Searching for Bullard’s stela at the ancient Maya center of Tzikin Tzakan
with Markus Eberl
In the 1950s, William Bullard surveyed the northeastern Peten for ancient Maya sites. The settlement pattern that he discovered – and published in a 1960 American Antiquity article – served as the foundation for Central Place-related analyses by Kent Flannery, Joyce Marcus, and Norman Hammond. Among the sites that Bullard visited is a center that is now called Tzikin Tzakan and where Bullard claims to have seen a stela. The site remained unexplored until I started excavations in 2021. Here, I present my search for Bullard’s stela.
Markus Eberl
Professor Markus Eberl an anthropological archaeologist and epigrapher. My research focuses on the subjective experience of life in ancient societies with a particular emphasis on Maya communities. I have conducted archaeological fieldwork in Germany, Israel, Mexico, and Guatemala, and I currently direct archaeological projects at Tamarindito and Tzikin Tzakan, both ancient Maya sites in Guatemala’s tropical lowlands. I work with Maya glyphic inscriptions to approach Classic Maya culture from a holistic perspective. In the laboratory, I specialize in soil and ceramic analysis. Recently, I acquired a dynamic image particle analyzer for my microartifacts lab. I now use machine learning to identify human-made artifacts in my soil samples. My book publications include “Community and Difference: Change in Late Classic Maya Villages of the Petexbatun Region” (2014) and “War Owl Rising” (2017).