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The 2012 Season of the Chan Chich Archaeological Project
The greatest hindrance to working at the site is
the appallingly thick vegetation in that part of
the forest, the result of 2010 hurricane damage.
Depending on the scope of the investigations,
days if not weeks of vegetation clearing would
be necessary to adequately assess the site and
map surface artifact scatters. Logistical issues
exist as well, including lodging and labor.
However, the project holds great potential to
inform about not only the San Pedro Maya but
also Colonial commercial enterprises in Belize
during the early twentieth century.
The Prehistoric Ruins of
Kaxil Uinic
Prior to the opening of Chan Chich Lodge in
the late 1980s, there was no controversy over
the ruins of Kaxil Uinic, probably because no
one had even tried to visit them for over 50
years. As noted above, Kaxil Uinic was to be
the focus of excavations for the Third Marshall
Field Archaeological Expedition to British
Honduras under the direction of Thompson
and sponsored by the Field Museum of Natural
History in 1931. How Thompson selected Kaxil
Uinic for study is not entirely clear. The first
mention of ruins near Kaxil Uinic that I have
been able to find is a curious entry by Maler
(1910:150), who reports the following account
from his 1895 expedition through the Peten:
The people of Chúntukil assert that about
the middle of the nineteenth century
the ruins of Tikal were discovered by a
party of hunters from their settlement,
who had penetrated the eastern forests.
Discerning the lofty temples from a
distance they had gone to see what they
were. The people know of no other
ruins except only by hearsay of the socalled
casa cerrada near Kaxilvinic...
or “Man in the mountain,” which is a
well preserved massive structure with
neither entrances nor decoration. Other
Indians have told me of this ruin, but
they said it consisted of two buildings
placed close together, and they called
this site of ruins Polcoh (Cabeza de
Leon).
The next mention of ruins near Kaxil Uinic is in
a 1928 article by Frans Blom (1928:170), who,
in a discussion about ball courts, mentions:
A ball court was found among a large
group of mounds and completely ruined
buildings located a few hours’ ride
southwest or Kashuinik, a small Maya
Indian settlement in British Honduras.
These ruins are situated just over the
border in the Department of Peten, of
Guatemala, and the place has no name.
Thompson referred to Blom’s report (and
apparently got the date wrong, unless he
speaking of a subsequent trip by Blom) in the
memorandum (Memorandum, page 4, FM)
in which he proposed the expedition to Kaxil
Uinic:
Kaxwinik was cursorily visited by
Mr Frans Blom of the department of
Middle American Research, Tulane
University, La. in 1929, but not
examined in detail. The site is not very
large, but was undoubtedly a center
of ceremonial importance, as Mr
Blom reports finding a Ball court of
the type used in the Maya ceremonial
game, as well as two very weathered
stelae. There is a good possibility that
a careful search and clearing of the
forest would reveal fallen sculptured
monuments… However, at Kaxwinik
work would be concentrated more on
the outlying dwelling sites, which,
although somewhat unpretentious, are
more likely to yield good results, for in
these burials are likely to be found.
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