Santander, February 19th-22nd 2008 - Aranzadi

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HORTENSIA DE VEGA, EMILIANO R. MELGAR, M. DE LOURDES GALLARDO
Figure 1. Localization of Oxtankah.
2. THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH AT
OXTANKAH AND THE BURIAL CHAMBERS
Oxtankah and its surroundings had been
investigated since 1996. Through Hortensia de
Vega’s project “Research and conservation Project
of the site of Oxtankah, Quintana Roo” she reported
more than 70 structures around ten plazas and
two patios, two subterranean chambers, three
chultunes, two aguadas, one cenote, and one well
(fig. 2). After the analysis of the information obtained
by her project, we could know that the Mayan
people inhabited this area from Middle Preclassic
(600-300 BC) to Terminal Classic (AD 800-110),
and they reached their maximum social development
in the Early Classic period (AD 200-600).
They obtained political power and economical
importance because they controlled the shorelines
and diversified their activities (exploitation of marine
resources, agriculture, hunting, gathering, salt
production, and apiculture). Also, they employed
their surplus for commercial purposes and acquiring
exotic goods by sea and terrestrial trade.
It is interesting that the seven burial chambers
of the site were found only in two structures, two
inside the Structure I at Plaza de las Abejas and
five inside Structure VI at Plaza de las Columnas,
both structures at the same eastern part of their
plazas. The latter also had two stone boxes with
human remains under the stairs of the temple at
the top of this building, but the Tomb 1 is the most
remarkable burial chamber with eight human
remains and offerings of the site (fig. 3).
Unfortunately, the upper layers of the chamber
were looted in pre-Hispanic times and some stones
of the roof fell over one of the burials (an adult
male accompanied with a child) that has a shell
garment with more than 1600 pieces near his
chest, displacing some of them inside the chamber.
To recover this huge amount of objects, we
divided them in groups, labeling each one with
numbers, and registering from which area or part
of the body they came: centre over the chest, right
or left over the shoulder, etc.
Figure 2. The archaeological site of Oxtankah.
3. DESCRIPTION OF THE ELEMENTS: TYPOLOGY
AND TAXONOMY
The first phase of the investigation was the
taxonomic and the typological classification.
The taxonomical identification was based on
the malacological manuals of Abbott (1982) for the
Caribbean and Vokes and Vokes (1983) for the
Yucatan Peninsula.
The typology consisted in the complete systematization
of every single shell piece observing
MUNIBE Suplemento - Gehigarria 31, 2010
S.C. Aranzadi. Z.E. Donostia/San Sebastián