PHOTOS: Altun Ha ruins - Mayan Eccentrics - Chert Run

[AncientTech]

Warning:  Post includes "photos"


























































































































Flintknappingdom's most honest and heavily banned flintknapper at work.  Lol!

















Nice color, but too many inclusions....










Here is some of the stone, subsequently worked, in a raw state:

Tine flaking:




Drift cylinder flaking:







Thanks to the Altun Ha ruins, this chert run was probably one of the most enjoyable that I have ever undertaken!

[turbo]

Thanks for the pictures, very cool to see, love the eccentrics and blades. As for the chert run, wow! You got some nice pieces. I especially like the dark/red/banded variety. What's the name of that chert? Wouldn't mind to have lots of that.

[bowmo]

Super cool. Could not believe the size of those pieces once you put your hand in there for perspective. Truly nuts. Killer looking chert too.

[JW_Halverson]

It would be interesting to watch some folks work on reproducing some of those very large eccentrics! 

[nclonghunter]

WOW! Thanks for the photos. I had no idea those pieces were that big until you added your hand for comparison...amazing

That rock reminds me of "Mook"  or something like that. Must be nice to just drive down the road and pick up good rock...LOL

[AncientTech]

Chipped Celt via hammerstone percussion

[AncientTech]

Checking Rock at hotel:

[AncientTech]

Thanks for the pictures, very cool to see, love the eccentrics and blades. As for the chert run, wow! You got some nice pieces. I especially like the dark/red/banded variety. What's the name of that chert? Wouldn't mind to have lots of that.

Hello Turbo,

I am glad that you like the images.  I actually have more...

The chert is called Colha.  It was widely traded in Mesoamerica.  The Chert Bearing Zone (CBZ) is incredible.  I have been told that there are seven colors of chert.

You can share this with your friends.  My work is banned on pretty much every other forum.  But, you can see it here, on "Primitive Archer".

I split my rock with a friend.  But, in the future, I will probably be able to recover more.  What I hope to isolate are pockets of chalcedony.  I found some pockets in the past.  It is translucent, to clear amber, and is extremely glossy, near the rind.  It is probably agatized coral. 

A.T.

[AncientTech]

Super cool. Could not believe the size of those pieces once you put your hand in there for perspective. Truly nuts. Killer looking chert too.

Some of the eccentrics are massive.  My guess is that much of it was done with hammerstone percussion, given the thickness.

[AncientTech]

It would be interesting to watch some folks work on reproducing some of those very large eccentrics!

People in Texas could probably reproduce the big eccentrics fairly easily.  They are thick, and heavy.  They appear to be the work of hammerstone percussion, for the most part.

Also, since they do not involve extensive thinning, it seems that coarser, blockier chert will work.

A.T.

[AncientTech]

WOW! Thanks for the photos. I had no idea those pieces were that big until you added your hand for comparison...amazing

That rock reminds me of "Mook"  or something like that. Must be nice to just drive down the road and pick up good rock...LOL

The size is surpising. 

The site is located about five hours from my house, in Tulum.  It is three hours to the border, and another two hours to the site.  It is a nice drive, on a country road, from Orange Walk, Belize, to the site.

As for the rock, I sent a few pieces back with an archaeologist, a few years ago.  And, someone picked up two or three nodules from him, and paid $200 dollars.  All of the material was semi-translucent agatized coral, or chalcedony.  Some of it is probably comparable to Knife River Flint.  The trick is getting the good stuff off of the cores, because the cores are actually quite pithy.

I will have more photos of the stuff.

A.T.

[Tower]

Looks like an amazing place to visit. 
One day I hope to travel to many Mesoamerican
Sites. 
Look at that flint.  Love the color.

[AncientTech]

Looks like an amazing place to visit. 
One day I hope to travel to many Mesoamerican
Sites. 
Look at that flint.  Love the color.

Tower, it is easy to visit Belize, from Cancun.  I have been in Belize about fifteen times.  The chert bearing zone is about 1.5 hours from the Mexican border. 

Going back to 2005, or so, I have always told the flintknapping people that if they come down, I will take them there.  This last visit was with a friend who is a retired pharmacist.  He has been interested in Mayan culture for about thirty years.  He showed me a glyph that he said has been interpreted to mean "flintknapper" in the Mayan language. 

A.T. 

[le0n]

Super cool. Could not believe the size of those pieces once you put your hand in there for perspective. Truly nuts. Killer looking chert too.

^^ this.

at first i was like: "cool. wow, that's some tiny writing."

then i was like: "whoa!"

hah hah.

[nclonghunter]

That piece on the suitcase is beautiful. Like to see a big point made from it. Thanks again for the pictures. Makes me want to vacation in Belize.