Bioarchaeological analysis of an ancient Maya ancestral context at Cahal Pech, San Ignacio, Belize

Summary

Interaction of the living with the bones of the deceased is a tradition practiced in various forms throughout ancient and modern Mesoamerica. Among the ancient Maya the manipulation of the deceased body is associated with powerful ancestral rituals likely carried out to reinforce and legitimate sociopolitical power. Structures placed on the eastern perimeter of plaza groups often contain multiple inhumations and are interpreted as ancestral locations. Structure B1 at Cahal Pech, located within the Belize River Valley, Belize, is one such structure. Ongoing excavations have revealed numerous burials and caches placed within B1 over the course of its use. The recently recovered Burial 7 consists of a tomb of cut stone blocks containing the remains of at least three adult individuals of both sexes and additional isolated human remains. Artifacts and body positioning suggest a possible origin outside the Belize Valley for at least two of the occupants. In this paper we use taphonomic, isotopic, and carbon-14 data to reconstruct the sequence of interment and residential history of the tomb occupants. We compare Burial 7 to other collective interments from eastern structures in the Belize Valley and nearby sites to refine current perceptions of ancient Maya ancestral ideology.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage