Uso público, uso privado y mitos asociados a las calzadas y sacbeob de El Mirador
Résumé
"The Mirador Basin is notable for its extensive network of inter-regional and intra-site causeways. Re-cent archaeological investigations and environmental studies conducted by the Mirador Basin project have brought to light new evidence that suggests practical, multi-functional aspects of the system such as its social importance and ceremonial functions. This paper considers how the ancient inhabitants of El Mirador, the principal city of the Basin, utilized the inter-site and intra-site causeways for commerce, communication, transport, military movements, and regional political control. The function of hydraulic control consisted in the ability to impound and regulate rainwater on a regional level across seasonal wetlands known locally as bajos, as well as the probable diversion and control of water for agricultural uses. Infrastructure projects and construction on a grand scale, which included inter-site and intra-site causeways, served to regulate and restrict access of citizens and elites within their new built-environment. Monuments, altar-stela complexes, and decorative art associated with the causeways suggests their past use for public rituals as well as private events of commemorative nature related to the history of creation known as the Popul Vuh." (source éditeur)
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