User:Martinezwhite/Moxviquil

Moxviquil is a Mayan archeological site in the highlands of the Chiapas near the tourist town of San Cristóbal de las Casas. The site was a small Mayan city which acted as an administrative and economic center. This site was first excavated by Frans Blom and Clarence Weiant during the 1950s; most of the information known about Moxviquil comes from their excavation. The site includes a main city as well as burial caves near the main site. Moxviquil is accessible via trails starting at the Orquídeas Moxviquil Botanical Garden. Materials from the 1950s excavations can be seen at Casa Na Bolom.

History
Moxviquil is located in the Jovel Valley in the Chiapa highlands. The city was occupied during both the Late Classic (600-900 CE) and the Early Postclassic (900-1250 CE). In pre-Hispanic settlement, the Jovel Valley served as a crossroads for different Indigenous groups in highland Chiapas because of its central location and large size. This made the valley a strategic location for settlement. Moxviquil and its monumental center served a range of different urban functions for the surrounding area. Items found at Moxviquil such as an hacha, yugo, incense burners and an ocarina suggest citizens of Moxviquil participated in highland-coastal exchange networks with other Maya and non-Maya groups. The traditional language of the area is that of the Tzotzil Maya.

Excavation
The most notable excavation of the site was performed over two seasons from 1952 to 1953 by Blom and Weiant. The exploration covered a variety of caves in the Chiapas region, with Moxviquil being one of them. Data regarding Moxviquil comes primarily from these excavations though the results were never published in full. Despite never being published, the results of the Moxviquil Blom and Weiant excavation have been vital to the anthropological understanding of the site. The excavation of Moxviquil was reflective of the popular explorer perspective that many archaeologists approached sites with. Researchers did not fully analyze all artifacts, and did not record all structures instead focusing on the most elaborate structures. In addition to the damage incurred from antiquated excavation methods, damage from years of looting, logging and erosion made further research at certain Moxviquil sites difficult. However, as of 2009, archaeologist Dr. Elizabeth H. Paris has led a series of archaeological research projects entitled the Proyecto Económico de Los Altos de Chiapas that have explored Moxviquil in more depth.

Architecture
The monumental center of Moxviquil was built during the Late Classic period (600 to 900 CE). According to studies at the site, the monumental center could be separated into three sections. At the apex of the hill was the Upper Plaza; the residential areas were located atop artificial terraces dotted across the hillside; finally, at the base of the hillside to the North was the public monumental zone. The Upper Plaza served as a residential zone for the local ruling family, and consisted of the plaza itself, and four structures situated around a courtyard. The terraces housed the rest of the residents who lived in limestone homes. The public monumental center to the north included buildings and structures for purposes of public and religious function including an I-shaped ball court, a main plaza and three temples.

Religion
Ceramics found at Moxviquil sites depict motifs and scenes that suggest worship of the Mayan god, God N. God N was of particular importance to those in the highland Chiapas region as they represented the mountains and caves that populate the area. Caves play an important role in various Mayan sects, and the same goes for the Tzotzil Maya of Moxviquil. For the people of Moxviquil, caves represented a connection between the visible world and the underworld. A variety of ancestral gods are said to dwell within the caves, and they were believed to be remote ancestors of those still living. Funerary caves found at Moxviquil reflect a trend in the Maya towards communal burial practices as the remains found consisted of people from different ages and sexes, though there was still some separation in burials for those with different social status. Staying close to ancestors was important to Tzotzil Maya, so cave burial served as a method to keep the dead close, both physically and conceptually as caves represented portals between the world of the living and the world of the dead.

Geography
The center of Moxviquil lies on top of a hill near the modern city of San Cristobal de las Casas. It is at one of the highest points in the Central Plateau of the Jovel Valley at an altitude of 2,140 m above sea level. Karstic hills and ridges interwoven with volcanic domes border the Jovel Valley on most of its sides. The rugged, high mountains and small to medium valleys of the highland area have made it locally called tierra fria. Due to the high elevations of the Jovel Valley, the climate is quite brisk year round. Daytime temperatures range from 20-27 degrees celsius; night time temperatures range from 10 to 15 degrees celsius while occasionally dropping below freezing during December and January.