THE BEGINNING OF MAYA CIVILIZATION? THOUGH
ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE LARGELY IGNORED IT, THERE
ARE INDICATIONS THAT THE PIEDMONT REGION IN SOUTHERN
GUATEMALA PLAYED A SEMINAL ROLE IN THE MAYA’S DEVELOPMENT. AN INVESTIGATION OF CHOCOLÁ, ONE OF THE REGION’S MAJOR SITES, COULD DETERMINE JUST HOW INFLUENTIAL IT WAS.
JERRY RABINOWITZ
BY MICHAEL BAWAYA
Women walk down Mound 1 at sunrise in Chocolá. Smoke rises from cooking fires in the homes below. Archaeologists believe that, centuries ago, Mound 1 was part of an area where administrative functions took place.
american archaeology
31
