Students Uncover "The" America's First Pastime

 

Cahal Pech, which literally means “place of ticks,” is a Maya site located in the Cayo district of Belize in the limits of the modern town of San Ignacio.  Cahal Pech, the classic Maya city, covers approximately 10 square miles and its acropolis includes 34 large buildings—the largest stands 24 meters (78 feet) tall.

 

The classic city thrived as an important Maya center until the end of the Classic period, and archaeological evidence indicates that Cahal Pech is one of the earliest Maya settlement sites in Belize.

 

"This summer I felt like I really knew what I was doing more than ever before,” said Mark Breunig, a junior at Davidson Day School.  “It was the first time I had to train other students techniques on the excavation and documentation of a site.”

 

For two weeks, the student research team investigated the central acropolis’ second ballcourt—a site initially investigated by the 2016 research team.  The 2017 research team would have continued working on the site if it were not for Hurricane Earl.  Nevertheless, the 2018 team made up for lost excavation time by exposing three of the four sides of two structures that make up the ballcourt. 

 

“I felt very prepared because I had watched Morgan Scott lead in previous years,” said Breunig. “It was amazing how much we were able to accomplish."

 

Much of the buildings were well preserved and dimensions and form were determined—a major finding for the team.  A number of significant artifacts were discovered including stone tools, ceramics, and human and animal bones.

 

It was exciting to see how daily progress slowly revealed the great buildings that were previously lost to the jungle.  The AFAR project was also able to provide funding for restorers and masons to come and conserve the remains so that future generations will be able to see what we were privileged to uncover. 


(Photos from the trip can be viewed on the Davidson Day Flickr Channel, here)