Maya Settlement Patterns and Land Use in Buena Vista, Cozumel, México

Selected Areas

Because of our constrains of time to map inside all quadrants, we selected two areas to map systematically and increase our sample of the wall system. These areas were selected based on the presence of different types of walls and different microenvironments.

Two hectares Point 500 East (Area 2)  (See Figure 23.)

The center of this area is located at point 500 East. This area is situated in a zone of hill elevations and intercalate low areas. Eight rejolladas were registered, all of them enclosed in plots with walls of the two types, in addition six huayas were also enclosed in similar plots. Plot area varies from 600 m², the smallest ones, to 1800 m², the largest. Three new variations of the wall types were detected in this area; one a variation of the simple type, formed by two simple lines of dry-laid stones running parallel, separated by a space of one meter on average. This space seems to be used as a walking path. This sub-type resembles the sacbes connecting structures in the central main platform (Figure 24, shown below), however, here it is used to enclose plots.

The two other variations noted were of the complex type. The first was an elevated wall, built with two parallel retention lines of boulders and filled with rubble; it raises 1 meter high on average and is 1.5 to 2 m wide on the top; one of the retention walls is taller than the other, giving shape to a walking space in the top of the elevated area (Figure 25, shown below). The second variation is similar to the previous one, but leaving two walking spaces in the top space, divided by a simple type wall. All different types of walls are presented in an irregular pattern. Not a single plot is delimited by just one type of walls. Two circular mounds and two square basements were reported inside plots, together with two "L" shaped basements only seen in this area.

Four hectares Northeast Quadrant (Area 1) (See Figure 26.)

This area is located in a plain zone with abundant limestone outcrops and huayas. Thirty plots were defined in this area. As in Area 2, not a single type of wall is enclosing each plot, but different types. Thirteen huayas were mapped, all inside walled plots, in addition most of the plots have circular mounds 6 m diameter in average and 0.40-0.70 m high. On the top of one of these mounds, we found a probable burial crypt delimited by stone slabs (Figure 27, shown below). At the center of the area and at the North limit, two circular mounds similar to the others, but with rubble ramps to ground level were registered. Three circular basements were found, probably basements of beekeeping structures; in one of them we found two stone disks.

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