THE LACANJA VALLEY

Author(s): Giles Greville Healey

Source: Archaeology, Vol. 3, No. 1 (March, 1950), pp. 12-15
Published by: Archaeological Institute of America
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41662344
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 The Miguel Angel Fernandez ruin is an imposing big site of many mounds and plat-

THE
forms, with five standing buildings. It is not far from the point where the old Tzen-
dales trail crosses the San Pedro river. It may have been seen in the 1890*5 by the
mahogany workers Naranjo and Gonzali. These gentlemen made their discovery
known to Maler, who published it "sight unseen." Messrs. Frey and Blom hunted un-
successfully for this ruin in 1943 and 1944. It was shown to me by a Lacandon Indian
in November of 1945.

LACANJA VALLEY
The photograph repro-
duced above shows the
largest and best pre-
served building.

By Giles Greville Healey

The Lacan ja Valley, in Chiapas, Mexico, runs roughly parallel to the Usumacinta river. The cross-country
distance between the Lac an ja river and the Usumacinta can be from three to six mule riding days. I noted
in 1945, and reported, that the Lacan ja river bypasses the Lacan ja lake to the east. Most maps show that
the Lacanja river enters the Lacanja laguna.
The Lacanja Valley seems to have a fairly high ruin density. During my travels through the Lacanja Val-
ley in 1945 , 1946, and 1947, I was shown, by ch icier o s or Lacandon Indians, some twenty-one Maya sites:
a short description of one of them, Oxlahuntun, has already appeared in Archaeology 1 (1948) 129-133.
The Maya frescoes at Bonampak, which I was the first to see, have already been amply published.
The site names given here are in most cases those suggested by the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia of
Mexico. Some confusion has since arisen as several sites have been t(ungratuitouslyn renamed by people who
have followed my footsteps.

12 ARCHAEOLOGY

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With the Lacandon who showed me the Miguel Angel Fernandez ruin we walked for about three hours to
the north. At the foot of the slope and on a hill facing the Lacanja river there are three ruins, the best pre-
served of which is shown in the photographs reproduced above. This building may be the highest in the
Maya area; it rises over 250 feet from the valley floor. The front is of cut stone at a 60-degree slope, though
its back is formed by the hill on which it rests.
I have named this ruin "The Bee" (El Abeja) for the bee which can be seen in fresco on its interior wall,
much like the bee seen in the head-on position in the Tro-Cortesianus codex. Linton Satterthwaite, of the
University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, and I are seeking permission from the Mexican govern-
ment to photograph these frescoes - a difficult undertaking, inasmuch as a thick coating of lime has pre-
cipitated over the frescoes.

In the interior of the Bee ruin

(upper right) a Lacandon In-
dian stands against a wall
whose upper part still shows
traces of fresco paintings. The
black lines on the wall are ant
runs, not cracks in the ma-
sonry. In the foreground are
fragments of God Pots left by
Lacandons who worshiped
here years ago.

The ruin shown on the right

is the Catherwood ruin, of the
Stephens and Catherwood
twin ruin complex, near the
junction of the Rio Cedro and
Rio Lacanja. This ruin, shown
me by a Lacandon Indian,
stands on a low pyramid. The
name is that chosen by the
Mexican Instituto de Antro-
pologia.

Spring 1930 13

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 The Stephens ruin,
which is only a few
hundred yards south
of the Catherwood,
was shown by the
chiclero Rivera to
Bourne and Frey. I
found thirteen stelae
at this site. The
Stephens has been
named the Lacanja
after Maler's La-
canja. This is very
confusing, as the La-
canja is across the
river at the exact
location designated
by Maler. Frey
agreed that it be
called the Stephens
to please the Insti-
tuto.

Stela no. 1 at the

Stephens ruin has a
three initial series
date of 9.8.0.0.0.
Left to right: Giles
G. Healey, Jose
Pepe, Raul Pavon
Abreu of the Cam-
peche Museum, and
Nabor, April 1946.
Jose Pepe and Na-
bor are Lacandon
Indians.

l4 ARCHAEOLOGY

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Above, a building at La Lucha ruin, a day's ride north-
west of the landing field at El Cedro. It was discovered
in 1941, by chicleros working for Don Oscar Franke, and
rediscovered by the chiclero Canul, shown here at the
right. La Lucha is an L-shaped complex of ruins on small
hills, overlooking a large plaza below. Some of
the buildings have truncated altars such as we
found at Bonampak.

Upper right, the interior of ruin building no. 1

at La Lucha. The Gothic effect of this Maya vault
stems from the fact that the left-hand walls have
moved inwards, probably because of the action
of the roots of a large tree that grew on the roof.

Right, the Maudslay ruin, lying west of the west

bank of the Lacanja lake, and two Lacandon In-
dians standing in an entrance. The back wall has
frescoes showing only parts of painted fishes.
The only lintel in place in its doorway is badly
cracked and is undecorated.

Spring 1950 15

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