Dr. Katlin Ahern presents "Ancient Maya Defensive Hilltop Structures and the Atalaya"

The July meeting of the Blue Ridge Archeology Group was presented by Dr. Katie Ahern on Ancient Maya Defensive Hilltop Structures.

In 2018 and 2019, Katie Ahern excavated an ancient Mayan watchtower known as an Atalaya (watchtower in Spanish) located in the jungles of northern Guatemala. Watchtowers are defensive structures used by the ancient Maya positioned in strategic locations to provide information to nearby centers. Information from these watchtowers was likely signaled to other sites through the use of mirrors, fire, and smoke and was utilized to warn centers of the direction of raids or attack by enemy warriors. Watchtowers generally refer to small sites that contained no more than a couple of platforms and often lacked walls surrounding the entire complex.

Atalaya is a pyramid located on the highest hill in the region. This pyramid received the name Atalaya because its summit provides an excellent vantage point where an individual can view almost all of the sites in the specific region. Additionally, the Atalaya was positioned in a naturally defensive location, as the hilltop was only accessible along its western side. The remaining three sides were not traversable due to steep slopes. Excavation on the Atalaya occurred during the Holmul Archaeological Project. A total of ten excavations were conducted on this complex and revealed several phases of architecture, a destroyed altar, and a ritual cache containing the remains of a child's skull. Together, this information demonstrated that the Atalaya served a critical role in protecting a nearby Maya city from enemies.

Katie Ahern received her Ph.D. in Anthropology (Archaeology) from the University of Buffalo in 2020. Previously, she received a B.S. in Public Archaeology and Cultural Anthropology from Bridgewater State University, an M.A. in Anthropology (Archaeology) from the University at Buffalo. Katie has over eight years of experience with archaeological survey, testing, data recovery, artifact analysis, and public outreach. She has conducted archaeological excavations in Belize, Guatemala, Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina