Fiesta y ritual en el Grupo IV de Palenque

Abstract

The collective ceremonies, whether of a community or family nature, were hierarchical in the societies of the Mayan Lowlands of the Classic period, and were designed within the framework of a wide range of purposes; so its footprint in the archaeological record also presents a high degree of variation. Many of these rituals culminated in the celebration of festivals and meals that, on rare occasions, reveal a similar "archaeological physiognomy" and make it difficult to interpret their nature. In this essay we analyze a ritual deposit excavated behind the J3 Structure of Group IV of Palenque, an elite residential space occupied by one of the most distinguished noble lineages of the city, as well as the collective ingestion of foods and beverages by its officiants and assistants.