Editing Quiriguá (section)

==History==

===Early history===
[[File:QuiriguaStelaDNorth.jpg|thumb|alt=A tall, narrow monument with the prominent sculpture of a king surrounded by elaborate decoration|Stela D&nbsp;&ndash; North face]]

There is evidence that Quiriguá was occupied as early as the [[Mesoamerican chronology|Late Preclassic]] (400&nbsp;BC&nbsp;&ndash; AD&nbsp;200). Although no structures have been securely dated to this period, a number of Late Preclassic [[Artifact (archaeology)|artifacts]] have been recovered, including 63&nbsp;[[figurine]]s and a [[chert]] blade.<ref name="Loop35"/> Early Classic [[Ceramic art|ceramics]] from Quiriguá are similar to finds at both Copán and [[Chalchuapa]] in [[El Salvador]], while jade hunchback figurines from the same period resemble those found in central Honduras and in the Guatemalan highlands. These early finds demonstrate the participation of Quiriguá in the wider southeastern Maya region from the Late Preclassic onwards.<ref name="Looper 2003, p.38">Looper 2003, p.38.</ref>

A combination of hieroglyphic texts from [[Tikal]], Copán and Quiriguá, together with architectural styles and chemical tests of the bones of the founder of the Copán dynasty all suggest that Quiriguá and Copán were founded by elite colonists from the great city of [[Tikal]] as a part of its expansion into the southeastern border area of the Maya region.<ref>Sharer & Traxler 2006, p.333.</ref><ref>Sharer ''et al.'' 2005, p.196.</ref><ref>Looper 2003, pp.37–38.</ref> The recorded history of Quiriguá starts in 426, in the Early Classic (''c''.&nbsp;200&nbsp;&ndash; ''c''.&nbsp;600); according to [[hieroglyph]]ic [[Maya script|inscriptions]] at other sites, on 5&nbsp;September of that year [[K'inich Yax K'uk' Mo']] was enthroned as king of Copán.<ref>Martin & Grube 2000, p.192.</ref> Just three days later he installed "Tok Casper", the first known king of Quiriguá, upon the throne.<ref name="MG216"/> From this it is evident that right from the beginning of its recorded history Quiriguá was subservient to its southern neighbour, and was founded to bring the lucrative trade route of the Motagua River under the control of Copán and, indirectly, of Tikal.<ref name="MG216"/> During the next few centuries, about which little is known, the ceremonial architecture at Quiriguá was limited to the hilltop Group A and a broad earthen platform on the valley floor.<ref name="MG216"/> It is recorded that a stela, as yet undiscovered, was erected in 455 by Tutuum Yohl K'inich, the second king of Quiriguá.<ref name="MG217">Martin & Grube 2000, p.217.</ref> An early monument records the supervision of a ritual in 480 by the then overlord from Copán, demonstrating Quiriguá's continued status as a vassal of that city. A hieroglyphic text dating to 493 mentions two further kings of Quiriguá, but interruptions in the text make the reading and decipherment of their names particularly difficult.<ref name="MG217"/>

There are close parallels between the 5th-century architecture and monuments of Quiriguá and [[Uaxactun]] in the northern Petén, a site that fell under the domination of Tikal in the late 4th century. The similarities show that Quiriguá remained strongly aligned with the great Tikal alliance network.<ref name="Loop50">Looper 2003, p.50.</ref>

===Hiatus and recovery===
[[File:MUNAE Stela depicting a maya queen trampling a captive.jpg|thumb|upright|Stela from Quiriguá depicting a queen trampling a captive, ca 653, [[Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología|MUNAE]], Guatemala City]]
Quiriguá suffered a hiatus from the turn of the 6th century that lasted through to the middle of the 7th century. This may be linked to the [[Tikal#Tikal hiatus|Tikal hiatus]] of the Middle Classic caused by Tikal's defeat by [[Calakmul]]. There is evidence that Quiriguá suffered an attack by unknown enemies in this period, as demonstrated by the apparently deliberate defacement of Stela U and Monument&nbsp;26, characteristic of damage inflicted by invading warriors. No monuments were erected during this hiatus, which lasted from 495 to 653.<ref name="Loop50"/>

In the 6th or early 7th century a natural disaster caused a devastating flood of the Motagua Valley and buried the surface of the site under a deep layer of [[silt]], completely changing the landscape. Only those buildings that stood above the mud continued in use, including group A, saved by its hilltop location. The earthen platform on the valley floor also continued in use, at least those parts of it that stood above the silt, and it was one of the site's smaller complexes that grew to become the new centre of Quiriguá, as represented by the monuments visible to this day.<ref name="MG217"/>

A revival can be identified by the dedication of the first new monument in a century and a half, raised by the otherwise unknown king, K'awiil Yopaat, in 653. Continued contact with Copán is evident, as well as longer distance contacts, possibly with [[Caracol]] in [[Belize]]. At about the same time major construction work was undertaken in the [[acropolis]], including the building of the site's first [[Mesoamerican ballcourt|ballcourt]].<ref>Looper 2003, pp.50–53.</ref>

===Apogee===
Quiriguá traditionally had been subordinate to its southern neighbour, Copán, and in 724 Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil, king of Copán, installed K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat upon Quiriguá's throne as his vassal.<ref name="Drew241"/><ref name="Loop79"/> As early as 734, however, K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat had shown that he was no longer an obedient subordinate of Copán when he started to refer to himself as ''k'ul [[ajaw|ahaw]]'', holy lord, instead of using the lesser term ''ahaw'', subordinate lord; at the same time he began to use his own Quiriguá [[Maya script#Emblem glyphs|emblem glyph]].<ref name="Drew241">Drew 1999, p.241.</ref> These early assertions of independence can only have been made if Quiriguá had managed to form an external alliance.<ref name="Drew241"/>

[[File:Quirigua Stela C.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=A stela with the prominent sculpture of a king surrounded by elaborate decoration. The monument is covered by a thatched roof supported on wooden poles.|Stela C, south face, representing K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat<ref>Looper 2003, pp.158, 184.</ref>]]

Indeed, this local act of rebellion appears to have been part of the larger struggle between the two Maya "superpowers", the great cities of Tikal and Calakmul. In 736, only two years later, K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat received a visit from Wamaw K'awiil, the high king of distant Calakmul, while Copán was one of Tikal's oldest allies. The timing of this visit by the king of Calakmul is highly significant, falling between the accession of K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat to the throne of Quiriguá as a vassal of Copán and the outright rebellion that was to follow. This strongly suggests that Calakmul sponsored Quiriguá's rebellion in order to weaken Tikal and to gain access to the rich trade route of the Motagua Valley.<ref name="Loop79">Looper 2003, p.79.</ref><ref name="Sharer482"/> It is likely that contact with Calakmul had been initiated soon after K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat acceded to the throne, since Quiriguá experienced rapid growth soon after, suggesting that Quiriguá already was receiving external support.<ref name="Loop79"/>

In 738 the interlinked fortunes of Quiriguá and Copán took a stunning change of direction when K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat, reigning lord of Quiriguá, captured the powerful, but elderly 13th king of Copán, Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil,<ref name="Web300">Webster 2002, p.300.</ref> who had installed him on his throne in 725.<ref name="Drew240"/> This coup does not seem to have affected either Copán or Quiriguá physically, there is no evidence that either city was attacked at this time and the victor seems not to have received any detectable tribute.<ref name="Drew 1999, p.286">Drew 1999, p.286.</ref><ref name="Loop78"/> Quiriguá seems rather to have gained its independence and the control of important trade routes.<ref name="Drew 1999, p.286"/> An inscription at Quiriguá, although difficult to interpret, suggests that the capture took place on 27 April 738, when Quiriguá seized and burned the wooden images of Copán's patron [[deity|deities]].<ref name="Loop78"/> All of this seems to imply that K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat managed to somehow ambush Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil, rather than to have defeated him in outright battle. In the Classic Period the statues of [[List of Maya gods and supernatural beings|Maya deities]] often were carried into battle on [[Litter (vehicle)|palanquins]], facilitating their capture in the event of defeat. It has been suggested that the king of Copán was attempting to attack another site in order to secure captives for [[Sacrifice in Maya culture|sacrifice]], and was ambushed by K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat and his Quiriguá warriors.<ref name="Loop78">Looper 2003, p.78.</ref>

The captured lord was taken back to Quiriguá and on 3 May 738 he was decapitated in a public ritual.<ref name="Miller1345"/><ref name="Loop76"/> The sacrificial offering of the blood of such a powerful overlord greatly enhanced the standing of Quiriguá and its royal family throughout the region and it proclaimed Quiriguá as the new capital of the south-eastern Maya region.<ref name="Drew241"/><ref name="Loop76">Looper 2003, p.76.</ref> After this, Quiriguá engaged in a major monument-building programme, closely mimicking the sculptural style of Copán, possibly using captured Copán sculptors to carry out the work.<ref name="Miller1345">Miller 1999, pp.134&ndash;35.</ref> The population of Quiriguá and of other sites in the valley rapidly increased after the events of 738, although Quiriguá was always a small centre and its total population probably never exceeded 2,000.<ref>Martin & Grube 2000, p.219. Sharer & Traxler 2006, p.688.</ref>

[[File:Quirigua Altar M.jpg|thumb|alt=Stone sculpture shaped like the head of an animal looking to the left|Altar M, dating to 734. It has been identified variously as feline, a crocodile, and a snake. It may be a three-dimensional representation of a rare [[wikt:toponym|toponymic]] glyph.<ref>Looper 2003, pp.58–61.</ref>]]

In the Late Classic (''c''. 600&nbsp;&ndash; ''c''. 900), alliance with Calakmul frequently was associated with the promise of military support. The fact that Copán, a much more powerful city than Quiriguá, failed to retaliate against its former vassal implies that it feared the military intervention of Calakmul. Calakmul itself was far enough away from Quiriguá that K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat was not afraid of falling directly under its power as a full vassal state, even though it is likely that Calakmul sent warriors to help in the defeat of Copán. The alliance instead seems to have been one of mutual advantage, Calakmul managed to weaken a powerful ally of Tikal while Quiriguá gained its independence.<ref>Looper 1999, p.271.</ref><ref>Looper 2003, p.81.</ref>

In 718, the city of Xkuy&nbsp;– an as yet undiscovered site&nbsp;– was attacked and burned by Copán under the leadership of king Uaxaclajuun Ub'aah K'awiil. After the king of Copán was sacrificed in 738, Xkuy seems to have become a loyal vassal of Quiriguá and in 762 K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat supervised the accession of "Sunraiser Jaguar" to the subservient city's throne.<ref>Martin & Grube 2000, pp.203, 221.</ref>

K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat, who had so dramatically changed the destiny of his city, died on 27&nbsp;July 785. [[Zoomorph]]&nbsp;G is his memorial stone and it describes how he was buried 10&nbsp;days later in the ''13&nbsp;Kawak House'', a building that has not been identified. The great king was succeeded by "Sky Xul", a king whose name has not been properly identified. "Sky&nbsp;Xul" became the reigning lord of Quiriguá 78&nbsp;days after the death of K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat, who is thought to have been his father.<ref name="Sharer494">Sharer & Traxler 2006, p.494</ref> His reign lasted from 10 to 15&nbsp;years and was a period of continued activity. In most of the Maya region cities already were suffering terminal decline, engulfed by the [[Classic Maya collapse]], but in Quiriguá "Sky&nbsp;Xul" dedicated three great zoomorph sculptures and two [[altar]]s, considered marvels of Maya stoneworking. "Sky&nbsp;Xul" died some time between 795 and 800.<ref>Martin & Grube 2000, pp.222&ndash;24.</ref>

===Decline and collapse===
Little is known of "Jade Sky", who succeeded "Sky Xul" and was the last recorded ruler of Quiriguá. The city's power already was waning, as evidenced by the two stunted stelae erected during his reign, which indicate that the kingdom no longer had access to the kind of resources needed to produce monuments of a similar quality to those of his predecessors. "Jade&nbsp;Sky" did build two of the largest structures in the acropolis, however.<ref name="MG224">Martin & Grube 2000, p.224.</ref>

[[File:Stela H east.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Eroded and unreadable hieroglyphs forming a diagonal interlace pattern|The badly eroded east face of Stela H.<ref>Looper 2003, p.93</ref>]]

Quiriguá apparently retained its independence from Copán and continued to flourish until the beginning of the 9th century.<ref name="Drew242"/> Relations between the two cities had improved somewhat by 810, when king [[Yax Pasaj Chan Yopaat]] of Copán visited Quiriguá in order to carry out a ''[[katun (Maya calendar)|k'atun]]''-ending ritual.<ref>Webster 2002, p.303.</ref><ref>Sharer & Traxler 2006, p.483.</ref> However, 810 was also the year when the last hieroglyphic texts were raised at Quiriguá, although a reduced level of construction continued in the city centre.<ref>Demarest ''et al.'' 2005, p.556.</ref> After this, Quiriguá falls into silence, engulfed by the greater phenomenon of the [[Classic Maya collapse]]&nbsp;– it had lost its reason for existence when trade no longer flowed along the Motagua;<ref>Sharer & Traxler 2006, p.527.</ref> within a few years Quiriguá was all but deserted and sites throughout the Motagua Valley suffered severe decline or abandonment.<ref name="MG225">Martin & Grube 2000, p.225.</ref>

===Postclassic===
In the early [[Postclassic]] Period (''c''. 900 &ndash; ''c''. 1200), Quiriguá was occupied by peoples closely linked to the Caribbean coastal areas of the [[Yucatán Peninsula]] and [[Belize]], perhaps due to [[Chontal Maya people|Chontal]] Maya control of a trade network that included the Yucatán coast and the Motagua Valley.<ref>Sharer 2000, p.488.</ref> During their brief reoccupation of the site they made substantial additions to the acropolis complex. Finds associated with their occupation include a reclining [[chacmool]] sculpture and ceramics from the east coast of Yucatán,<ref name="MG225"/> artifacts that demonstrate a close link with the distant city of [[Chichen Itza]].<ref>Sharer & Traxler 2006, p.579.</ref> Some [[copper]] bells and ornaments were recovered from Quiriguá, they are among the earliest finds of [[Metallurgy in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica|metal artifacts]] in the Maya area. They have been dated to either the Terminal Classic (''c''.&nbsp;800&nbsp;&ndash; ''c''.&nbsp;950) or the Early Postclassic.<ref>Sharer & Traxler 2006, p.576.</ref>

===Modern history===
[[File:QuriguaBlockBMaudslay.jpg|thumb|alt=A man standing beside a large sculptured boulder|Zoomorph B&nbsp;– ''photo by Maudslay'']]

The first European visitor to publish an account of Quiriguá was English architect and artist [[Frederick Catherwood]], who reached the ruins in 1840. The previous landowner, by the surname of Payés, had related the existence of the ruins to his sons and to Carlos Meiney, a [[Jamaica]]n Englishman resident in Guatemala. The elder Payés had recently died and passed the land to his sons and, since neither Meiney nor Payés' sons had visited the land containing the ruins, they invited [[John Lloyd Stephens]] and Catherwood to join them on their first trip to the site. Stephens had other duties to attend to, but Catherwood was able to accompany the Payés brothers to Quiriguá.<ref name="Kelly243">Kelly 1996, p.243.</ref> Due to adverse conditions he was only able to stay a short time at the ruins, but made drawings of two of the stelae, which were published with a short account of Catherwood's visit in John Lloyd Stephens's book ''Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan'' in 1841. Quiriguá was the first site that Stephens and Catherwood could claim to have discovered themselves.<ref>Drew 1999, p.65.</ref> A longer account of the ruins was made in 1854 by Karl Scherzer.

Explorer and archaeologist [[Alfred Maudslay]] visited Quiriguá for three days in 1881; they were the first [[pre-Columbian]] ruins that he saw and they were sufficiently impressive to inspire him to take up a permanent interest in Central American archaeology.<ref name="Kelly243"/> He was able to return on three further occasions, the last being in 1894, and he made the first efforts to clear the monuments before recording them. He carried out a very thorough examination and made a photographic record of all visible monuments, carried out some minor [[Excavation (archaeology)|excavations]], made paper and plaster [[Molding (process)|molds]] of the hieroglyphic inscriptions and surveyed the principal sculptures;<ref name="Kelly243"/><ref>Drew 1999, p.89.</ref> these molds were then shipped to the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]], with casts being transferred to the [[British Museum]].<ref>Trustees of the British Museum, n.d.</ref>

In 1910, the [[United Fruit Company]] bought Quiriguá and all the land for a great distance around the site for [[banana]] production; they set aside {{convert|75|acre}} around the ceremonial centre as an archaeological park, leaving an island of jungle among the plantations.<ref name="Kelly244">Kelly 1996, p.244.</ref> More archaeological work was carried out from 1910 to 1914 by [[Edgar Lee Hewett]] and [[Sylvanus Morley]] for the [[School of American Archaeology]] in Santa&nbsp;Fe.<ref name="Sharer352"/><ref name="Kelly244"/>  Duplicates of the stelae of Quiriguá made from Hewett's plaster casts of the originals were exhibited at the [[Panama–California Exposition]] in [[San Diego, California]], in 1915.<ref name="Kelly244"/> The casts are still on display at the San Diego [[Museum of Us]] in their "Maya: Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth" exhibition.<ref>San Diego Museum of Man n.d. (a). San Diego Museum of Man n.d. (b).</ref> The [[Carnegie Institution]] conducted several intermittent projects at Quiriguá from 1915 through 1934.<ref name="Kelly244"/>  [[Aldous Huxley]], writing after visiting the site in the early 1930s, noted that Quiriguá's stelae commemorated "man's triumph over time and matter and the triumph of time and matter over man."<ref>Huxley 1934, 1950, p.42.</ref> Quiriguá was among the first Maya archaeological sites to be studied intensively, although little restoration was carried out and the ruins once again became overgrown with jungle.<ref name="Kelly244"/>

Quiriguá was declared a National Monument in 1970 under Ministerial Accord 1210, this was followed on 19&nbsp;June 1974 by its declaration as an Archaeological Park under Governmental Accord 35-74.<ref name="Torres">Torres.</ref>

From 1974 through 1979, an extensive archaeological project was conducted at Quiriguá sponsored by the [[University of Pennsylvania]], the [[National Geographic Society]], and the Guatemalan [[Instituto de Antropología e Historia]]. Directed by [[Robert Sharer]] and [[William R. Coe (archaeologist)|William R. Coe]], the project excavated the acropolis, cleaned the monuments, and studied outlying groups.<ref name="Sharer352">Sharer & Traxler 2006, p.352.</ref><ref name="Kelly244"/><ref name="MG215">Martin & Grube 2000, p.215.</ref> It was declared a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] in 1981, and in 1999 UNESCO approved one-off funding of US$27,248 for "emergency assistance for the rehabilitation of the archaeological site of Quiriguá".<ref>UNESCO World Heritage Centre.</ref> One of the site's stelae is depicted on the Guatemalan [[Guatemalan quetzal#Coins|10 centavo coin]].<ref>Banco de Guatemala.</ref>

The {{convert|34|ha|acre|adj=on}} area included within the Archaeological Park of Quiriguá has been developed for tourism with the construction of a car park, site museum, and sanitation facilities and is open to the public on a daily basis.<ref name="Torres"/>