Mirador Park. "The Great Acropolis & Structure 313 of El Mirador"

The Great Central Acropolis at El Mirador is one of many examples of colossal architectural complexes and was the city's center. Due to its location, dimension and complexity it clearly reflects the economic, socio-political and religious power of El Mirador's governing elite.

The Great Central Acropolis is composed of 15 large structures and countless smaller structures distributed along the 85,000 mts2 on which the architectonic ensemble lays. One of the most important structures is a building identified with number 313 (according to Graham in 1967). The building extends horizontally and was built at the center of a plaza on a sustaining platform. Structure 313 is located in the southwest corner of the Great Central Acropolis, approximately 50 meters Southeast of the massive Tigre Complex.

Structure 313 shares the plaza with two more buildings of smaller dimensions (Structures 314 and 315), each one facing the other and flanking the main building. The three buildings together form what Maya archaeologists have called the triadic pattern, which is representative of Late Pre Classic architecture in the Maya lowlands (See aslo Danta Complex, Structure 34 and El Tigre Pyramid).

It may be worth mentioning too that Dr. Ray Matheny (1986) also investigated a habitational complex in the Great Central Acropolis he thought was the elite's residential compound, which dates back to the Late Pre Classic Period. The Great Central Acropolis and Structure 313, as well as Structures 314 and 315 were first investigated in 1982, when Washington's Catholic University and Brigham Young Universtity began with the first archaeological excavations proper at these structures.

Stairway on Structure 313 with original stucco covering dated from the Late Pre Classic Period. El Mirador, Jul. 2008.

During that field season they documented 4 operations that took place in Structure 313 which revealed -half way to the top chamber- 13 steps that make up the central staircase facing north.

At the same time another excavation in the West lateral structure of the Triadic Complex took place, but only a minimum portion of its architecture was exposed. Based on the ceramic materials found at this excavation, it was possible to date this structure to the Late Pre Classic period. The resuslts of these excavations also indicated that the Great Central Acropolis and Structure 313 were both built during the same time period during which the Tigre Complex was built, a result that was also proven by the analysis of charcoal samples.

Apart from Late Pre Classic ceramic materials scientists also collected other materials from the surface dated to the protoclassic and Early Classic periods, which indicate this building was not permanently used as a residence but that there was a rather sporadic presence of dwellers at Structure 313. Until now, archaeologists have not been able to identify any structural remodeling of the Pre Classic structures, which indicates that the older structures were reused by the Pre Classic Maya's decendants during the Proto Classic and Early Classic periods. (See also La Danta).

Massive roots hid this building for thousands of years until 2005, when its excavation and restoration began, revealing 5 different construction phases. El Mirador, Jul. 2008.

Since the 2005 field season The Mirador Basin Project has focused on the archaeological research at Structure 313 again.

Beatriz Balcárcel has been responsilbe for carrying out many new operations and dug a test pit in the plaza wtih the objective of widening our understanding of Structure 313's architectural design and the structural modifications carried out on the building by the Maya.

"It's a triadic complex that has a central building and two more on both sides, each facing the other. Something very important about this building is having unveiled a whole architectonic sequence," we were told by Beatriz Balcarcel of the Mirador Basin Archaeological Project, who is in charge of the excavations at Structure 313.

"It may be compared to discovering the construction history of the building. Up until now the whole building dates to the Late Pre Classic," she said.

She indicates that there is also evidence of Early Classic and protoclassic occupation, which is the period after the Late Pre Classic and right before the Early Classic, "but," she expressed, "there is no major remodeling of the buildings.

"The excavations at the structure were complemented by conservation and consolidation work carried out by the project's team of conservation specialists, dedicated to the protection and conservation of the original stucco found on walls, benches, stairways and masks as well as on any art found on the buildings.

Descubrir 5 estadíos constructivos en la Estructura 313 de El Mirador, en la Gran Acrópolis, conllevó un arduo trabajo acarreando pesadas cargas de tierra y haciendo un trabajo de fina restauración un día de calor tras otro. En El Mirador se trabaja con cuidado de no alterar la naturaleza alrededor de las estructuras. Las excavaciones conservan también el entorno natural para que permanezca intacto. (Find the English transaltion to this text in the General Information section) El Mirador, Jul. 2008.