TERMINAL RITUAL DEPOSITS AND ABANDONMENT PROCESSES AT AGUACATE UNO ...

138 Pages·2014·12.23 MB·English

by  Emma Koenig

TERMINAL RITUAL DEPOSITS AND
ABANDONMENT PROCESSES
AT AGUACATE UNO, BELIZE

by
EMMA NICOLE KOENIG
LISA J. LECOUNT, COMMITTEE CHAIR
JOHN MORRIS
KATHRYN OTHS
KEITH JACOBI

A THESIS

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Master of Arts
in the Department of Anthropology
in the Graduate School of
The University of Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA

2014
Copyright Emma N. Koenig 2014
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ABSTRACT

This study examines terminal deposits as the result of micro-scale processes of collapse
at the Maya site of Aguacate Uno, Belize and posits that contextual comparisons of artifact
assemblages from terminal deposits can lead to a better understanding of site-specific activities
surrounding the final years of occupation, abandonment, and revisitation. Considering the fact
that terminal deposits have many similar attributes, notably high concentrations of ceramic
sherds, it is important to take into account the context and content of materials found in them in
order to determine the activities that led to their creation. This thesis examines ritual events as
one of the many activities that produced terminal deposits and is concerned with recognizing
material and contextual differences between different types of terminal ritual deposits and
distinguishing these deposits from construction fill and refuse. Using this contextual approach,
the terminal ritual deposits at Aguacate Uno support the interpretation that the site was
differentially abandoned during the Late to Terminal Classic periods.

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DEDICATION

This thesis is dedicated to my grandmother, Lucille Butler. Sometimes even the
“Goofiest Dreams” come true.

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS

n Frequency
p Probability associated with the occurrence under the null hypothesis of a value as
extreme as or more extreme than the observed value

< Less than
= Equal to
χ2 Computation of Chi-Square Test of Homogeneity
r Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient
rho Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There is a long list of people that I owe my sincere gratitude to for their help in the
production of this thesis. This study would never have come to fruition if it were not for the
UCLA Maya Archaeological Project and Foothill Belize Program. I want to thank the project
directors Drs. John Morris and Sam Connell as well as co-director Andrew Kindon for allowing
me the opportunity to be a part of the project as a student but especially as a researcher. I am
also indebted to the many students and workmen who contributed to the excavations described in
this thesis.
I probably would never have finished this thesis if it were not for the guidance, patience,
and support of Dr. Lisa LeCount. I cannot put in words how thankful I am to have had her as my
advisor and the steadfast way she put up with all of my problems. I only hope that we can work
together again in the future. I also must thank her for providing me data from the Actuncan
Archaeological Project.
I must thank my other committee members Drs. Keith Jacobi and Kathryn Oths for first
agreeing to be a part of this process as well as providing constructive comments for the
completion of the thesis.
My outside committee member Dr. John Morris deserves a very special thanks for
agreeing to be a part of this thesis committee. He is possibly the busiest man I know and I
cannot thank him enough for fitting my thesis into his schedule of co-running archaeological

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research in Belize. Furthermore, I wanted to say thank you for seeing past my small stature that
first summer I was in Belize and believing that I’d make a great Maya archaeologist.
I must thank the University of Alabama Graduate School and the Department of
Anthropology for providing me funding not only for my summer of analysis in Belize but also
for its presentation at the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, in Austin,
Texas. The University of Alabama Graduate Student Association also provided funding towards
my summer of analysis.
There are countless colleagues, friends, and family that helped me with my thesis
research. I am so thankful to Dr. Carolyn Friewald for examining my bone and shell materials—
her analysis allowed me to say more about them than count and weight. I would like to thank
Dr. Brett Houk for providing me with some hidden literature sources, and I also must thank him
and Dr. Lauren Sullivan for looking at some of my ceramics and providing their insight. I am in
debt to Eric Fries for helping me examine the lithic artifacts but I also wanted to thank him for
being a constant friend on the UMAP project. Amy Thompson provided me friendship and
support during my analysis summer and I hope she knows I don’t blame her for the tick bomb! I
owe Bobbie Simova a great deal of thanks for helping with statistics and always being a
sounding board when I needed advice. I would not have survived graduate school if it wasn’t for
my “wife” Achsah Dorsey. She is an amazing person and friend and I will miss having her
around every day! I must give a shout out to my “graduate student role models” and friends
Scotti Norman and David Mixter—you guys are truly an inspiration.
Without my family I cannot imagine getting through all the difficult times in the last two
years. Thank you Mom and Dad for always believing in me and for always providing me with
sound advice—I love you both so much. Thank you Charles and Amanda for being so positive

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about my project. All my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and adoptive family members,
thank you for your support and just thinking this stuff is, as Dale put it, “So Cool!” (picture his
over-exaggerated head nod here).
Last, but definitely not least, I want to thank Drew for being the best husband a woman
could ask for. He constantly recognized the best in me even in the worst of times. He has taught
me the value of always searching for happiness—even if it means moving to Alabama to go back
to school for something you love. Words cannot express all the support he has given me and
continues to give me every day. Here’s to our next chapter in life!

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CONTENTS
ABSTRACT...........................................................................................................ii
DEDICATION.......................................................................................................iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS...................................................iv
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.......................................................................................v
LIST OF TABLES..................................................................................................xi
LIST OF FIGURES..............................................................................................xiv
1. INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................1

a. Testing Field Hypotheses Concerning Terminal Deposit Type...............8
2. BACKGROUND AND THEORY....................................................................10

a. Abandonment Studies............................................................................10
b. The Maya Collapse................................................................................12
c. Macro-scale Processes of Collapse at Belize Sites................................17
i.
 Xunantunich.....................................................................................................................17

ii.
 Actuncan...........................................................................................................................19

iii.
 Caracol..............................................................................................................................20

iv.
 La
 Milpa............................................................................................................................21

v.
 Baking
 Pot........................................................................................................................23

vi.
 Minanha...........................................................................................................................24

vii.
 Discussion......................................................................................................................24

d. Terminal Ritual Deposits as Micro-scale Processes..............................25
e. Creating a Material Model for Terminal Ritual Deposits......................33

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3. AGUACATE UNO, BELIZE: EXCAVATION AND SAMPLING OF
TERMINAL DEPOSITS.......................................................................................36

a. Aguacate Uno, a Minor Center in Western Belize................................36
b. Aguacate Uno Terminal Deposits: Excavation and Sampling..............45
i. Deposit 1............................................................................................45
ii. Deposit 2...........................................................................................48
iii. Deposit 3..........................................................................................51
iv. Deposit 4..........................................................................................54
vi. Deposit 4 provenience control.........................................................55
c. Actuncan, Belize: Construction Fill and Refuse Excavations and
Sampling....................................................................................................56
4. METHODS........................................................................................................57

a. Ceramic Analysis...................................................................................57
b. Lithic Analysis.......................................................................................61
c. Bone and Shell Analysis........................................................................61
d. Fill and Refuse Contexts........................................................................62
e. Statistical Analyses................................................................................62
5. RESULTS..........................................................................................................63

a. Deposit 1................................................................................................63
b. Deposit 2................................................................................................68
c. Deposit 3................................................................................................73
d. Deposit 4................................................................................................81
e. Comparative Data from Actuncan.........................................................89
f. Contextual Comparisons .......................................................................89
6. CONCLUSION................................................................................................101
a. Macro-scale Abandonment Processes at Aguacate Uno......................106

REFERENCES CITED.......................................................................................108
APPENDIX A......................................................................................................118

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