Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology Volume 8 Archaeological Investigations in the Eastern Maya Lowlands: Papers of the 2010 Belize Archaeology Symposium Edited by John Morris, Jaime Awe, George Thompson and Melissa Badillo Institute of Archaeology National Institute of Culture and History Belmopan, Belize 2011 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: +501-822-2106 +501-822-2227 Email: [email protected] Editorial Board: Institute of Archaeology, NICH John Morris, Jaime Awe, George Thompson and Melissa Badillo Cover design: Rafael Guerra Front Cover: Image of the Dancing Maize God from the Buena Vista Vase (Line Drawing by Rafael Guerra). Back cover: Photo-Montage / collage on the back is a compilation of artefacts from the IA collection and partially based on the poster from the 2010 Symposium. Layout and Graphic Design: Melissa Badillo (Institute of Archaeology, Belize) George Thompson (Institute of Archaeology, Belize) Rafael Guerra (Institute of Archaeology, Belize) ISBN 978-976-8197-46-7 Copyright © 2011 Printed by Print Belize Limited. ii J. Morris et al. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We wish to express our sincerest thanks to every individual who contributed to the success of our Seventh Annual Symposium, and to the subsequent publication of the scientific contributions that are contained in the sixth 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 2009 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 Manuel Heredia Minister of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation for his tremendous and continuous support. Special thanks to Ms. Diane Haylock, our indefatigable President of the National Institute of Culture and History for her encouragement to improve the professional capacity of our institution, for her vision and for ensuring that the volume gets published. Thanks also to Mr. Gil Williams, 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 2009 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 and Melissa Badillo 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, David Griffith, Rafael Guerra, Delsia Marsden, 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 Seventh 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 2011 iii CONTENTS page SECTION ONE: STATUS AND POWER IN ANCIENT MAYA SOCIETY 1. Status and Power: Caracol, Teotihuacan, and the Early Classic Maya World Arlen F. Chase and Diane Z. Chase 3 2. Common House, Elite House, Council House: Report of the 2010 Field Season of the Actuncan Archaeological Project Lisa LeCount, Angela Keller, and John Blitz 19 3. Political Dynamics in the Mopan River Valley: Recent Research in the Buenavista del Cayo Hinterlands Jason Yaeger, Meaghan Peuramaki-Brown, Christina Dykstra, Sarah Kurnick, and Sebastián Salgado-Flores 31 4. Households and Social Trajectories: The Site Core Community at Minanha, Belize Matthew Longstaffe and Gyles Iannone 45 5. Airborne LiDAR at Caracol, Belize and the Interpretation of Ancient Maya Society and Landscapes Diane Z. Chase, Arlen F. Chase, Jaime J. Awe, John H. Walker, and John F. Weishampel 61 6. Calculating Late Classic Lowland Maya Population for the Upper Belize River Area Anabel Ford, Keith C. Clarke, and Sebastian Morlet 75 7. Patterns of Population Movement at Xunantunich, Cahal Pech, and Baking Pot during the Late and Terminal Classic (AD 600-900) Carolyn Freiwald 89 8. Power and Status in Central Belize: Insights from the Caves Branch Archaeological Survey Project’s 2010 Field Season Christopher R. Andres, Gabriel D. Wrobel, Jason J. Gonzalez, Shawn G. Morton, and Rebecca Shelton 101 9. Revisiting the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: New Investigations at Lubaantun Geoffrey E. Braswell, Nancy Peniche May, Megan R. Pitcavage, and Kiri L. Hagerman 115 10. Identifying the Extent of Ancient Maya Ditched Field Systems in the Rio Hondo Valley of Belize and Mexico: A Pilot Study and Some of its Implications Thomas H. Guderjan and Samantha Krause 127 iv J. Morris et al. 11. How the Other Half Lived: Continuing Discussions of the Enigma that is Ka’Kabish, Belize Helen R. Haines 137 12. The Precocious Dead: Status, Power, and Early Tombs in the Eastern Three Rivers Region Brett A. Houk and Fred Valdez, Jr. 151 SECTION TWO: GENERAL RESEARCH REPORTS 13. A Preliminary AMS Radiocarbon Guided Chronology for the Development of the Uxbenká Polity in Southern Belize Keith M. Prufer, Douglas J. Kennett and Brendan J. Culleton 163 14. Rediscovering Stingray Lagoon Heather McKillop 173 15. Investigations of the Agricultural Terracing Surrounding the Ancient Maya Centre of Minanha, Belize Scott A. Macrae and Gyles Iannone 183 16. The Role of Caves at Pacbitun: Peripheral to the Site Center or Central to the Periphery? Jennifer U. Weber and Terry G. Powis 199 17. Preceramic to Postclassic: A Brief Synthesis of the Occupation History of Group E, Xunantunich M. Kathryn Brown, Jennifer Cochran, Leah McCurdy, and David Mixter 209 18. An Architectural History of Plaza A-III at Xunantunich Leah McCurdy, Jason Yaeger, and M. Kathryn Brown 221 19. Diving the Sacred Pools of Cara Blanca, Belize Lisa J. Lucero, Patricia A. Beddows and Andrew Kinkella 233 20. Investigating an Ancient Maya Marketplace at Buenavista del Cayo, Belize Bernadette Cap 241 21. The Archaeology of St. George’s Caye, Belize: Results of the 2009 Field Season James F. Garber, Jaime J. Awe, Lauren A. Sullivan and Jennifer L. Cochran 255 22. Results of the 2010 Maya Pottery Workshop James J. Aimers 267 v SECTION ONE: STATUS AND POWER IN ANCIENT MAYA SOCIETY 1 STATUS AND POWER: CARACOL, TEOTIHUACAN, AND THE EARLY CLASSIC MAYA WORLD Arlen F. Chase and Diane Z. Chase The archaeological interpretation of status and power is fraught with a variety of issues. While it is sometimes possible to identify those individuals of highest status – and, presumably, power - in the archaeological record, for the most part issues of status and power can become a quagmire for archaeological interpretation. While the verticality of social relationships may sometimes be evident in the archaeological record, the horizontal aspects of socio-political relationships are more difficult to document. Status and power also need to be viewed comparatively as they may vary depending on the arena of interaction. Because agency is involved in determining status and power, what the archaeologist records may not clearly or directly reflect ancient reality. This paper examines the archaeological interpretation of status and power in the Maya area using examples derived from Caracol, Belize – with particular attention paid to an Early Classic cremation unearthed during the 2010 field season that has applicability to discussions of broader Mesoamerican interactions and relationships. Introduction does not necessarily imply a certain status or What constitutes status and power in the any unusual power. However, when green archaeological record? The answer varies obsidian artifacts are found in the Maya depending upon context and scale. Both area, they are often seen as being special – status and power are relative terms that the products of long-distance