Cahal Pech: Update 2	"Maya Caves of West-Central Belize" July 23, 2000
by Carolyn Audet

The wall on the back of Structure F-2

Excavations at Structure F-2 were postponed for the first part of last week due to heavy rains. Fortunately we were able to get a large tarp to cover the excavation area, and investigations continued despite the rain on Wednesday. This week our goals at F-2 were to expose the sections of F-2 that intersect with Structure F-1 to the southwest and to uncover the back of F-2 facing the G-plaza.

From the evidence that our excavations have exposed thus far, we postulated that F-2 would connect with F-1 at each terrace and that the western (or front) double wall of F-2 would connect with the northern (or front) double wall of F-1. We placed four units in the proposed juncture between the two structures. As the preservation of the walls is generally better at the junction between two walls, we hoped that these sections of the buildings would yield better information about the height of the terrace and double walls. We were in luck, our units uncovered the connection between the two structures, and we have now estimated the total length of F-2 to be roughly 62 feet.

We set up a single axial trench to determine what the structure looked like on its eastern side (or the possible back of the structure). We suspected that we would find a series of terraces or steps that would lead to the top of the platform. Surprisingly, we found a wall four feet tall that restricted access from the G plaza to F-2 completely. Clearly, the residents of F-2 oriented themselves only with those living in the F-plaza. Perhaps different extended families lived in the F-group and the G-group, or perhaps Structure F-2's orientation toward the elite residential buildings indicate that the people living at F-2 enjoyed more status than those living in the G-group.

July 7 | Cahal Pech Intro

© 2000 by the Archaeological Institute of America www.archaeology.org/online/features/belize/updates/cahalpech2.html

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