National Archaeological Park Tak’alik Ab’aj
National Archaeological Park Tak’alik Ab’aj
Tak’alik Ab’aj is an archaeological site located on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala. Its 1,700-year history spans a period that saw the transition from the Olmec civilization to the emergence of Early Mayan culture. Tak’alik Ab’aj had a primary role in this transition, in part because it was vital to the long-distance trade route that connected the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in today's Mexico to present-day El Salvador. Ideas and customs were shared extensively along this route. Sacred spaces and buildings were laid out according to cosmological principles, and innovative water management systems, ceramics, and lapidary art can be found. Today, Indigenous groups of different affiliations still consider the site a sacred place and visit it to perform rituals.Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
Parc archéologique national Tak’alik Ab’aj
Tak’alik Ab’aj est un site archéologique situé sur la côte pacifique du Guatemala. Son histoire longue de 1 700 ans s’étend sur une période marquée par la transition entre la civilisation olmèque et l’émergence de la culture maya ancienne. Tak’alik Ab’aj fut l’un des principaux acteurs de cette transition, notamment en raison du rôle essentiel qu’il joua dans la route commerciale longue distance qui reliait l’isthme de Tehuantepec, dans l’actuel Mexique, au Salvador actuel. Cette route favorisa de vastes échanges d’idées et de coutumes. Les espaces et édifices sacrés étaient disposés en fonction de principes cosmologiques, et des systèmes de gestion de l’eau innovants, des céramiques et des objets d’art lapidaire ont été découverts. De nos jours, des groupes autochtones de différentes origines considèrent toujours le site comme un lieu sacré et s’y rendent pour accomplir des rituels.Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
حديقة تاكاليك أباخ الأثرية الوطنية
حديقة تاكاليك أباخ هي موقع أثري كائن على ساحل المحيط الهادي، ويبلغ عمرها التاريخي 1700 عام تغطي الحقبة التي شهدت تحولاً من حضارة الأولمك إلى نشوء ثقافة المايا المبكرة؛ وكان لحديقةتاكاليك أباخ دور رئيسي في هذا التحول، ويعود ذلك جزئياً لأنها كانت ذات درو حيوي بالنسبة إلى طريق التجارة الطويل الذي يصل بين برزخ تيهوانتبيك الذي يقع فيما يعرف اليوم بالمكسيك وبين السلفادور، وكان يجري تبادل الأفكار والعادات بصورة كبيرة على طول هذا الطريق. وتوزعت الأماكن والمباني المقدسة وفقاً للمبادئ الكونية، ويوجد فيها نظم مبتكرة لإدارة المياه وقطع خزفية وأحجار كريمة منحوتة. وحتى يومنا هذا، هناك جماعات من الشعوب الأصلية من انتماءات مختلفة لا تزال تعتبر هذا الموقع مكاناً مقدساً وتزوره لأداء الطقوس.
source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
塔卡利克·阿巴赫国家考古公园
塔卡利克·阿巴赫（Tak’alik Ab’aj）考古遗址位于危地马拉的太平洋海岸。它有着1700年的历史，见证了奥尔梅克文明向早期玛雅文明的演变。塔卡利克·阿巴赫在这一进程中扮演着重要角色，部分归因于它扼守一条长途贸易路线，连接起现今的墨西哥特万特佩克地峡和萨尔瓦多。各地的思想和风俗沿着这条路线广泛交融。遗址内的圣所和建筑根据宇宙学原理分布，这里还有创新的水务系统、陶器和宝石艺术。如今，不同族群的土著居民仍将该遗址视为圣地，并在此开展仪式活动。
source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
Национальный археологический парк Такалик-Абах
Такалик-Абах — археологический памятник, расположенный на тихоокеанском побережье Гватемалы. Его 1700-летняя история охватывает период перехода от цивилизации ольмеков к возникновению ранней культуры майя. Такалик-Абах сыграл первостепенную роль в этом переходе, в том числе и потому, что он был жизненно важен для дальнего торгового пути, соединявшего перешеек Теуантепек на территории современной Мексики с современным Сальвадором. На этом пути происходил активный обмен идеями и обычаями. Священные места и здания строились в соответствии с космологическими принципами, встречаются инновационные системы водопользования, керамика и гранильное искусство. Сегодня коренные народы разных национальностей по-прежнему считают это место священным и посещают его для совершения ритуалов.
source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
Parque arqueológico nacional Tak’alik Ab’aj
Tak'alik Ab'aj es un sitio arqueológico situado en la costa del Pacífico de Guatemala. Su historia de 1.700 años abarca un periodo que vio la transición de la civilización olmeca al surgimiento de la cultura maya más temprana. Tak'alik Ab'aj desempeñó un papel primordial en dicha transición, en parte porque era vital para la ruta comercial de larga distancia que conectaba el istmo de Tehuantepec, en lo que hoy es México, con el actual El Salvador. Las ideas y costumbres se compartían ampliamente a lo largo de esta ruta. Los espacios y edificios sagrados se organizaban según principios cosmológicos, y todavía se pueden encontrar innovadores sistemas de gestión del agua, cerámica y arte lapidario. En la actualidad, varios grupos indígenas de distintas filiaciones siguen considerando el sitio un lugar sagrado y lo visitan para celebrar rituales.
source: UNESCO/CPE
Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0
Outstanding Universal Value
Brief synthesis
Tak'alik Ab'aj is an archaeological site located in the piedmont of the Pacific Coast of Guatemala. Its 1,700-year history spans the years from 800 BCE to 900 CE. The first half of that period saw the transition from the Olmec civilization to the emergence of the Early Mayan culture. Tak'alik Ab'aj was an important protagonist and catalyst in this transition, in part due to the vital role it played in the long-distance trade route connecting the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in present-day Mexico, with present-day El Salvador. Ideas and customs were widely shared along this route. Indications of this exchange are the diversity of sculptural styles found at Tak'alik Ab'aj, which surpasses that of other sites in Mesoamerica, as well as the presence of lapidary art, ceramic and lithic artefacts from sites, in some cases, hundreds of kilometres away. At the archaeological site, innovative water management systems were found, and sacred spaces and buildings were designed according to cosmological principles.
Criterion (ii): Tak'alik Ab'aj played a key role in an important ancient long-distance trade route. Through the exchange of ideas, materials, and goods, it received and disseminated many of the most advanced ideas of urbanism, monumental arts and architecture, as well as water management, which were expressed in the layout, architecture and sculptural programme of the property. The architecture and urban layout were based on ancestral cosmological precepts and the spaces created were used as ritual settings for the public performances of the first rulers of the incipient kingdoms during the Preclassic period. In addition, the quantity and diversity of stone sculptures, combined with the evidence of advances in early writing, mathematics and calendrical systems found at the property, from the Preclassic period onwards, reflect the richness and diversity of cultural expressions resulting from contact with distant peoples and cultures, as well as from the transition from Olmec to Mayan cultural expressions.
Criterion (iii): Tak’alik Ab’aj is an outstanding example of the early development and use of many important cultural traditions, some of them now considered as representative of Mesoamerica, including the symbolic representation of the astronomical observations and their expression in urban planning and design, calendrical system, and hieroglyphic writing. Additionally, the re-use and re-combination of sculptures from different styles and earlier eras including, for example, sculptures of Olmec and Maya cultures, is an outstanding example of the creation of public displays or architectonic scenarios.
Integrity
The integrity of Tak’alik Ab’aj is centred on the intactness of the archaeological evidence pertaining to the Central Group of the larger archaeological site. The attributes referred to here are the transition from Olmec to Mayan cultural expressions, the urban layout based on cosmological precepts and astronomical orientations, as well as the distribution of sculptures, the structures and sacred spaces for ritual representations. The archaeological site is intact and is not subject to great pressures. After its abandonment around 900 CE, the property was reclaimed by dense vegetation, and in more recent times, coffee, rubber and sugar cane plantations were created, but they do not reach archaeological levels in the soil. The excavations have uncovered largely intact contexts, and the documentation and inventory of the finds have created a very comprehensive archaeological record. The boundaries of the property have been drawn to encompass features located in the Central Group, which is considered to be the ceremonial heart of Tak’alik Ab’aj. However, a possible extension of the site, depending on further archaeological finds, could be envisaged in the future.
Authenticity
The authenticity of Tak’alik Ab’aj lies in its ability to express its cultural values truthfully and credibly through its attributes. The conditions of authenticity of the archaeological site have been met in terms of its location and setting, forms and designs, materials and substances. Today, indigenous groups of the twenty-two different Mayan language affiliations still consider the site a sacred place and visit it to perform rituals. The continued use of the property as a pilgrimage site for Indigenous spiritual guides (Ajq’ijab’) reinforces the authenticity of the archaeological park. The archaeological remains that convey the Outstanding Universal Value (buildings, sculptures, and artefacts) had not been disturbed prior to excavation. A special ecological conservation program is carried out at the site; the conservation and stabilization of the archaeological remains is done respectfully, using materials directly from the area. The restored drainage channels are still in use and prevent the accumulation of rain water in the archaeological site.
Protection and management requirements
The National Archaeological Park Tak’alik Ab’aj has been created in 1987. In 1989, the National Council for Protected Areas declared Tak’alik Ab’aj an Area of Special Protection (Law Decree 4-89). In 2002, the archaeological site was declared National Cultural Heritage under the category of National Archaeological Park by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, due to its important archaeological, historical, artistic and cultural values (Ministerial Decree 528-2002). I
t has been funded and managed since its creation by the Ministry of Culture and Sports through the Vice-Ministry and Head Office of Cultural and Natural Heritage / Institute of Anthropology and History. The local management structure of the National Archaeological Park includes a Technical Scientific Coordination section, and a Technical Administrative Coordination section. Since 2011, the National Archaeological Park has developed and implemented five-year management plans to ensure long-term investigation, conservation, protection, outreach, operation and integrated management. The plans are framed in broader policies and operate in the context of national and municipal plans focused on development, territorial management or tourism.
A Cooperation Agreement, containing specific measures to constitute and guarantee a buffer zone to increase the protection of the National Archaeological Park Tak’alik Ab’aj was signed and is currently in place. This functional instrument provides an additional layer of protection for the site and helps to avoid possible future uses of the land that may have an impact on the Outstanding Universal Value of the property. The establishment of regulations that will allow application of the relevant laws should enhance the protection of the property. Through programs and projects, participation spaces are generated for local and indigenous communities in decision-making processes. The newly proposed non-governmental organisation should strengthen the involvement of the population in the management of the property.
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