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Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology Volume 1 Archaeological Investigations in the Eastern Maya Lowlands: Papers of the 2003 Belize Archaeology Symposium Edited by Jaime Awe, John Morris and Sherilyne Jones Institute of Archaeology National Institute of Culture and History Belmopan, Belize 2004 i Editorial Board of the Institute of Archaeology, NICH Jaime Awe, John Morris, Brian Woodye, and Sherilyne Jones The Institute of Archaeology, Belmopan, Belize Jaime Awe, Director John Morris, Associate Director, Research and Education Brian Woodye, Associate Director, Parks, Planning & Policy Management Frontispiece: East Frieze, Str. A6, Xunantunich (illustration by Gustavo Valenzuela) Layout and Graphic Design: Christophe Helmke ISBN Copyright © 2004 Institute of Archaeology, National Institute of Culture and History, Belize. All rights reserved. Printed in Belize ii In memory of Harriot Topsey Winnel Branche Richard “Scotty” MacNeish iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We wish to express our sincerest gratitude to every individual who contributed to the success of our symposium, and to the subsequent publication of the scientific contributions that are contained in this first issue of the Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology. We extend a special thank you to all our sponsors. To the staff and management of the Princess Casino and Hotel, thank you for all your assistance and for graciously hosting the 2003 symposium. We are grateful to the Belize Telecommunication Ltd, Bowen and Bowen Co. Ltd, Santiago Castillo Ltd, Del Oro Belize Ltd, Dolphin Productions, Celina’s Super Store, Travellers Ltd, L & R Liquors, James Brodies & Company, Marie Sharp’s Fine Foods, Shell Belize, and various other institutions that provided financial and logistical assistance. Christophe Helmke deserves particular gratitude for giving so much of his limited time. His technical assistance with the design of the cover, the graphics, production layout, and formatting of the papers and figures converted this volume from a basic report to the professional publication that we now can enjoy. Several other editors and anonymous reviewers gave of their time and made constructive criticisms that enhanced our end product. Many of our colleagues also encouraged us to keep the project moving forward, especially when the many challenges of short-term production schedules frustrated and overwhelmed us. We are especially grateful to the Honourable Mark Espat, Minister of Tourism and Culture, whose vision and continuous support constantly encourage us to improve the professional capacity of our institution. Thank you to Mr. Yasser Musa, President of the National Institute of Culture and History, and to the Administrator and Board of Directors of NICH who provided considerable funding to ensure the success of our symposium and the subsequent publication of the volume. 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. 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 George Thompson under whose leadership, as Archaeological Commissioner, the Symposium became a reality. Thank you very much Melissa Badillo, Yashin Dujon, David Griffith, Reyna Gilharry, Joyce Tun, Wayne Moore, Therese Batty and Annette Waight. We are grateful for your patience, expertise and invaluable help. This first volume of the Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology is a testimony to your unfailing dedication and your ability to address the challenges of our fledgling institution. Jaime Awe, Sherilyne Jones, John Morris and Brian Woodye. Belmopan, Belize. February 2004 iv CONTENTS page Introduction and Synthesis of the 2003 Belizean Archaeology Symposium John Morris, Jaime Awe and Sherilyne Jones 1 SECTION ONE: WESTERN BELIZE 11 Belize Valley Sub-Region 1. The Terminal Early Formative Kanocha Phase (1100-900 B.C.) at Blackman Eddy James Garber, M. Kathryn Brown, Jaime J. Awe and Christopher J. Hartman 13 2. Looking for a Needle in a Haystack: The Early Classic Period at Actuncan, Cayo District Lisa J. LeCount 27 3. Surveying an Agrarian Community: The 2002 Season at the Chan Site Cynthia Robin, William D. Middleton, Santiago Juarez and Mary K. Morrison 37 4. What’s Cooking at Baking Pot: A Report of the 2001 to 2003 Seasons Carolyn Audet and Jaime J. Awe 49 5. Maya Subsistence, Settlement Patterns and the Influence of Obsidian in the Political Economy around El Pilar, Belize Anabel Ford 61 6. Exploring Classic Maya Politics: Yalbac, Central Belize Lisa J. Lucero 83 7. The Pools at Cara Blanca: Archaeology in the Valley of Peace Above and Below the Water Andrew Kinkella 93 8. Maya Caste War Immigrants in Colonial British Honduras: The San Pedro Maya Project, 2000-2003 Jason Yaeger, Minette C. Church, Richard M. Leventhal and Jennifer Dornan 103 Vaca Plateau and Chiquibul Sub-Region 9. Exploring Ancient Economic Relationships at Caracol, Belize Arlen F. Chase and Diane Z. Chase 115 10. Mountain Cow Sites: Survey, Excavations and Interpretations John Morris 129 v page 11. The 2002 Research Season at Minanha, Belize Gyles Iannone, Sonja Schwake, Jeffrey Seibert, Jennifer Birch, Joelle Chartrand, Adam Menzies, Alicia Orr-Lombardo, Meaghan Peuramaki-Brown, Simone Philpot, Ryan Primrose, Michael Roets, Barbara Slim, Henry Schwarcz and Elizabeth Webb 155 12. A Functional Analysis of Structure 12A, Minanha, Belize Jeffery Seibert 165 SECTION TWO: NORTHERN BELIZE 173 Programme for Belize 13. Programme for Belize Archaeological Project: A History of Archaeological Research Richard E.W. Adams, Vernon Scarborough, Laura Levi, Stanley Walling, Nicholas Dunning, Brandon Lewis, Leslie Shaw, Lauren Sullivan, Fred Valdez, Jr. and Kathryn Reese-Taylor 175 14. NW Belize: A Regional Perspective on Culture History Lauren A. Sullivan and Fred Valdez Jr. 185 15. Archaeological Research at the Punta de Cacao Ruins in Northwestern Belize: Community Analysis using the Multi-Nuclei Model of Geography Hubert R. Robichaux 197 16. Regional Views on the Late Classic from the Blue Creek Area of Northwestern Belize Jon C. Lohse, Timothy Beach, Laura Kosakowsky and Sheryl Luzzadder-Beach 211 Northern Sites in the Postclassic 17. Lamanai Reloaded: Alive and Well in the Early Postclassic Elizabeth A. Graham 223 18. Santa Rita Corozal: Twenty Years Later Diane Z. Chase and Arlen F. Chase 243 19. Late Maya Settlement at Progresso Lagoon: Terminal Classic through Colonial Periods Marilyn A. Masson, Maxine H. Oland and Josalyn M. Ferguson 257 20. The Late Archaic Occupation of Northern Belize: New Archaeological Excavation Data Robert M. Rosenswig 267 vi page SECTION THREE: CENTRAL, COASTAL AND SOUTHERN BELIZE 279 21. The Importance of Colha in Belize Archaeology Palma Buttles 281 22. The Deep History of the Sibun River Valley Patricia A. McAnany, Eleanor Harrison, Polly A. Peterson, Steven Morandi, Satoru Murata, Ben S. Thomas, Sandra L. López Varela, Daniel Finamore and David G. Buck 295 23. Visualizing the Political Landscape of the Sibun River Ben. S. Thomas 311 24. Recent Research at Mayflower, Stann Creek District, Belize Jeffrey Stomper, Wendy Brown and Elizabeth Pope 323 25. Recent Archaeological and Epigraphic Research at Pusilha, Belize: Report of the 2001 and 2002 Field Seasons Geoffrey Braswell, Christian M. Prager, Cassandra R. Bill and Sonja Schwake 333 26. The Coral Foundations of Coastal Maya Architecture Heather McKillop, Aline Magnoni, Rachel Watson, Shannon Ascher, Terrance Winemiller and Bryan Tucker 347 27. Maya Traders on the North-Central Belize Coast Shirley Boetler Mock 359 vii viii INTRODUCTION AND SYNTHESIS OF THE 2003 BELIZEAN ARCHAEOLOGY SYMPOSIUM John Morris, Jaime Awe and Sherilyne Jones Introduction Section One: Western Belize This volume marks the genesis of a The Western Belize region is spirited exchange of information derived subdivided into the Belize Valley and the from the many archaeological research Chiquibul/Vaca sub-regions. This section has endeavours on ancient Maya civilization in the largest concentration of presentations, Belize. The papers presented herein by no which attest to the fact that currently the bulk means provide the definitive answer to all our of archaeological research conducted in the queries on the what, when, how and why of country is carried out in this area. archaeological issues in Belize. The reports were originally designed to address the Belize Valley Sub-Region concerns of the general public’s demand for For the Belize Valley we decided that information regarding Belizean archaeology, the articles could best be presented in a given the sizable increase in tourism related culture-historical format. The volume starts activities in the country. The scope of the with James Garber et al. paper, which symposium was broadened considerably as introduces the Terminal Early the diversity of the submitted presentations Formative/Preclassic Kanocha Phase (1100- encompassed both methodological and 900 B.C) at Blackman Eddy. Garber and his theoretical concerns of Maya archaeology. colleagues note that a series of structures and Therefore, as volume editors we were faced features at the site principally date to the end with the task of finding
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