The Organization and Economic Activity Related to the Extraction and Production of Utilitarian Tools in the Mopan Valley, Belize

Summary

A major topic of recent study about the ancient Maya is the role of elites and non-elites in the ancient Maya economy. Such studies have illustrated that different types of objects operated within varying economic modes; therefore the methods of production and distribution of diverse types of objects should be examined individually. This paper will examine the economic role of utilitarian chert tools in the Late to Terminal Classic Maya economy. This paper will utilize an examination of the chaîne opèratoire, or lithic production sequence, of the lithic materials from Callar Creek Quarry, a chert quarry and production site located in western Belize, to study the control of raw material sources and lithic production in the Mopan Valley. The materials from Callar Creek Quarry will be compared with those from two other chert quarry/production sites in the Mopan Valley. Through these data this paper will argue that access to chert raw materials, and the production of utilitarian chert tools, was controlled by non-elite households adjacent to the quarry/production areas.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Global Perspectives on Lithic Technologies in Complex Societies

Keywords

Spatial Coverage