Teotihuacan and the Maya in the «Entrada» of 11 Eb’ (AD 378): New Data from Naachtun, Peten, Guatemala

Abstract

Ever since the middle of the twentieth century, when archaeological remains showed the presence of Teotihuacan features in the Maya area, the understanding of the nature of such features has been the object of a long and vigorous debate. Nearly twenty years ago, David Stuart, following the seminal work of Tatiana Proskouriakoff, suggested on the basis of new readings and interpretations of the epigraphic texts available at the time, that one of the most important episodes of the complex interaction between Teotihuacan and the Maya area adopted the form of a military conquest that took place on 8.17.1.4.12 11 Eb’ 15 Mak (AD 378). The new epigraphic record of monuments from Naachtun, Peten, Guatemala, within the archaeological excavations of the French-Guatemalan Project, offers new data on the characteristics of the «Entrada» of 11 Eb’, corroborating its absolute military nature. It suggests first, the participation of Maya kingdoms alongside Teotihuacan in this important historical event –among them the Suutz’ kingdom (Bat kingdom) established in Naachtun– and second that this event must be considered not as a punctual one but as the culmination of a complex planned process. In this paper, we also detail how this alliance with Teotihuacan and later with Tikal’s new dynasty, boosted the sociopolitical growth of Naachtun.