Cultural Change on a Temporal and Spatial Frontier: Ceramics of the Terminal Classic to Postclassic transition in the Upper Belize River Valley

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Aimers
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Change ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
Belize River Valley ◽  
Temporal And Spatial

THE LAST HURRAH: EXAMINING THE NATURE OF PERI-ABANDONMENT DEPOSITS AND ACTIVITIES AT CAHAL PECH, BELIZE

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime J. Awe ◽  
Claire E. Ebert ◽  
Julie A. Hoggarth ◽  
James J. Aimers ◽  
Christophe Helmke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Small Groups ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Classic Period ◽  
Contextual Analysis ◽  
The Past ◽  
Terminal Classic ◽  
Belize River Valley ◽  
Limited Support ◽  
Remnant Population ◽  
Activity Areas

AbstractArchaeological investigations by the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Project at Cahal Pech uncovered several Terminal Classic (a.d. 750–900) peri-abandonment deposits and activity areas at this Belize River Valley center. The deposits contained a diverse assemblage of cultural remains located above and between collapsed architecture, associated with evidence for burning activities. In the past, archaeologists have generally interpreted similar assemblages as “problematic deposits”—“de facto” refuse (garbage)—as associated with building termination and desecration, or as evidence for rapid abandonment during the violent destruction of these ancient cities. It is argued here that the microstratigraphic excavation and contextual analysis of these features provide limited support for these explanations. Alternatively, we suggest that the deposits are more likely associated with peri-abandonment rituals that were conducted by a reduced remnant population at Cahal Pech, or by small groups who continued to reside in the site's periphery during the last stages of the Terminal Classic period.

Preclassic Round Structures of the Upper Belize River Valley

2000 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Aimers ◽  
Terry G. Powis ◽  
Jaime J. Awe
Keyword(s):  
River Valley ◽  
Architectural Form ◽  
Maya Architecture ◽  
Belize River Valley ◽  
Preclassic Maya ◽  
Preclassic Period ◽  
The World ◽  
Middle Preclassic ◽  
Maya Site

Round structures are considered a rarity in Maya architecture. Four late Middle Preclassic period (650-300 B.C.) round structures excavated at the Maya site of Cahal Pech demonstrate that this was a common architectural form for the Preclassic Maya of the upper Belize River Valley. These open platforms are described, and compared to similar forms in the Belize Valley and elsewhere. An interpretation of their significance is offered that uses information from artifacts, burials, and ethnohistory as well as analogy with round structures in other parts of the world. We suggest that these small round platforms were used for performance related to their role as burial or ancestor shrines.

scholarly journals The Search for a Paradigm in Archaeology Evolutionary Theory and the "Selectionist" School of Thought

2003 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo F.V.. Cardoso
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Change ◽  
Culture Change ◽  
Culture Medium ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Evolutionary Archaeology ◽  
Unit Of Selection ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Cultural Traits ◽  
Differential Reproductive Success ◽  
Generic Process

According to evolutionary archaeology (the "selectionist" school of archaeological theory) the archaeological record can be explained in terms of generic Darwinian processes of evolution. Evolution is seen as the differential persistence of cultural traits and as the differential reproductive success of individuals in result of the cultural traits they possess. However, one of the major criticisms of evolutionary archaeology is concerned with the absence of a defined unit of selection. Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and others have suggested that the same generic process as biological evolution governs culture change and that culture evolves as a result of the differential replication of cultural units, the memes, that play an analogous role as genes. If this is so, it is suggested that the unit of selection that might be lacking in evolutionary archaeology is the meme. Since memetics (the study of memes as cultural replicators) is a theory of cultural change it has the potential to provide the explanatory framework for the temporal and spatial patterns of archaeological phenomena. Despite its potential, memetics seems to introduce Lamarckian processes of evolution in Ihe culture medium, which are not very explanatory. The purpose of this article is to show the potential of generic evolutionary processes in explanations of culture change and discuss the major problems involved in this theoretical approach.

TO EAT, DISCARD, OR VENERATE: FAUNAL REMAINS AS PROXY FOR HUMAN BEHAVIORS IN LOWLAND MAYA PERI-ABANDONMENT DEPOSITS

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chrissina C. Burke ◽  
Katie K. Tappan ◽  
Gavin B. Wisner ◽  
Julie A. Hoggarth ◽  
Jaime J. Awe
Keyword(s):  
River Valley ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Human Behaviors ◽  
Belize River Valley ◽  
Baking Pot ◽  
Lowland Maya

AbstractInterpreting middens, feasting events, ritual, or terminal deposits in the Maya world requires an evaluation of faunal remains. Maya archaeologists consistently evaluate other artifact classes, but often offer simply number of identified specimens values for skeletal elements recovered from these deposits. To further understand their archaeological significance, we analyzed faunal materials from deposits at the sites of Baking Pot and Xunantunich in the Upper Belize River Valley. We identified the species, bone elements, bone or shell artifacts, taphonomic signatures, and quantitative ratios recovered to test whether a deposit can be identified as a midden, part of a feasting ritual, terminal ritual, or other rituals significant to the Maya. Our analyses allow us to begin building a system for using faunal remains as a proxy for interpreting the significance of these deposits. In this paper, we present our results and hope to open the conversation for future evaluations of faunal remains in similar deposits.

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