Household Economies in the Petén Lakes Region: Late Classic Ceramic Assemblages from Trinidad de Nosotros and Xilil

Author(s): Ellen Moriarty; Matthew Moriarty

Year: 2016

Summary

In this paper we present a detailed view of ancient Maya domestic economy from the perspective of household midden ceramic assemblages at two sites along the north shore of Lake Petén Itzá: Trinidad de Nosotros and Xilil. A highly successful method of midden prospecting was employed over the course of three field seasons, resulting in the excavation of more than 20 middens in 15 Late Classic residential groups across the two sites. Analyses of ceramics from these middens, including type-variety, functional, modal, and petrographic, shed light on behavioral patterns and activities carried out in and around households of all socioeconomic levels. Through comparisons with middens clearly created through public ritual activities, this paper provides a working definition of a typical Late Classic household midden in the central Petén Lakes region.

Cite this Record

Household Economies in the Petén Lakes Region: Late Classic Ceramic Assemblages from Trinidad de Nosotros and Xilil. Ellen Moriarty, Matthew Moriarty. Presented at The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Orlando, Florida. 2016 ( tDAR id: 404143)

Keywords

General
Households Maya Pottery

Geographic Keywords
Mesoamerica

Spatial Coverage

min long: -107.271; min lat: 12.383 ; max long: -86.353; max lat: 23.08 ;