ENGLISH TRANSLATION EDITORIAL From page 9
The amazement with which Gustavo Brühl must have discovered, in the late 1880’s, the remains almost totally covered by time, the force of nature, and the coffee plantations of Tak’alik Ab’aj continues to overwhelm us every time we approach the exploration of any aspect of the culture that inhabited the department of Retalhuleu in Guatemala, close to three thousand years ago. The more information we obtain through rigorous research into the artistic, sculptural, and architectural works of this culture, the more our curiosity and admiration are awakened. And so it is, because Tak’alik Ab’aj was just as much a ceremonial center as it was a capital for technological development, reflected in part through its elaborate agricultural instruments and systems. This was a society organized in a complex and functional fashion: hierarchical order existed in terms of an effective commercial and ritualistic system. Societies are ruled by an imaginary mindset, the foundations of which are set in their surroundings and in their particular manner of understanding it. The inhabitants of Tak’alik Ab’aj saw themselves as an extension of nature which surrounded them, and their concept of the universe is a reflection of that belief. They lived in harmony with everything that surrounded them and were grateful for this. Spirituality was central, to such a degree that it was the focus of trade routes. Products that they exchanged or imported were destined mostly for ceremonial purposes such as offerings. Their relationship to the cosmos is reflected in their myths and architecture, guided by the position of the stars. Archaeology opens our eyes to a remote past. Analysis of artifacts provides the possibility to transport ourselves in time, to re-encounter our essence, and to remember that, among the multiplicity of ideas that move us today, there are still these others, foreign to western ideas of consumerism and materialism, bound to the cosmos and nature, self-understanding as forms of spirituality. Today, perhaps more than ever, it is worthwhile to turn our gaze in that direction. It is important to mention that we are able to enjoy this legacy thanks to the generosity of José Luis Ralda who donated part of his property where Tak’alik Ab’aj is located. This gesture is an example to follow regarding preservation and exaltation of the patrimony of mankind.
NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK TAK’ALIK AB’AJ OVER 100 YEARS OF HISTORY Miguel Orrego Corso / From page 12
The history of Tak’alik Ab’aj began in a very special way during pre-Hispanic times. Its history resumed in an exceptional way in modern times. Don Pedro de Alvarado, in his conquest expedition of the K’iche’ kingdom in 1524, passed near Tak’alik Ab’aj, although Mam and K’iche’ people with whom he had contact in the Retalhuleu region did not mention the existence of ruins in that legendary city; therefore, the date of its discovery, or its original name are not known. Existence of Tak’alik Ab’aj must have been known between the 1870’s and 1880’s, the period in which coffee cultivation was introduced with the establishment of coffee agricultural properties throughout Guatemala’s Pacific Ocean bocacosta (the region where the mountains descend to the sea). The first news about the archaeological importance of Tak’alik Ab’aj was reported by Doctor Gustavo Brühl, a German botanist who arrived in Guatemala in 1888 to study the region’s medicinal plants. In 1902, besides an exuberant natural world, Dr. Brühl found multiple monuments sculpted in stone, their edges emerging from the ground. Many of those monuments had been buried by the eruption of Santa María volcano which gave birth to the Santiaguito volcano. Brühl’s news about the sculptural monuments of the site, published in Science Journal in 1888, motivated many travelers and notable archaeologist to visit the site at different times, carrying out their own analysis. Karl Sapper in 1894 briefly described Stele 1 comparing it to the Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa style, while Max Vollmberg sketched and noted other monuments. Motivated by this work, Walter Lehmann in 1925 announced the antiquity of the sculptures and Erick Thompson, the first Maya archaeologist, carried out a systematic study of the site in 1942. In 1950 Tatiana Proskouriakoff ascertained that Tak’alik Ab’aj showed Early Maya style in some stelae and monuments; in 1965 Edwin Shook and Suzanne Miles included the site in their studies about the Guatemala South Coast, and Lee Parsons studied the site in 1972. During those times, the site was known by the names of the agricultural properties sharing the city area: Santa Margarita, San Isidro Piedra Parada, Buenos Aires, San Elías, and Montes Elíseos. In 1965, Suzanne Miles named all those properties as Abaj Takalik which in K’iche’ language means Standing Stone, because of the sculptures found in those positions. The grammatical error in the name was corrected by consensus with K’iche’ language groups and the Academy of Maya Languages to Tak’alik Ab’aj per Ministry Agreement 706-2001, and currently, the park is known with that name. In 1976, with authorization from the Instituto de Antropología e Historia -IDAEH [Institute of Anthropology and History] and from Manuel Ralda Ochoa, owner of the Santa Margarita farm property, the University of California at Berkeley began archaeological research at Tak´alik Ab´aj under the direction of John Graham, Robert Heizer, and Edwin Shook, which was extended until 1981.
Estructura 5, Parque Arqueológico Nacional Tak’alik Ab’aj
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Interest shared by these three scholars regarding the early development of Mesoamerican cultures: archaeology of the South Coast (Shook), Olmeca sculpture (Heizer), as well as Maya sculpture and early hieroglyphic writing (Graham), was the reason they chose this site for their studies. Their work was focused on topographic survey over an extension of 6.5 km2, in which 71 earth mounds were registered sitting on 9 artificial terraces. Excavation works were carried out on various sites, but the main interest was focused on the systematic study of the sculptural monuments distributed throughout the area. The inventory of the reported sculptures totaled 140 (63 monuments, 52 stelae, and 25 altars); presence of Olmeca and Maya style sculpture was confirmed. Currently, the inventory reaches 386 sculptures (247 monuments, 83 stelae, and 56 altars), and continues growing. Some years later, the convenience of creating a new national project of investigation and conservation was presented, which should be focused on the complete study of the site’s diverse cultural aspects, to research the reason Tak’alik Ab’aj has Olmeca style monuments along with Maya style stelae and altars, which is an extraordinary sculptural context, unique in the Mesoamerican area. The new detailed topographic map with level curves every 50 cm, locating 20 additional earth mounds and finding one more terrace in the south section of the site was programed. In 1987, the government of Guatemala established the National Abaj Takalik Project, which, since its beginnings, was integrated by Guatemalan professionals and technical specialists by the Ministry of Culture and Sports through the General Direction of Cultural and Natural Heritage. José Luis Ralda González was fundamental in the Project, donating in 1987, the first fraction of 11 blocks of land covering the south part of the site´s Central Group located inside of Santa Margarita farm/, showing the cultural and historic wealth of this area. This donation was subject to a condition in which the Estate would asphalt the 4 km road between the municipal city of Asintal and the National Archaeological Park Tak’alik Ab’aj, which was accomplished in 1998. That same year this first donation was registered in favor or the Estate of Guatemala. In 2007, a second donation of 11 blocks of land was received from Ruth Rocío Ralda Villa de León, current owner of the farm and daughter of José Luis Ralda. With this donation, the park’s total area reached 22 blocks of land. This is also subject to the construction of the Archaeological Museum El Caracol del Tiempo [The Snail of Time] “José Luis Ralda González;” its design is inspired by the spiral of the land snail, natural to the region. Because of the singular cultural history of the site, in 2001 it was declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation by Ministerial Agreement N°528-2002, and the project was elevated to the category of National Archaeological Park Tak’alik Ab’aj. Since its creation in 1987, the park has been opened to the public bringing about the opportunity to observe the research and conservation works. The park is also open to celebrate ancestral ceremonies. This way the park fulfills the premises of its creation: to be a sacred place, a natural sanctuary, and an archaeological multi-cultural center. The park will be 30 years in 2017. It represents a small section of the ancient city of Tak’alik Ab’aj which is still sheltered under a layer of dense vegetation in the above mentioned farms. Many of them have become private natural reserves or are on their way to that goal, as a perfect framework for this window from which we can catch a glimpse of a great past.