Ixtutz
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Guatemala Fragments of Panel 2 | |
 Interactive map of Ixtutz | |
| Location | Dolores |
|---|---|
| Region | Petén Department, Guatemala |
| History | |
| Founded | Late Preclassic Period |
| Abandoned | Terminal Classic Period |
| Periods | Classic Period |
| Cultures | Maya civilization |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | Juan Pedro Laporte, Merle Greene Robertson IDAEH |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Classic Maya |
| Responsible body: IDAEH | |
Ixtutz ([iʃˈtuːts]) was an important Classic Period Maya city located south of Ixkun in southeastern Petén, Guatemala.[1] Ixtutz is situated in the valley of the Poxte River in the western portion of the Maya Mountains.[2] The site was inhabited during the Preclassic Period to the end of the Terminal Classic Period of Mesoamerican chronology and dominated the western portion of the Dolores valley.[3]
In the Late Classic Ixtutz was one of the most important centres in the Dolores region, competing fiercely with other sites in the area, and maintained strong political relations with the cities of the southwestern Petén such as Dos Pilas and Machaquila.[4]
Ixtutz is located in the municipality of Dolores, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) southwest of that town, in the Petén Department of northern Guatemala.[5] The site is situated at an altitude of 400 metres (1,300 ft) above mean sea level in the valley of the Poxte River, surrounded by hilly terrain.[6] The river itself flows westwards of the site.[7]
An area of 1 square kilometre (0.39 sq mi) is protected by the Guatemalan Institute of Anthropology and History.[6] This area is covered by primary rainforest, although the surrounding countryside has been cleared for agriculture.[6]
Other Maya archaeological sites in the Ixtutz area include Ixtonton at 8.7 kilometres (5.4 mi), Ixkun at 12 kilometres (7.5 mi), Ixcol at 8.2 kilometres (5.1 mi), Moquena at 8.8 kilometres (5.5 mi), El Tzic at 9.4 kilometres (5.8 mi), Sukche at 5.7 kilometres (3.5 mi), Ixcoxol at 4.7 kilometres (2.9 mi), Nocsos at 5.8 kilometres (3.6 mi), Curucuitz at 2.9 kilometres (1.8 mi), Mopan 2 at 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), Tesik at 2.9 kilometres (1.8 mi), Ixec at 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) and Ixac at 7 kilometres (4.3 mi).[8]
History
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Maya civilization |
|---|
 |
| History |
| Spanish conquest of the Maya |
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| Name | Ruled |
|---|---|
| Aj Yaxjal B’aak | c.780[9] |
Ixtutz was first occupied in the Late Preclassic and occupation continued through the Classic Period. The city appears to have already been important before it started erecting sculpted monuments in the Late Classic.[4]
During the Late Classic Ixtutz was one of the five most important Maya cities in the northwestern portion of the Maya Mountains, along with Sacul, Ixtonton, Ixkun and Curucuitz.[6] Around 760 AD the political organization of the region appears to have changed and the rulers of Ixtutz and neighbouring Sacul began to erect sculpted monuments with hieroglyphic texts and to use their own Emblem Glyphs.[4]
In the late 8th century AD Ixtutz was subordinate to one of the Petexbatún cities to the west. A text on Stela 4 mentions that Ixtutz's overlord came from the city of Mutuul and this was likely to have been either the kingdom of Seibal-La Amelia or Aguateca, although at this time four different kingdoms in the region were claiming the Mutuul title of the fallen Dos Pilas kingdom.[10]
A stela dated to AD 780 records a ceremony performed by king Aj Yaxjal B’aak and attended by his overlord from the Petexbatún, most likely to have been Tan Te' K'inich of Aguateca, and 28 other lords from both within the Dolores valley and further afield.[11] Ixtutz experienced a decrease in activity during the Terminal Classic period,[12] after AD 825 all sites in the region ceased to erect further monuments although occupation continued.[4] Ixtutz and other centres in the Dolores region were finally abandoned at the end of the Terminal Classic.[4]
Modern history
The site was first discovered in 1852 by Colonel Modesto Mendez (then Governor of Petén) and Eusebio Lara before being lost for more than a century.[13] American archaeologist Merle Greene Robertson visited the site in 1970–1971. She recorded its monuments and published a site map.[14] Eric Von Euw and Ian Graham visited Ixtutz in 1972, and published a new map and illustrations of stelae 1–4 together with the fragments of Panel 1.[14] In 1985 archaeologists of the Tikal Project visited the site, carried out limited test excavations, and moved some monument pieces to Dolores.[15] The Atlas Arqueológico de Guatemala has carried out limited excavations at the site since 1987, including the excavation of four structures located on the Main Plaza.[15]
The ruins have suffered only limited damage from looters.[6]
