While Bill, Katia, and Jordan work their way down through a layer of artifacts and dirt, Jessica, Jason, and Miranda have encountered a dense layer of HUGE tumbled cobbles (some nearly 1m in length).
As these buildings decay over time, their biodegradable walls and roofs burn or fall apart (which we sometimes find in the archaeological record as chunks of burned wattle-and-daub), their cobble platforms begin to erode and the cobbles tumble down the sides of the buildings. The fill materials (earth, garbage, etc.) contained inside the cobble platforms can then escape, cascading as a layer of dirt and artifacts over the fallen cobbles. Soil is deposited on top of these abandoned structures over time and vegetation sprouts. As we excavate down into the remains of a building, we are digging back through time and documenting this process of decay and collapse (before getting to the good stuff preserved beneath it).
Today we finally managed to dig all of the big tumble out of the excavation unit on Structure 1 (no small feat!).
Our work in the field has gone incredibly well this week. Both excavations have proceeded down through the upper layers of building decay (which as been accumulating on these structures for nearly 1,000 years). Now we are reaching deeper layers that are better preserved. Some of the pottery we are pulling out is less eroded and larger. We're excited to get back to work on Monday and see what turns up. Some of us are hoping for a plaza surface, others for some evidence of a terrace or steps, others still for a blood-covered sacrificial altar....(kidding about that last one...).
One thing that has been very unusual this year is how dry and hot it has been. The temperatures are easily reaching up to 90 or higher during the day and there is dust and sun-baked earth everywhere. While this makes it easier to dry laundry and excavate, it is bad news for the farmers in the valley. By this time of year they expect enough rain to nurture their baby corn plants and help flood their rice fields.
This afternoon, though, we finally got a little rain.
The skies turned dark and it poured for about 15 minutes. Unfortunately, this probably wasn't enough to do much good in the fields. It did, however, stir up a colony of ants who decided they should carry their queen's eggs into our kitchen. Sadly for them, they met a mortal fate in the form of a can of Raid. Who ever said it wasn't a dog-eat-dog world? Not us.
Since its Friday, we have some exciting plans for the evening: a class on the archaeology of Southeastern Mesoamerica (P&E: we are having them read your 1994 article on the Naco valley). Good times all around ;)
Tomorrow, though, we are taking a field trip to the town of Comayagua....stay tuned for more updates on our adventures in what was once Honduras' colonial capital.
Abrazos!
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