Bejucal is a
Maya archaeological site in the
Petén Department of
Guatemala. It is located 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) northeast of
El Zotz and was subservient to that city.[1] The site is thought to date to the second half of the 4th century AD, in the
Early Classic period.[2]
Location
The site is located within the San Miguel La Palotada
biotope in the
municipality of
San José in the department of Petén in northern Guatemala. The biotope is a part of the
Maya Biosphere Reserve that is bordered on the east by the
Tikal National Park and surrounded on all other sides by designated multiple-use zones of the Reserve.[3] Bejucal is situated 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of the ruins of Tikal.[4]
History
Bejucal was the original capital of the royal dynasty that later ruled El Zotz, apparently transferring their capital to that city.[5]
The
Teotihuacan-linked general
Siyaj K'ak' ("Fire is Born") conquered Bejucal in the 4th century, together with many other sites in
Petén, including the great city of Tikal.[6]
A text at the site mentions Siyaj K'ak' as overlord of Bejucal in AD 381.[7]Stela 1 from Bejucal also indicates that Siyaj K'ak' was overlord of nearby El Zotz.[8] From around this time the kings of Bejucal began to refer to themselves as vassals of Tikal, their giant neighbour, using the y
ajaw phrase meaning subordinate lord.[9]
Inscriptions at Bejucal all fit within a very short 40-year span in the second half of the 4th century, ending about AD 396. The abrupt cessation of inscriptions at Bejucal is possibly the result of the expansion of the Tikal polity.[10]
In the late 1970s
Ian Graham visited Bejucal and recorded two
stelae and a sculpted altar.[11]
Estrada-Belli, Francisco; Jennifer Foley (2004).
"Arqueología e historia de enlaces geo-políticos: El Clásico Temprano en La Sufricaya"(PDF). XVII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2003 (edited by J.P. Laporte, B. Arroyo, H. Escobedo and H. Mejía), pp.843-851. (in Spanish). Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala. Archived from
the original(
PDF online publication) on 2011-09-14. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
Fialko, Vilma (2000).
"Recursos hidráulicos en Tikal y sus periferias"(PDF). XIII Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 1999 (edited by J.P. Laporte, H. Escobedo, B. Arroyo, and A.C. de Suasnávar Mejía), pp.556-565. (in Spanish). Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala. Archived from
the original(
PDF online publication) on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
Hermes, Bernard; Wieslaw Koszkul; Zoila Calderón (2006).
"Los Mayas y la cultura Teotihuacana: Descubrimientos en Nakum, Petén"(PDF). XIX Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2005 (edited by J.P. Laporte, B. Arroyo and H. Mejía) (in Spanish). Guatemala: Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología: 972–989. Archived from
the original(versión digital) on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
Houston, Stephen; Héctor L. Escobedo; Zachary Nelson; Juan Carlos Meléndez; Fabiola Quiroa; Ana Lucía Arroyave and Rafael Cambranes (2007).
"A la sombra de un gigante: Epigrafía y asentamiento de El Zotz, Petén"(PDF). XX Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2006 (edited by J.P. Laporte, B. Arroyo and H. Mejía) (in Spanish). Guatemala: Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología: 395–418. Archived from
the original(versión digital) on 2011-09-14. Retrieved 2010-01-16.