2011 Blogs & Photos

Week 7 (March 14 – March 19) (Read the entire post)

This week was spent finishing all the cataloguing, drawing, and photography that goes into a successful filed season.  By Wednesday, all of the necessary artifacts were boxed and documented for transport to the Institute of Archaeology. The beginning of the week was also spent on tasks other th...

Week 6 (March 7 – March 13) (Read the entire post)

The week opened first with a Baron Bliss celebration and then with a nasty storm that blew over a series of trees throughout epicentral Caracol.  One fell over and through one of the stabilizer’s huts near the site museum; another large branch took out part of the men’s outhouse. In spite o...

Week 5 (February 28 – March 6) (Read the entire post)

This week saw the conclusion of excavation in three groups, most being completed on either Friday or Saturday.  Both Structures F34 and F35 in Alta Vista were taken down to bedrock – located almost 5 meters below the surface in Structure F35.  Chalpat saw the two of its three buildings complete...

Week 4 (February 21-27) (Read the entire post)

Excavation continued in the residential groups named Ramon, Chalpat, and Alta Vista.
In Alta Vista, the trenches in the southern (Structure F34) and western (Structure F35) structures continued deeper through earlier architecture. In Chalpat, excavations continued on ...

Week 3 (February 14-20) (Read the entire post)

            This was a full-week of excavation with no rain or interruptions.               In Baja Vista, Operation C184G, the excavation through the smaller eastern building was completed.  Bedrock was exposed for the entire length of the trench.  Although some archit...

Week 2 (February 7-13) (Read the entire post)

 Excavations continued in full force this week, being interrupted only on Saturday by rain.             In Alta Vista, the plaza excavation in front of Structure F35 was cleared down to bedrock.  At the summit of Structure F35, two floors were found barely below ground surface and e...

Week 1 (Jan 31 – Feb 6, 2011) (Read the entire post)

Excavation for the 27th field season of the Caracol Archaeological Project started on Monday, January 31.  Camp was opened the weekend of January 21 by 6 men.  Four ladies came in on Tuesday, January 25 and 6 senior staff were on site on Saturday, January 29.  Five more men arrived on...