Founding Landscapes in the Central Karstic Uplands

Abstract

In order to fully understand E Groups, they must be considered within the broader landscapes of the Preclassic (1000 BCE-CE 250). At Yaxnohcah, the E Group lies in the center of a vast dispersed settlement comprised of voluminous platforms. Recent excavations have revealed that the earliest manifestations of three of these platforms were likely built at the same time as the earliest E Group platform, during the early Middle Preclassic (1000–350 BCE). Moreover, the three platforms are arranged in an evocative triadic formation. During the later Middle Preclassic and again during the Late Preclassic (300 BCE–250 CE), the site was enlarged and the architecture amplified and elaborated, with a focus on triadic arrangements and ballcourts. Significantly, however, the E Group complex maintained its centrality in the overall site plan throughout the development of the civic core. Therefore, this chapter considers the corpus of architectural forms at Yaxnohcah. These architectural constructs, the E Group, the Triadic Group, the ballcourt, and sacbes are essential elements of the founding landscape and work in concert to embody the evolving cosmological and social worldview of the lowlands Maya during the Preclassic.

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