Belize (Country) (Geographic Keyword)
1,576-1,600 (4,066 Records)
At some point between initial colonization and first contact with Europeans, Fijian economies transformed from being dependent upon marine foraging to dependence upon intensive agriculture. The timing and spatial pattern of this transition has beguiled archaeologists because the archaeology of Post-Lapita, "Mid Sequence" archaeology has been so scantily preserved and recovered. We employed geoarchaeological coring of terrestrial soil and sedimentary sequences along a transect from near the coast...
Geomorphic and isotopic indicators of anthropogenic change from Holocene-length alluvial deposits in the Rio Blanco watershed (2017)
Recent geoarchaeological investigations in southern Belize have focused on the Paleoindian to Archaic site of Tzib’te Yux located in the Rio Blanco watershed and dating between 3000-12500 BP as well as adjacent river terraces. Landscape-level vegetation changes are apparent within the area in the form of forest clearance by 5000 BP. Evidence of pedogenesis derived from four years of excavations and sedimentation rates established through modeling and high-precision 14C AMS dating have produced...
Geomorphological Development and Implications for Human Settlement of Southern Yap, Western Caroline Islands (2019)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Human population dispersals across Remote Oceania were some of the most remarkable long-distance voyages in history. Recent collaborative research focused on the timing, drivers, and complexities of these voyages has led to an increased understanding of these movements, but many questions still remain unanswered. This is especially true for Yap, a group of...
Geophysical Investigations of Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Sites on Sint Eustatius, Dutch Caribbean (2021)
This is an abstract from the "NSF REU Site: Exploring Globalization through Archaeology 2019–2020 Session, St. Eustatius, Dutch Caribbean" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Sint Eustatius served as a free port in the late seventeenth century, enabling the island to prosper in a evolving global economy. To better understand the role Sint Eustatius played in globalization, archaeological assessments have occurred at SE094 (Fort Amsterdam), SE095...
Geophysical Survey as an Exercise in Applied Archaeological Education (2018)
Graduate and undergraduate students from the course "Geophysical Applications in Archaeology" conduct a geophysical survey related to a potential archaeological site or cemetery each year. The survey is undertaken as a final small group project composed of two to three students. The purpose of the survey is to determine if there is geophysical evidence of potentially buried archaeological features or burials within the survey area. Each individual group surveys a single 20mX20m geophysical grid...
The Geopolitical Implications of Sub-flow Variation within the Zaragoza-Oyameles Obsidian Source (2017)
Chemical analysis of obsidian is a useful proxy for studying the control of obsidian goods exchange and the presence of pre-Hispanic geopolitical boundaries. Recent studies on obsidian sourcing show that during the Late Postclassic period (A.D. 1250-1519), regional altepemeh imported obsidian from several sources within highland Mesoamerica. Analysis of data suggests that no single political entity fully controlled the distribution of obsidian goods from a particular source, suggesting that...
Geopolitics and Style in the Eastern Highlands of Chiapas during the Late Classic (2023)
This is an abstract from the "Dynamic Frontiers in the Archaeology of Chiapas" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The scarce glyphic corpus recorded in the Eastern Highlands of Chiapas makes it difficult to reconstruct dynastic lineages in this western frontier region of the Maya world; Chinkultic is the only case of study in which we find important epigraphic evidence. As a result, material culture and style are key elements to understand political...
Geosourcing and Geopolitics: Handheld XRF Analysis of Obsidian from Households in the Yaxuna-Coba Region (2023)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. This poster presents results of sourcing analysis of artifacts from Classic period Maya sites in Northern Yucatán and Quintana Roo from household contexts using handheld X-ray fluorescence (hXRF). Previous analysis by Danielle Waite sourced artifacts from Coba and Yaxuna from excavations by the Proyecto de Interacción Política del Centro de Yucatán and...
Geospatial Analysis of Material Culture in the Hinterlands in Northwestern Belize (2021)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Belize archaeology field school, Dos Hombres to Gran Cacao (DH2GC), has been active since 2009, gathering cultural remains from different excavations. Using ArcGIS, the excavations and associated ceramic artifacts can be used for geospatial analyses of human settlement, occupation, and trading patterns. The general goal of the project is to create a...
A Geospatial Analysis of Sacred Trees and Archaeological Sites in the Precontact Society Islands (French Polynesia) (2024)
This is an abstract from the "Entangled Legacies: Human, Forest, and Tree Dynamics" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Archaeological, anthropological, and historical sources speak to the importance of particular tree species for ceremonial and quotidian use in precontact Polynesian chiefdoms. Archaeological studies have largely discussed the spatial association of trees and archaeological sites in an ad hoc manner, thus more refined spatial analyses...
Getting Creative with Photogrammetry: Adventures in Dos Mangas, Ecuador (2024)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Photogrammetry, the science of converting two-dimensional images into immersive 3D models, traditionally adheres to a strict set of guidelines and specialized tools. However, this poster explores the spirited realm of photogrammetry with rule bending and limits to achieve success in Dos Mangas, Ecuador. In this resource-constrained setting, innovators...
Getting Involved: The Benefits of Archaeological Awareness through Public Outreach (2023)
This is an abstract from the "Outreach and Education: Examples of Approaches and Strategies from the Pacific Northwest" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Archaeologists that engage in public outreach have the ability to fulfill several important objectives, both for the general public and for themselves. The act of informing non-archaeologists what professionals do, and why, has the potential to decrease unlawful looting, provide a better sense of...
Getting out of the Box: New Horizons for Cultural Resources Data Management and Analyses (2018)
Following the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA), we are compelled to take both a retrospective and introspective view of the NHPA, and in particular the implementation of Section 106. Though making great strides, Section 106, the primary driver of Cultural Resource Management (CRM), is still boxed in by rote inventory and unimaginative interpretation and implementation. This paper will suggest ways we can break out of the box through better data...
The Ghost of Functionalism (2017)
This paper considers the assumptions, limitations, and greater implications that a theory of integration-disintegration has for analyzing social change across space and time. It reviews the historical foundations of the concept of integration as it emerged in enlightenment social theory and considers how the concept of integration has been repeatedly and uncritically co-opted into various discourses of archaeological theory. An alternative framework for thinking about social change will be...
Gift of the Gods: A Mashup of the History of Mesoamerican Avocados (2023)
This is an abstract from the "An Exchange of Ideas: Recent Research on Maya Commodities" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The earliest avocados of the Americas were dispersed by extinct megafauna, and later by human populations, including Olmec, Maya, and Aztecs peoples. Prized for their flavor and rich caloric content, avocados were portrayed on Maya king’s tombs, served as the municipal symbol of ancient Mesoamerican cities, as a month in the Maya...
The Gilded Age in Eastern Yucatán, Mexico: the Age of Betrayal or the Rise of the Middle Class? (2015)
The social transformations produced by rapid industrialization and expansion of henequen production in the late nineteenth century in western Yucatan were not what happened in Maya-speaking communities further to the east. The Gilded Age in eastern Yucatan was attenuated because communities suffered the protracted aftershocks of the Caste War of Yucatan (1847-1901), which may have repressed wealth disparities instead of heightening them. In this paper, I examine the archaeology of haciendas and...
GINI and the Indigenous Critique: Dynamics of Equality and Inequality in Eastern North America (2023)
This is an abstract from the "To Have and Have Not: A Progress Report on the Global Dynamics of Wealth Inequality (GINI) Project" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. In this paper we utilize the systemic, empirically driven methodology developed by the Global Dynamics of Wealth Inequality (GINI) project in order to evaluate and compare differences in wealth accumulation for Indigenous eastern North American societies. These societies were predominantly...
A GIS Analysis of Production Areas, Ritual Spaces, and Socioeconomics at the Mixed Inka-Local Administrative Center of Turi, Northern Chile (2017)
While anthropologists are often concerned with profiling the socioeconomic character of the cultures they study, this task can be challenging for archaeological researchers investigating long-abandoned settlements. Intrasite socioeconomic reconstructions in particular may depend upon such factors as the accurate detection of specific production activities and the partitioning of architectural features into socially informative categories. This paper presents a case study on this topic wherein...
GIS and Drones in the Middle Moche Valley: an Analysis of Huaca Menocucho (2017)
Huaca Menocucho is a prehistoric monumental center located in the middle Moche Valley on the northern coast of Peru. The site shows evidence of several construction and occupation phases of the Moche Valley cultural sequence (Prieto & Maquera, 2015). Huaca Menocucho and the surrounding area have faced looting and destruction from several sources. In July 2016, MOCHE, Inc. conducted a drone survey combined with a systematic surface artifact survey to record information about activities and...
A GIS and Remote Sensing Approach to Settlement Patterns, Cultural Landscape, and Utilization of Natural Resources in the Hinterlands: Dos Hombres to Gran Cacao Archaeology Project (2023)
This is an abstract from the "2023 Fryxell Award Symposium: Papers in Honor of Timothy Beach Part I" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Besides using lidar data, the application of various methods (e.g., documentation by total station, aerial photographs, modern/historical maps, and archaeological data) helps to assure a more precise identification and interpretation process of the archaeological features. In addition, the geographical information...
GIS Modeling of Precolonial Maya Natural Resource Management Strategies during Major Climatic Changes (2021)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. This project analyzes the water management systems of a smaller Puuc community, tentatively labeled Site A that was recently identified using lidar (light detection and ranging) technology. This region is distinctive for having no natural surface water features. Precolumbian Puuc communities captured rainwater during the wet season in chultuns (underground...
GIS, Identity, and the Sacred Landscape (2017)
GIS techniques are no foreigner to Mesoamerican studies though the hybridization of digital analytics and human identity is incomplete. In recent years suites of technologies have allowed for better visualization of data within archaeological projects. Though computer programs and higher profile data-gathering techniques have become widely embraced by the archaeological community, research should be rooted in cultural proclivities as well. By recording the complex shifts in topography via remote...
Giving Back: Debt in Classic Maya Narratives (2018)
This paper considers textual and visual evidence of debt among Classic Maya nobles. It begins with an overview of lexical data and summarizes specific references to payment and accounting. The argument proceeds to some less obvious contexts such as ‘just-so’ myths, which reveal a notion of primordial transactions and gifts to be repaid in perpetuity. Finally, the paper considers the movement of inscribed objects. The argument is that giving those essentially inalienable possessions marked...
A Glaring Absence: The Need for Native Philosophy in Ontological Archaeologies (2023)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Ontological Turn has become thoroughly entrenched in archaeological research, providing both new avenues of topical research as well as strong influences over the discipline as a whole. It has provided a needed shift to thinking outside the traditional archaeological box, taking many steps in the right direction. Yet, in the majority of cases,...
Glenn A. Black and the Lessons of Big Site/Big Science Archaeology (2019)
This is an abstract from the "Sins of Our Ancestors (and of Ourselves): Confronting Archaeological Legacies" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Large-scale excavations in the first half of the 20th century, like those conducted by Glenn Black at Angel Mounds, were a means to deliver archaeology from its antiquarian roots to legitimate scientific practice. Though this transformation led to innovative methods, amassed collections of unprecedented size...