PLANT and MOLLUSK REMAINS from K'axob, BELIZE Maia Dedrick a Thesis Submitted to the Faculty Of
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THE DISTRIBUTED HOUSEHOLD: PLANT AND MOLLUSK REMAINS FROM K’AXOB, BELIZE Maia Dedrick A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Anthropology. Chapel Hill 2013 Approved by: Patricia A. McAnany C. Margaret Scarry Silvia Tomášková © 2014 Maia Dedrick ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT MAIA DEDRICK: The Distributed Household: Plant and Mollusk Data from K’axob, Belize (Under the direction of Patricia A. McAnany and C. Margaret Scarry) In the archaeological study of ancient Maya sites, scholars have considered structures of various sizes and configurations the material remains of households, social groups that made up the basic units of economic production. Archaeologists have used disparities in structure size and complexity to argue for political and ritual hierarchy among structures. This study presents faunal and botanical data from two structures at the site of K’axob, in northern Belize, which have been referred to as adjacent households. Using this biological as well as architectural evidence, I explore the relationship between the larger and smaller structure and developments in the organization of activity areas through time. I suggest that, by the Classic period, households were distributed across more than one structure. Complementary activities took place in adjoining areas, resulting in cooperation, rather than competition, across structures. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis was made possible thanks to a great deal of flotation conducted by Professor McAnany and her 1995 K’axob field season team members. I am grateful that she decided to keep the samples around until I got to them. Also, I thank Professor Scarry for letting me use her lab equipment and for a great deal of assistance with seed identification, imaging, and comparative samples. My research was enhanced by trips to paleoethnobotany laboratories with strong Mesoamerican botanical comparative collections. These include the labs at Georgia State University, run by Dr. Christopher Morehart at the time of my visit, and at the University of Cincinnati, directed by Dr. David Lentz. I thank these scholars for providing me with lab space, equipment, access to collections, and good advice during my research trips. My dedicated committee members provided useful suggestions and patiently guided me as I navigated the formation of my first major laboratory-based research document. This thesis has been strengthened immensely by their input. Any remaining faults are my own. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................. viii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................. ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 2: MAYA SOCIAL GROUPS AND IDENTITIES .............................................. 7 Issues in Hierarchy .......................................................................................................... 7 Personhood and Dwelling(s) ......................................................................................... 12 Defining Households and Other Social Groups ............................................................ 15 CHAPTER 3: ENVIRONMENTAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXTS ................. 22 Environment of K’axob ................................................................................................. 23 Prior Research at K’axob .............................................................................................. 26 Operation 14 ............................................................................................ 33 Operation 15 ............................................................................................ 38 Botanical Samples ................................................................................... 41 CHAPTER 4: PLANT AND ANIMAL USE IN ANCIENT NORTHERN BELIZE ............ 44 Faunal Remains ............................................................................................................. 44 Botanical Remains ......................................................................................................... 48 Formative Period ..................................................................................... 48 Classic Period .......................................................................................... 50 v Caves, Ritual, and Status in the Classic Period ....................................... 52 CHAPTER 5: CONTEXTUALIZED MOLLUSK AND PLANT INFORMATION ............ 57 The Apple Snail Shells from Operations 14 and 15 ...................................................... 57 Patterns in Plant Remains from K’axob, Operations 14 and 15 .................................... 61 Late Formative and Protoclassic Periods (Late K’atabche’k’ax Complex) ................................................................... 63 Early Classic Period (Late Nohalk’ax Complex) .................................... 67 Late Classic and Terminal Classic Periods (Witsk’ax Complex) ........... 68 Intrusive or Naturally Occurring Species ................................................ 72 Spatial Distribution of Plant Remains ..................................................... 74 CHAPTER 6: THE DISTRIBUTED HOUSEHOLD ............................................................. 78 Formative Period: Ritual and Diet ................................................................................. 78 Classic Period: Household Organization and Intrasite Dynamics ................................. 82 Synthesis of Burial Data from Northern K’axob ..................................... 89 Reconsidering Isotopic Evidence ............................................................ 91 Ceramic Evidence .................................................................................... 93 CHAPTER 7: COMPARATIVE DISCUSSION .................................................................... 94 Excavation of Residential Structures within Small Sites .............................................. 95 Chan ......................................................................................................... 96 Cerén ..................................................................................................... 103 Surveys of Northern Belize ......................................................................................... 106 San Estevan ........................................................................................... 107 Nohmul .................................................................................................. 109 vi Cuello .................................................................................................... 111 Population Estimates ............................................................................. 113 CHAPTER 8: CONCLUSION ............................................................................................. 116 APPENDIX ........................................................................................................................... 119 WORKS CITED ................................................................................................................... 127 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Ceramic complexes of K’axob aligned with major chronological periods .............. 29 Table 2. Flotation samples from Operations 14 and 15 in order by zone, indicating phase, context, unique sample number, and wood weight .................................................................................................................... 42 Table 3. Plants from which charred seeds were found within K’axob samples, organized by function or habitat ....................................................................... 62 Table 4. Plant taxa found within richest contexts at Operations 14 and 15 ........................... 65 Table 5. Counts of carbonized seeds and maize cupules found within burial contexts from Operation 14 ....................................................................... 68 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map of the Maya area showing the location of K’axob in relation to other sites in northern Belize (courtesy of Patricia A. McAnany). ....................................................................................................................... 10 Figure 2. Map of northern Belize with an emphasis on the sites immediately neighboring K’axob (from McAnany 1992:199) ....................................... 11 Figure 3. Map of K’axob excavations, with Operations 14 and 15 in the northern portion of the site (courtesy of Patricia A. McAnany) ................................ 28 Figure 4. Operation 14, Construction Phase II (from Schulz 1997:21) ................................. 34 Figure 5. Operation 14, Construction Phase VIb (from Schulz 1997:32) .............................. 36 Figure 6. Operation 14, Construction Phase VII (from Schulz 1997:35) .............................. 37 Figure 7. Operation 15, Construction Phase I (from Berry 1997:46) .................................... 39 Figure 8. Operation 15, Construction Phase II (from Berry 1997:56). .................................. 40 Figure 9. Miniature flask from Operation 16, Zone 8, found during the 1995 K’axob field season (from Terranova et