Holtun

The site was originally named as La Maquina after the nearest village but was renamed as Holtun by Agustín Estrada Monroy, the then director general of the Patrimonio General Cultural y Natural (General Cultural and Natural Heritage). The new name is derived from the local Itza Maya language and means "stone head". The ruins of Holtun are located among a cluster of important Classic Period cities. Tikal is located to the northwest, Yaxha is to the north and Naranjo is in the same direction. Holtun lies in a broken hilly region upon a karst ridge running from northeast to southwest. There are no rivers passing very close to the site due to the local topography, with those watercourses to the south of the city draining toward lake Camalote some to the south. The Mopan and Salsipuedes rivers flow to the east of the lake, and the La Blanca lake is situated further south. The watercourses to the north of the ruins flow northward towards Laguna Yaxhá. ==History==

The site was occupied from the Middle Preclassic period right through to the Late Classic period. Modern history Holtun was officially discovered in February 1994, when the Guatemalan Instituto de Antropología e Historia (IDAEH - "Institute of Anthropology and History") was notified of the looting of a previously unknown site between Flores and Melchor de Mencos. IDAEH investigators are estimated to have arrived at the site between six and eight months after looting had started, during which time the major architecture at the site had been damaged. New archaeological investigations were initiated in 2010 by Brigitte Kovacevich and Michael Callaghan of Southern Methodist University. Research Projects The first official reconnaissance of the site was performed in 1994 by Erick Ponciano and the first map of the site was created. In 1998 and 2001 respectively, two field seasons were performed looking for rescuing information from the previous looting practices. The result was a valuable documentation of the site and its archaeological traits, particularly the masks at the building facades and the Chultuns. The seasons were performed by personnel of Yaxhá project from the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Guatemala, and conducted by Vilma Fialko. In 2010 the first season of Holtun Archaeological Project, with the support of Southern Methodist University, perform the first field season. During this season, personnel of the project did an exhaustive reconnaissance and surveying, creating a new map of the site. During the 2011 season, the project perform test pits in the plazas with the objective of collecting information to understand the ceramic sequence of the site. Also, the excavations pursued to understand the settlement pattern through the study of architectonic modifications in the plazas. The season of 2012 consisted in the analysis of materials collected during the previous season, particularly ceramics, Obsidian and carbon samples for Radiocarbon dating. During the next season in 2014, new test pits were done and the mapping project incorporates new land segments and archaeological traits. During this season, soil samples were taken to understand the chemical composition of the floors at the plazas through X-ray fluorescence analysis. Mapping Holtun has been mapped three times since the first reconnaissance in 1994. The first version of the map was created in 1994 as part of the first approaching to the site. The first survey reported 86 structures which were organized in four groups named with the literals A, B, C and D. The second map was created by the "Proyecto de Sitios Arqueológicos de Petén" (PROSIAPETEN). It was a revision of the original map which resulted in the identification of 115 structures organized in 14 major groups. The third map version was created by the Holtun Archaeological Project, which began the research in 2010. The project have been supported by the Department of Anthropology of Southern Methodist University . The map has been updated over three different mapping season, with the result of more than 200 structures identified and more than 27 chultuns. ==Site description==

The sites consists of about 115 structures distributed largely along a north–south axis according to the local topography, with six architectural groups. The four principal groups are located upon hilltops, with two other groups in dry lower areas not subject to seasonal flooding. The four main groups have been labelled A–D by archaeologists. Structure A-2 is smaller platform standing upon Structure A-1. It measures by high and is decorated with two large masks on its south face, fashioned from stone and stucco. These masks were revealed by an enormous looters' trench and gave rise to the name of the site. Structure A-3 is a mound on the south side of the main platform, it is flanked by structure A-7 and the two together limit access to the platform. Structure A-9 is the largest building standing on Structure A-8. Structures C-2 through to C-5 are part of a compact and formally arranged complex measuring and form a T-shape as seen from above. The complex measures high. Structures D-1, D-2 and D-3, form another small cluster to one side of the causeway. Structure D-2 is on the south side and measures by high. The three buildings enclose a small courtyard except on the east side. Structure D-4 measures by high and is on the north side of the plaza. The first of these is under the stone talud forming the last stage of construction. It was only partially uncovered during excavations and traces of red pigment were found on the plaster. The exposed portion of the mask measures high by thick and is inclined at 60°. The second area of masks was found inside the main looters' tunnel. There are three masks fashioned from limestone blocks and covered with a thick coating of stucco. These masks are angled at 45°. The lowest is a zoomorphic mask with feline features that measures . Immediately above it is another mask measuring . It is an anthropomorphic mask in a good state of preservation with circular eyes, a prominent upper lip, a flattened nose and a downturned mouth. The third mask was destroyed by the looters' excavations and was estimated to have a height of based on remaining stucco fragments. ==Notes==