of people who have sensed the well-being of the victor or are forcibly moved. 2011), it was finally possible to demonstrate effectively how intensively the landscape had been modified by the ancient Maya; terracing had become more dense in areas that had long-occupied, substantial residential settlement, and newer agricultural terracing extended farther and farther outward as Caracol developed (D. Chase and A. Robin, C. (2013). 3549. Scribes, Warriors, and Kings: the City of Copan and the Ancient Maya, revised ed., Thames and Hudson, London. 4763. Impressive not only in size, it also has an immense agricultural field system and elaborate city planning. Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. 1991; Helmke et al. 6(1): 19. Dunning, N., Beach, T., Farrell, P., and Luzzadder-Beach, S. (1998). (eds. Laporte, J. P. (1998). Mayapan, Yucatan, Mexico, Publication 619, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC. The canines are up to 2cm (0.8in) long and sharp. Chase et al. Chase 2000). Estudios de Cultura Maya 93108. Excavations at Seibal: Peripheral Survey and Excavation, Settlement and Community Patterns, Memoir 16, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. Caracol was also tightly integrated by means of a causeway system that provided access to a variety of goods for the broader population. Chase and D. Chase 2013a; D. Chase and A. Myth, ritual and human sacrifice in Early Classic Mesoamerica: Interpreting a cremated double burial from Tikal, Guatemala. The second effort was sponsored fully by the Government of Belize and directed by J. Chase, D. Z. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports Has the Truth Finally Been Uncovered? - Ancient Origins 4: 393409. Warfare in Cultural Context: Practice, Agency, and the Archaeology of Violence, University of Arizona Press, Tucson. 13: 314. The identification of status differences among the Maya is another topic that Caracol has impacted, especially questions about who was and who was not elite (D. Chase and A. Envisioning artifacts: A Classic Maya view of the archaeological record. These territories overlap extensively. At Tikal, residential caches were not generally made in specially prepared ceramic containers; at Caracol, formal caches within ceramic containers have been recovered in 72 different residential groups. 33: 1940. Copan: The History of an Ancient Maya Kingdom, School of American Research Press, Santa Fe, NM. The Late Classic Maya in the southern lowlands had an interdependent economy in which different sites and zones produced a variety of items and scores of sites were economically cross-linked to one another, most clearly seen in imported goods. Storey, G. R. (2006). It fact, it would appear that the majority of Caracol ritual was directly linked to the commemoration of cyclical time. Chase 2004b). 25: 187219. American Antiquity (1961). Qu no nos cuentan los jeroglficos? While surplus production at Caracol appears to have been undertaken within households, distribution took place in markets located in plaza areas within the site center and in conjunction with causeway terminus groups (as noted above). Up to 34 finger bones have been recovered in a single cache, from adults and children. Sharer, R. J., and Traxler, L. (2006). This suggests a population influx at the site, but we have yet to test for population origin through isotopic analyses. Texts and contexts in classic Maya warfare: A brief consideration of epigraphy and archaeology at Caracol, Belize. Reconstructing agricultural self-sufficiency at Chunchucmil, Yucatan, Mexico. Tiesler, V. (1999). Healy, P. F., Lambert, J. D., Arnason, J. T., and Hebda, R. J. Not only is the landscape in this area almost completely modified, but a semblance of urban planning can be seen in the placement of markets and their dendritic connection to the site epicenter via an extensive road system. As an epigrapher, Satterthwaite was interested in the new inscriptions and returned to Caracol in 1951 and 1953 to record these carved monuments and to map the site, focusing on the 78 structures in the site epicenter where the monuments had been found; at the same time, he and Anderson also excavated two tombs. Wells, E. C., and Davis-Salazar, L. The PARI Journal American Anthropologist Source for information on Caracol: Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture dictionary. As a result, in many parts of Southern Africa, particularly South Africa and Namibia, caracals are considered problem animals and are persecuted extensively in certain areas. [20] These features indicate the onset of moulting in the hot season, typically in October and November. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology Classic Maya Place Names, Studies in Pre-Columbian Art and Archaeology 33, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC. (eds. (2016b). Johnson, Lucas M. (2008). Because of Caracols propensity to utilize ceramic vessels within their ritual deposits (as noted above), we were able to tightly date Caracols residential groups. ), Merchants, Markets, and Exchange in the Pre-Columbian World, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC, pp. Yet, it is possible to document that time was very important to the Caracol Maya and that both the baktun (roughly 400years) and katun cycles were commemorated through architecture and ritual.