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

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.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Preclassic to Colonial: Current Investigations in the Petén Lakes Region, Guatemala

Keywords

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