Pusilha facts for kids
| Location | Pusilá Abajo, Toledo district,  Belize |
|---|---|
| Region | Toledo district |
| Coordinates | 16°06′16.65″N 89°14′34.42″W / 16.1046250°N 89.2428944°W |
| History | |
| Founded | 570 AD |
| Abandoned | 798 AD |
| Periods | Early Classic to Post Classic |
| Cultures | Maya |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 2001 to Present |
| Archaeologists | Geoffery Braswell and the Pusilha Archaeological Project |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Classic |
| Responsible body: Belize's National Institute of Culture and History | |
Pusilhá is an ancient Maya city located in Belize. It was a very important place for trade during the Late Classic period of the Maya civilization. Goods and ideas moved through Pusilhá, making it a key hub in the region.
Archaeologists have been studying Pusilhá to learn more about how Maya cities, both big and small, interacted with each other. Their discoveries have changed how we understand the relationships between these ancient cities. Research at Pusilhá started in 1927 and is still happening today.
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Where is Pusilhá Located?
The ancient city of Pusilhá is found in the Toledo district of Belize. It is near the modern town of San Benito Poité. The city was built between the Poite and Pusilha rivers, which flow from east to west. This location was likely chosen because of the rivers.
Pusilhá was also well-placed for trade. It was between the Caribbean Sea to the south and the Maya Mountains to the east. This made it a perfect spot for goods and ideas to travel. Things moved from the central Maya lowlands and also from areas like Honduras. Major Maya cities like Caracol, Tikal, and Copan were connected through Pusilhá. This suggests it was a major trading center for the entire lowland region.
How Pusilhá Was Discovered and Explored
The first detailed look at Pusilhá happened in 1927. Archaeologists from the British Museum Expedition to British Honduras, led by Thomas Joyce, explored the site. During this first survey, some of the best-preserved stone monuments, called stelae, were taken from Pusilhá to the British Museum in London.
These stelae had important dates and calendar writings, known as glyphs. These findings were later included in a famous book about Maya inscriptions. Thomas Joyce also studied the ancient pottery found at the site in 1929. For about 70 years after that, not much research was done at Pusilhá.
However, this changed in 2001 when Geoffrey Braswell and the Pusilha Archaeological Project began new research and excavations. Their work has continued to the present day. They have uncovered three main areas in the center of Pusilhá, giving archaeologists much more to study and understand.
The History of Pusilhá
Archaeologists have found clear dates for when people lived in Pusilhá. By studying ancient pottery, they know the site was active during the Late Classic period. A stela found at the site also confirms this time period.
According to Geoffrey Braswell, the current lead archaeologist, one stela (Stela P) shows a date that means the kingdom was founded around 570 AD. This was just before the Late Classic period began. While most findings point to the Late Classic, some evidence from homes outside the city center suggests people might have lived there even earlier, during the Early Classic period. More digging is needed to confirm this for the whole site.
Changes in pottery, burials, and buildings, along with the end of new inscriptions on stelae, show that people continued to live in Pusilhá into the Post Classic period. The last recorded date found at the site is 798 AD.
Pusilhá's Political Power
Early studies suggested that Pusilhá was a "second-tier" city politically. This means it might have been smaller and less powerful than major cities. Pottery found at Pusilhá showed connections to large cities like Copan and Quirigua. It also seemed likely that Pusilhá had ties to Tikal and Caracol as these cities grew strong.
Because Pusilhá was in such a good location for trade, many thought it might have been controlled by one of its larger neighbors. However, new archaeological evidence suggests something different. It seems that Pusilhá managed to stay independent, even with powerful cities around it. This challenges the idea that smaller cities were always taken over by bigger ones.
The Rulers of Pusilhá
Archaeological findings show that Pusilhá was led by a traditional Maya "elite" group, meaning powerful rulers and nobles. We know of eight rulers who were connected to Pusilhá during the Late Classic period. There might have been two more rulers during the Terminal Classic period.
In total, archaeologists have found the names of 39 different people in the hieroglyphic writings at Pusilhá. One interesting discovery involves an individual named K'ahk' Uti' Chan. At first, some thought he might have been a ruler of Copan, another major Maya city. However, further research has shown that K'ahk' Uti' Chan was Ruler B of Pusilhá, and he lived at the same time as Ruler 11 of Copan. They were two different people with different parents, even though they shared a similar name.
Why Pusilhá is Important
Pusilhá is special for a few reasons. It has the only known example of ancient Maya bridge construction that still exists today. The city also provides a great chance to study the quality and number of stelae from a smaller Maya city.
This site helps us understand how the Maya governed themselves in ways that might be different from what we previously thought. It challenges the common idea that larger cities always conquered and absorbed smaller ones. It's important to remember that research and digging at Pusilhá are still in early stages. More work is needed to fully understand Pusilhá's place in the amazing world of the ancient Maya.
