Quiriguá

15.266666666667 - 89.066666666667Koordinaten: 15 ° 16 '0 "N, 89 ° 4' 0 " W

Quiriguá is a pre-Columbian Maya city in what is now the department of Izabal in Guatemala; since 1981 it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History

Quiriguá is a medium-sized site on the lower reaches of the Río Motagua. The ceremonial center is located about 1 km from the left bank. Exceptional at Quiriguá is the fact that almost all the sculptures are excellent condition and are dated by inscriptions. The period of habitation falls into the Classical period of Mayan culture. The settlement began around 200, the construction of the Acropolis around 550, the heyday with the magnificent buildings began in 700 and in 850 it was the complete cessation of all construction work. The rise of the city is due to the victory of the king of Quiriguá Cauac Sky ( also known as " Butz Tiliw " and " K'ak ' Tiliw Chan Yo'at " known) over Copán in 738 Previously Quiriguá was probably a vassal of Copán, while the roles were then reversed.

Ruins

Architecture

The proportion of large ceremonial buildings is - compared to the total area and the importance Quiriguás - quite small. At the south end of the Plaza Grande rises the so-called Acropolis, the Zermonial and palace city of Quiriguá. , Was constructed from about 550 to about 810; thereby even an older ball court was built on. On display are still the broad stairs that lead to the newer ball court and the foundations of a palace building with three entrances.

Sculpture

More important than the architecture are the many sculptures Quiriguás, which are among the most impressive of ancient Mesoamerica. These include unusually high stelae ( see, for example image above), which were elaborately cut from monolithic blocks of stone. The largest is more than 10 meters high and weighs about 60 tons. In addition to the high vertical pillars are there a number of boulders that were consuming brought into the form of mythological animals. These sculptures are called zoomorphic; in their size, they are almost unique. In the decoration of the building facades, there are also implemented various altars and sculptures.

However, some of the monuments in Quiriguá show exceptional craftsmanship. Probably the best example is the Stele D ( 766 ) with exceptional full body anthropomorphic versions of Maya hieroglyphs on one side; the remaining faces of the stele are processed. The Zoomorph B ( 780) still shows remnants of red paint; the Zoomorph P ( 795) was described by the discoverer Maudslay as The Great Turtle ( Big Turtle ). Both monuments represent masterpieces of Mesoamerican sculpture dar.

Overall, the artistic quality of the sculptures does not come close to those of Palenque or Copan. Most of the monuments are monumental in form and seem strict, compared with the natural grace of the art of these other places.

Modern History of Quiriguá

Quiriguá was rediscovered in modern times by Frederick Catherwood in 1840. Due to adverse circumstances he could only stay for a short time at the ruins. However, He made drawings of two stelae that were released along with a brief description in John Lloyd Stephens travel book Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan. A longer study of the ruins was done in 1854 by Dr. Karl Scherzer. From 1881 to 1883 Alfred Maudslay built a camp near the ruins and carried out a very thorough investigation in which he photographed all visible monuments, some minor excavations and undertook anfertigte paper and plaster casts of all hieroglyphic inscriptions and of the most important sculptures. These impressions were then shipped to England; Today they are in the British Museum. Maudslay visited Quiriguá 1894 one more time.

In 1910, the United Fruit Company Quiriguá and the entire country bought in the wider area for banana plantations. An area of ​​120,000 m² was recorded as archaeological zone. This includes the ruins and their surroundings. Further archaeological work was carried out 1910-1914 by Edgar Lee Hewitt for the School of American Research at Santa Fe. Copies of the steles, based on its plaster casts were exhibited at the 1915 Panama - California Exposition in San Diego. The Carnegie Mellon University conducted 1915-1934 by occasionally a few projects.

An extensive archaeological project funded by the University of Pennsylvania, the National Geographic Society and the Government of Guatemala was carried out from 1975 to 1980 in Quiriguá. The stelae are designed to protect - covered by palm roofs - particularly in the sprayed from airplanes chemical pesticides.