Copyright by Terry George Powis 2002 The Dissertation Committee for Terry George Powis Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: An Integrative Approach to the Analysis of the Late Preclassic Ceramics at Lamanai, Belize Committee: Fred Valdez, Jr., Supervisor Thomas R. Hester James A. Neely Samuel M. Wilson Julia G. Kappelman Elizabeth Graham An Integrative Approach to the Analysis of the Late Preclassic Ceramics at Lamanai, Belize by Terry George Powis, B.Sc., M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May, 2002 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to the memory of my grandmother, Laura B. Campbell. Although she is not here to see me graduate, I know she’d be proud. Acknowledgements In the summer of 1988, I participated in an archaeological field school in the country of Belize, Central America. The experience had a profound affect on my life and has led me to where I am today. Getting to this point in my career has had its ups and downs, but I believe, in the end, it has been worthwhile. I have learned many things from many different people and this dissertation would not have been completed without their help, support, and encouragement. I would first like to thank Elizabeth Graham, Julia Kappelman, Thomas Hester, James Neely, and Samuel Wilson for serving on my dissertation committee. I am grateful for their assistance, patience, and understanding throughout this process. I would particularly like to thank my advisor, Fred Valdez, Jr., for his academic guidance, friendship, and for sharing his knowledge of Maya archaeology and ceramics. My research at Lamanai would not have been possible without the initiative of Elizabeth Graham, Principal Investigator of the Lamanai Archaeological Project. I am indebted to Liz for her unflagging support of my research. She has been a good teacher, mentor, and friend. David Pendergast is thanked for his advice, friendship, and help in understanding the Preclassic occupation at Lamanai. Other individuals who have helped me with my ceramic research through their insightful comments and knowledge of Lamanai’s prehistory include: Norbert Stanchly, Richard Meadows, Linda Howie-Langs, v Claude Belanger, Scott Simmons, Nasario Ku, Mark Shelby, Karen Pierce, Laura Howard, John Dalrymple, Heidi Ritscher, Darcy Weiwall, Jennifer Scarlin, and Dorie Reents-Budet. This research would not have been successful without the talent, skill, and professionalism of Ruth Dickau and Louise Belanger, who provided the ceramic illustrations for my dissertation. Food, lodging, and transportation during my years at Lamanai were provided by both the Xochil Ku Butterfly Centre and Maya Cultural Museum and the Lamanai Outpost Lodge. The Office of Graduate Studies, Department of Anthropology, Celeste Neathery, and my fellow graduate students at the University of Texas at Austin deserve special mention for their help and support over the past five years. I want to express my appreciation to a number of students for their friendship, good humor, and active interest in my research: Richard Meadows, William “Skye” Wagner, David McDow, Grant Aylesworth, Palma Buttles-Valdez, Jon Lohse, Rissa Trachman, Mary Jo Galindo, Sharon Dornheim, Clarke Wernecke, Ann Scott, and Ned Graham. Permission to conduct research at Lamanai was granted by the Belize Department of Archaeology through Commissioners Allan Moore, Brian Woodeye, and George Thompson. Funding for my ceramic research was provided by the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI), the Peyton Wright Memorial Fellowship, and the Study Abroad Office at the University of Texas at Austin. A number of people should be recognized for sharing their ideas and insightful comments on Preclassic Maya ceramics over the past few years: Fred vi Valdez, Elizabeth Graham, David Pendergast, David Cheetham, Paul Healy, Jim Aimers, Laura Kosakowsky, Lauren Sullivan, Lisa LeCount, Jaime Awe, and Norbert Stanchly. Norbert began his career as a zooarchaeologist and has now become one of the most well-rounded archaeologists I have worked with in the past 12 years. Although he knows animal bones, I never hesitated to ask him for help with my ceramic study. Together, we have spent many afternoons with Richard Meadows and Nasario Ku discussing Maya archaeology over a tepid Belikin or two at one of the finer establishments in Indian Church. Finally, I want to thank my family for all of their love and support during this long and often arduous process. My parents, Ann and Ray, and my siblings, Steve, Jeff, and Linda, have always been there to keep me grounded and to offer help when needed. Anne Ainsworth and Molly Reading Powis have also been a source of good company and humor. I was thrilled when Jeff was able to come down to Belize not only once to see what I was doing, but twice to film archaeologists in action. Arnold, Dianne, and David Campbell and Shawna Yamaoka have also provided strong support over the years. During the course of my studies at UT-Austin, I have been away from my home in the Toronto area, but I have found a new one at my in-laws in Dripping Springs, Texas. I want to thank Marvin and Kay Hohmann for helping me out with everything. The entire Hohmann family has taken me in and I have been fortunate to share many holiday festivities with them since 1992. My wife, Bobbi Hohmann, has been a source of inspiration for me during my graduate work at UT. She has supported my research from the beginning and has been there to see vii it through to its completion. I want to thank her for her advice, encouragement, patience, and friendship. Bobbi and I both finished our degrees during the same week in the spring of 2002 and are now looking forward to a life outside of the bubble of graduate school. viii An Integrative Approach to the Analysis of the Late Preclassic Ceramics at Lamanai, Belize Publication No._____________ Terry George Powis, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2002 Supervisor: Fred Valdez, Jr. This dissertation presents results from the analysis of the Late Preclassic ceramics at the Maya site of Lamanai, located in northern Belize, Central America. The collection analyzed dates from ca. 400 B.C. to A.D. 250 and consists of two functionally complete complexes (Lag and Zotz). Three temporal divisions are determined (the Lag Ceramic Complex and the early and late facets of the Zotz Ceramic Complex), and are identified within what is called the Chicanel Ceramic Sphere. The methodology employed on this collection of 140 whole and complete vessels is the type:variety-mode system. Although the methodology is based on the basic tenets of this taxonomic system, a new presentation format is used for the ceramic type descriptions which involve a ix focus on the intra-site location (i.e., context) of each vessel or set of vessels. In this way, the contextual units maintain or preserve the groupings of vessels that had meaning to the Maya at the time of deposition. In this study, an integrative approach is used which combines a number of different analytical techniques, including taxonomic, modal, contextual, functional, and technological. The first three techniques are used to classify and describe the pottery. Vessel function is another critical aspect of the research. Vessel forms identified at Lamanai such as bowls, dishes, plates, jars, buckets, and vases had a number of uses and they included cooking, food preparation, food serving and eating, liquid storage, liquid transport, and ritual. Using archaeological, ethnographical, and ethnoarchaeological studies, an examination was made of how different segments of Lamanai’s population (elites and commoners) used their pottery in daily social and ritual activities. A technological (petrographic) analysis was also conducted on a limited number of vessels. The analysis is a preliminary step toward understanding changes, at both the local and nonlocal level, that took place with regard to source clay, paste recipe, and slip technology. Taken in concert, these different approaches provide a better reconstruction of both ceramic and cultural developments during the Late Preclassic period. The culture-historical interpretations are not only Lamanai- specific, but can be applied to other sites in the region and elsewhere in the Maya lowlands. x Table of Contents List of Tables .......................................................................................................xvi List of Figures ...................................................................................................xviii Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................... 1 Background .................................................................................................... 1 Research Design............................................................................................. 5 Nature of the Ceramic Sample ....................................................................... 6 Research Objectives ....................................................................................... 7 First Goal: Producing a Ceramic Typology .......................................... 7 Second Goal: Refining the Ceramic Chronology.................................. 8 Third Goal: Functional Analysis..........................................................