Listeros,

A team has been excavating deep into the Maya site of Ceibal (Seibal)
in Guatemala for five seasons. They have uncovered 30 construction
episodes. Ceibal reached its height from 150-950 CE as the site grew
with more pyramids and temples. What the team is most interested in is
the Pre-classic at 1000 BCE. They want to know how the Maya came to
centralize their rulership and adapt to the tropical lowlands to
support large populations. The team has found that Ceibal was one of
the most important early Maya sites. It appears the Maya began laying
down polished axes of jade and other valuables before they built
anything substantial at the site. It may have begun as a planned
ritual center from the beginning. The team has dug 3 pits to a depth
of 7-7.5 meters with some setbacks in pit stability over the five
seasons.

The New York Times has a nice article on this ongoing work here with
some nice photos;
http://www.***.com/

A tiny URL;
http://www.***.com/

Mike Ruggeri

Mike Ruggeri's Maya Archaeology News and Links
http://www.***.com/