Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology Volume 6 Archaeological Investigations in the Eastern ...

258 Pages·2009·17.21 MB·English

Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology Volume 6

Archaeological Investigations in the Eastern
Maya Lowlands: Papers of the 2008
Belize Archaeology Symposium

Edited by John Morris, Sherilyne Jones, Jaime Awe, George Thompson and Christophe Helmke

Institute of Archaeology
National Institute of Culture and History
Belmopan, Belize
2009
Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology

Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology is an annual publication of the Institute of Archaeology,
National Institute of Culture and History, Belmopan, Belize. The journal is devoted primarily to the
publication of specialized reports on the archaeology of Belize but also features articles from other
disciplines and areas.

Publisher: Institute of Archaeology
National Institute of Culture and History
Culvert Road
Belmopan, Cayo District
Belize
Telephone: [phone]
[phone]
Email: [email protected]

Editorial Board: Institute of Archaeology, NICH
John Morris, Jaime Awe, Sherilyne Jones and George Thompson

Cover design: Christophe Helmke
Front Cover: Photo of the Hokeb Ha vase is based on the poster to the
Albuquerque Museum exhibit (1986) called: Maya: Treasures of an
Ancient Civilization.
Logo drawing - Christophe Helmke based on the same vase

Back cover: Photo-Montage / collage on the back is based on the poster
from last year’s symposium (design Rafael Guerra)

Layout and Graphic Design: Sherilyne Jones (Institute of Archaeology, Belize)
George Thompson (Institute of Archaeology, Belize)
Christophe G.B. Helmke (Københavns Universitet, Denmark)

ISBN 978-976-8197-27-6

Copyright © 2009
Printed by Print Belize Limited.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We wish to express our sincerest thanks to every individual who contributed to the success of our fifth
symposium, and to the subsequent publication of the scientific contributions that are contained in the fifth
volume of the Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology. A special thanks to Print Belize and the staff
for their efforts to have the Symposium Volume printed on time despite receiving the documents on very
short notice.

We extend a special thank you to all our 2008 sponsors: Belize Communication Services Limited, The
Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT), Galen University and Belize Electric Company Limited
(BECOL) for their financial support. To the staff and management of our sister Institutions, within NICH,
the Institute of Creative Arts (ICA), Museum of Belize and ISCR, and various other institutions that
provided financial and logistical assistance.

We are especially grateful to the Honorable Marcel Cardona, our new and able Minister of Youth, Sports
and Culture for his tremendous and continuous support. Special thanks to Ms. Diane Haylock, the new
President of the National Institute of Culture and History for her encouragement to improve the
professional capacity of our institution, for her new vision and for ensuring that the volume gets
published. Thanks also to Mr. Victor Espat, Administrator, of NICH who provided considerable funding
to ensure the success of our symposium and the subsequent publication of this volume. We extend a
special thanks to the staff and management of the Bliss Center of Creative Arts and the Institute of
Creative Arts (ICA), thank you for your assistance and for graciously hosting the 2007 symposium. We
are grateful to the Belize National Library Service and Information System, for providing our ISBN
number.

Meetings of this scope are never possible without professional participation. We therefore thank all of our
colleagues who took time from their busy schedules to attend and present papers in our symposium. The
various themes of their papers serve to reflect the diversity of Belizean Archaeology, and provide a
wealth of scientific information to the people of Belize.

Several editors and anonymous reviewers gave of their time and made constructive criticisms that
enhanced our end product. George Thompson invaluable assistance in doing line editing and reviewing
of all the bibliographic references is always invaluable and appreciated.

Finally, it should be noted that our successes are a direct result of the tremendous effort expended by the
entire staff of the Institute of Archaeology. Special thanks must be given to Enrique Itza, Melissa Badillo,
Jorge Can, Darcy Correa, Claudia Elena, David Griffith, Rafael Guerra, Delsia Marsden, Joyce Tun-
Quewell, Wayne Moore, Hector Hernandez, and Brian Woodye. Mr. George Thompson, Program Chair
deserved many thanks. We are grateful for your patience, expertise and invaluable help. The fifth volume
of the Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology is a testimony to your dedication and your ability to
address the challenges of our institution.

John Morris and Jaime Awe

Belmopan, Belize, June 2009

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CONTENTS
page

SECTION ONE: SOCIO-POLITICAL ORGANIZATION 1

1. Ancient Maya Socio-Political Organization: Perspectives from Belizean Archaeology
Gyles Iannone and John M. Morris 3

2. Symbolic Egalitarianism and Homogenized Distributions in the Archaeological Record
at Caracol, Belize: Method, Theory, and Complexity
Arlen F. Chase and Diane Z. Chase 15

3. Whose Complexity? Ancient Maya Socio-Political Organization and Complexity: A View
from the Farm
Cynthia Robin 25

4. The Jungle Kings of Minanha: Constellations of Authority and the Ancient Maya Socio-
Political Landscape
Gyles Iannone 33

5. Political Organization and Interaction in Southern Belize
Geoffrey E. Braswell and Keith M. Prufer 43

6. The Geopolitics of the Coastal Maya Economy in Southern Belize: Relations between the
Coastal and Inland Maya
Heather McKillop 55

7. The Preclassic in the Mopan River Valley: Preliminary Investigations at Nohoch Ek and
Xunantunich
M. Kathryn Brown, Jaime Awe and James Garber 63

8. Burials and Caches from the Chan Site E-Group: A Bioarchaeological Perspective on
Ritual and Social Complexity at an Ancient Maya Farming Community
Anna C. Novotny and Laura J. Kosakowsky 73

9. Ecologies: Human and Animal Responses to Ancient Landscape Change in Central
Belize
Jason Yaeger and Carolyn Freiwald 83

10. Lithic Industry Workshop at El Pilar, Belize
Anabel Ford, John C. Whittaker, and Kathryn A. Kamp 93

11. The Emergence of Complexity and the Middle to Late Formative Occupation of San
Estevan, Belize
Robert M. Rosenswig 101

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12. Ancient Maya Social Organization: A Multi-Scale Analysis from the Dos Hombres
Hinterland, Northwestern Belize
Rissa M. Trachman 109

13. Power and Authority in an Ancient Maya City.
Thomas H. Guderjan 119

SECTION TWO: GENERAL RESEARCH REPORTS 137

14. The Archaic-to-Preclassic Transition in Belize: What We Know and Why We Don’t Know
More
Jon C. Lohse 141

15. A Terminal Early Formative Symbol in the Maya Lowlands: The Iconography of the
Cunil Phase (1100-900 BC) at Cahal Pech
James F. Garber and Jaime J. Awe 151

16. Refining the Cunil Ceramic Complex at Cahal Pech, Belize
Lauren A. Sullivan, M. Kathryn Brown and Jaime J. Awe 161

17. An Investigation of Middle Preclassic Structures at Pacbitun
Terry G. Powis, Paul F. Healy, and Bobbi Hohmann 169

18. Cahal Pech Stela 9: A Preclassic Monument from the Belize Valley
Jaime Awe, Nikolai Grube and David Cheetham 179

19. Kayuko Naj Tunich: A Foundational Shrine at Uxbenká
Holly Moyes and Keith M. Prufer 191

20. Social and Political Transformations in the Caves Branch River Valley: Evidence from
Natural and Constructed Ritual Environments
Gabriel D. Wrobel, Jillian M. Jordan, and Jessica Hardy 199

21. The 2007 Field Season of the Mopan Valley Archaeological Project: Buenavista del
Cayo’s East Plaza and Near-Periphery Settlement
Jason Yaeger, Bernadette Cap, Meaghan Peuramaki-Brown 209

22. Non Temple – Summit Rituals at Yalbac
Melissa R. Baltus and Sarah E. Otten 217

23. La Milpa and the Programme for Belize Archaeological Project
Brett A. Houk and Fred Valdez, Jr. 227
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24. Preclassic Power Shifts and Postclassic Visitations: The Hinterland Elite at the
Medicinal Trail Site, Northwestern Belize
David M. Hyde and Lauri M. Martin 235

25. Bring It On: Using Ceramic Systems at Lamanai
James J. Aimers 245

26. An Archaeological and Geological Assessment of a Presumed Ancient Maya Harbour at
Lamanai, Belize
Terry Powis, S.J. Mazzullo and Elizabeth Graham 253

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