Actuncan was an ancient Mayan urban center located in the Mopan River valley in Western Belize near the present-day Guatemalan border.
During its approximate 2000 year occupation history, Actuncan, along with surrounding Mayan sites, experienced a large change in political power during the Terminal Classic period.
[3] The original Late Preclassic village was buried when the site came under the rule of divine leadership in order to construct the monumental architecture studied today.
This large project reflects the first shift of political power at Actuncan, as it likely required the authority to convince and persuade residents to allow it, and bring in workers from surrounding areas in the river valley to build the monumental structures, since Actuncan appeared to have a relatively low number of residents.
This massive construction project allowed the rulers to structure the site's urban plan in a way that emphasized Mayan spiritual, cosmological practices in order to strengthen the legitimacy of their divine rule.
At the same time, many people in the river valley began to move away, meaning less labor was available for Xunantunich to maintain its control and infrastructure.
[2] The new political power at Actuncan consisted of long-established households acting as a council and shifted away from divine rule.
[2][3] An E-Group is a common Mayan monumental structure that likely served as an early ritual location before the development of larger, more elaborate triadic temples.
This triadic temple complexes likely served as a place for the community to gather for the ritual display led by the divine leaders meant to tie their authority to cosmology and the supernatural.
[3] During the time of divine rule at Actuncan, the North and South sections had a layout that helped to facilitate the connection between the spiritual and political power of the rulers.
[3] The Actuncan Archaeological Project has held several excavations since 2001 with a focus on understanding the shift from a kingship to state-level society.
In order to better understand the layout of the site, the lives of the people who occupied it, and how they used the land, topographic and architectural data was recorded and mapped.
Structure 59 was flanked by smaller platforms that appeared to possibly function as slightly raised work areas.
Artifacts from this structure include ceramics, lithic debris, obsidian, and a great diversity of other materials, suggesting that it could've been used as a multi-use workshop.
This pyramidal structure supported plastered northern and southern terraces, and likely consisted of a large interior are with rooms located in the front and back.
It has been suggested that this C-shaped complex could've function as a council house during the Terminal Classic and Early Postclassic periods.
This new civic space construction project seems to reflect the changing political situation that occurred during the Terminal Classic period.
Residents in the Terminal Classic period decided to vacate these buildings and fill and seal off the rooms, showing the disregard of Actuncan's divine and royal past.
The levels of phosphorus, manganese, and iron around Group 1 indicate that this area might've been used for ritual practice and ceremonial feasting by the community.