It is HOT this evening; rain and lightning moved through the area, but left us dry.  Hopefully it will cool off some before morning.

This season we are focusing on excavations in two groups just a short distance southeast of the site epicenter on either side of the Pajaro-Ramonal Causeway. Our hope is to gain more information on the variability among household plazuela groups at the site.  We are calling these groups “Culebras” and “Palmitas” because of the snakes and palm trees that were found in each of these groups during the initial clearing of jungle growth.

In just over a week, we have removed the humus from most of the excavations.  Lines of stone, walls, and stairs are present in all of the structures. A cache was also recovered from the Culebras Group.  The lab tables are already filling up with pottery sherds and artifacts that need to be processed. Everyone is in the lab washing this evening to try to make a dent in the processing – and to figure out the latest occupations of the structures.

Elyse and I are away from site this week.  I spent my time at the university.  She competed at the Seminole County Science Fair, getting first place in the junior division of social and behavioral sciences for her project on ancient Maya dental health and hygiene.

On our first day back, a finger bowl cache and the capstones for a crypt have been found in Palmitas.  Tomorrow should be a busy day!