THE PAST AS A CONSTITUENT OF THE PRESENT: SOCIAL WATERS AND POSTHUMANISM AT CARA BLANCA, BELIZE BY JEAN T. LARMON DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2019 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Professor Lisa J. Lucero, Chair Professor Stanley Ambrose Professor Timothy Pauketat Assistant Professor Alison Carter, University of Oregon ABSTRACT Cara Blanca is a system of natural pools in central Belize accessed by bodies (human and non-) for millennia, both for physical and spiritual sustenance. Most prominently, the pools are home to ancient Maya ceremonial architecture and ritual remains that emerged and were accessed by Maya during a period of prolonged and severe droughts in the Terminal Classic period (800-900 CE). Almost 27,000 years earlier, the pools were visited by extinct giant ground sloths also in search of reprieve from drought. I examine archaeological and paleoecological materials from Cara Blanca in the Terminal Classic period (800-900 CE) and paleontological material from 27,000 years ago to show that water was essential in the formation of human and non-human relations at the Cara Blanca pools. This dissertation examines, through a framework of posthumanism, the ways in which the shifting climate has impacted the context of Cara Blanca throughout millennia. I focus on the role of water in maintaining an integrated landscape through these climate shifts and show that water was the integrating force in the construction of the Cara Blanca space during the Terminal Classic period of Maya occupation, as well as pre- and post- Maya occupation. The repositioning of water as a primary force in this analysis situates water as active and energetic, allowing for an expanded notion of who or what warrants justice. This reconceptualization of past landscapes as still unfolding in the present has the potential to influence the development of today’s conservation policy. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the emotional and academic support of so many. My advisor, Lisa Lucero, was the mentor I never knew that I needed. She not only provided academic guidance throughout my years in Belize, but also showed me how to navigate the field (and, perhaps, life) as a woman who won’t apologize for being just that. The rest of my committee was patient and open-minded: Tim Pauketat made me fall in love with theory, Alison Carter reminded me of the deeply human dimension of my work, and Stan Ambrose made me excited about sloths (and the worlds of knowledge we can gain from their teeth!). Karla Harmon, Liz Spears, and Joyce Dowell answered my endless questions and were the greatest part of coming into Davenport Hall each day. Certainly, I owe a great amount to those in Belize without whom I would have perished in the jungle or gone hungry. Dr. Morris and the Belize Institute of Archaeology offered their support of this project through permits for the fieldwork and the export of soils over many years. Mr. Jeff Roberson at Yalbac Ranch made this field work possible. His support and willingness to let me wander the jungle was key to my success. His crew was kind and patient with me, helping me find ways out of a jam or through dense jungle brush. My field colleagues—Ernesto Vasquez, Cleofo Choc, Stanley Choc, Jose Vasquez, Javier Vasquez, Carlos Vasquez, Tilo Luna, Antonio Luna, Marciel Artega, Javier Artega, Juan Antonio Lopes—taught me so much about working in the jungle, about archaeology, and about Belize. They kept me alive and offered the best conversation while doing so. Lucy, Myra, and Jennifer Choc—and of course the always remembered and cherished Miss Louisa—gave me warm food and a loving place to eat. Miss Carolyn and Mr. John Carr, as well as the rest of the Banana Bank family, gave me a second home while in Belize. I always felt welcome and taken of. Tony Rath became an ultimate iii adventure partner. His beautiful photographs brought this dissertation to life and are a visual call for action in the conservation of Belize. Finally, my friends and family gave me the wherewithal to get to this point. My friends around the country, particularly Erin Benson and Aimée Carbaugh in Illinois, listened to my doubts and reassured me, explored ideas and the jungle with me, laughed with me at mistakes and celebrated successes. They were the greatest field and life partners and I cherish them so deeply. The rest of the VOPA crew—particularly Zach Nissen, Jesann Gonazalez Cruz, and Amy Copper—withstood stressful moments and never lost motivation. They allowed me to grow as an archaeologist and teacher while enjoying the magic of our work together. My family not only brewed my love for the outdoors, for archaeology, and for hard work, but they also supported me every step of the way. My dad read Archaeology Magazine and sent notes with his favorite stories for years, reminding me that he was in it with me. My mom nervously laughed at many stories of travel that didn’t quite go to plan, but never doubted me; she often passed along her favorite books that mirrored my love for travel. Both my parents allowed me to be my eccentric self and showed only love through the years; both reveled in the adventure of it all. My brother, though he was deep in the throes of medical school, always celebrated my successes and was there for me when those inevitable failures took over my psyche. His beautiful wife shared in his support of me and excitement for me. Both of them laughed at my chechem/poison ivy covered body (even when it was present in their wedding photos) and stories of travel, sharing in the delight and also the absurdity of my life. My sister became my best friend. She was in this journey with me every step of the way, offering support, advice, or just understanding. We grew into our professional selves together and, I think, I am largely who I am at this moment because iv of her influence. Her husband has quickly become a firm support of my academic trials and tribulations. Last but very far from least, Tommy. I didn’t know that I was missing a partnership until a few years ago when somehow we met. Tommy rappels into sinkholes in the middle of the jungle with me, stays up late analyzing data with me, and helps me plan survey routes. When I was stuck in a hole of dissertation writing, he pulled me out to spend the weekend in the woods. When I just couldn’t leave my work, he made me dinner. He, Sela, and Mowgli very quickly became what I was most excited to come home to from fieldwork. I am very lucky. All of the above people made the past five years of my life some of my greatest and for that I am so very grateful. v Jane and Steve Larmon vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: SOCIAL WATERS, RELATIONAL ONTOLOGY, AND POSTHUMANISM AT CARA BLANCA, BELIZE .................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2: ANCIENT MAYA NEW MATERIALISMS: HOW WE UNIFY MATTER ............................................................................................................................................27 CHAPTER 3: WATER MATTERS: THE SETTING .......................................................54 CHAPTER 4: WORLD(S) OF WATER: POOL 1’S GRAVITAS ...................................82 CHAPTER 5: CEREMONIAL CIRCUITS AND CARA BLANCA..............................124 CHAPTER 6: WHEN A TREE FALLS, WHO HEARS IT? LATE PLEISTOCENE WATERS AT CARA BLANCA .......................................................................................................162 CHAPTER 7: WATER’S JUSTICE: CARA BLANCA AND WORLDWIDE .............181 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................206 APPENDIX A: ARTIFACTS ..........................................................................................243 APPENDIX B: POLLEN .................................................................................................283 APPENDIX C: ISOTOPES .............................................................................................286 vii CHAPTER 1— SOCIAL WATERS, RELATIONAL ONTOLOGY, AND POSTHUMANISM AT CARA BLANCA, BELIZE No justice... seems possible or thinkable without the principle of some responsibility, beyond all living present, within that which disjoins the living present, before the ghosts of those who are not yet born or who are already dead...—Derrida (1994:xix; emphasis original). Since the concept of the Anthropocene was first introduced (Cruzten 2002), it has become a polarizing topic with some scholars calling for an eradication of the term (Malm and Hornbord 2014), many scholars debating its start date (see Lewis and Maslin 2015; Morton 2013; Ruddiman and Ellis 2009; Water et al. 2016), and still others discussing the complex politics of its use (Bauer and Bahn 2018). The roots of this debate lie in the notion that either the Anthropocene should be defined as the “human-dominated, geological epoch” (Cruzten 2002:23; see also Ruddiman et al. 2015; Steffan et al. 2007), or that the acknowledgement of this epoch occasions the necessity to break down the boundary between “natural” and “cultural” (Chakarabarty 2009; Morton 2013). The tension that divides the concept of the Anthropocene— between the ideas of “human above” and “humans amongst”—drives the present New Materialist analysis of the Cara Blanca pools in central Belize. Here, I push