Archæological Reconnaissance in Guatemala

Abstract

THE memoir on "Archæological Reconnaissance in Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Peten", as its name implies*ast;, describes a reconnaissance, comprising four expeditions organized by the Carnegie Institution between 1932 and 1938, which did not include any excavation. The region is densely forested and practically uninhabited, but with the aid of the local knowledge of the chicle collectors the expeditions proved it to be rich in Maya remains. These present many interesting features, which are set out in a short summary. This is followed by a description of individual sites, the geographical position of which is given in each case to the nearest 0·1 minute of arc, a wise precaution in an area where clearings vanish in a few seasons. A section on the monuments, with a useful chronological table, follows. In the introduction to this is described a method of taking rubbings, which may well prove useful to workers elsewhere for the recording of carvings in low relief, provided that the proper type of long-fibred Korean paper can still be obtained. The illustrations, comprising a liberal allowance of plans, sections and photographs, are grouped at the end.