Reevaluation of the Placencia Salt Works in the Classic Maya Economy

Summary

The Placencia Salt Works in southern Belize are re-evaluated based on 2015 field work, building on previous research by J. Jefferson MacKinnon. Comparisons are made with the Paynes Creek Salt Works based on a similar salt-water lagoon environment, salt-production artifacts (briquetage), the presence of earthen mounds, and the absence of preserved wooden architecture at the Placencia Salt Works. Study of the briquetage indicates a similar process of evaporating brine in pots over fires to make salt. At Sacapulas in the highlands of Guatemala and elsewhere, the salt content of brine is enriched by pouring it through salty soil prior to the evaporation process—in order to reduce fuel consumption. Only two of the Paynes Creek Salt Works have earthen mounds, since the other salt works were submerged by sea-level rise and any earthen mounds would have been deflated by wave action. However, mounds are plentiful at the Placencia Salt Works where wooden buildings may have been constructed in the open spaces. Spatial analysis of the Placencia mounds provides new insights into salt production and provides an indication of the ancient extent of brine enrichment at the Paynes Creek Salt Works. Ongoing field research will evaluate the spatial context of production.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Beyond the Shore: The Underwater Maya Project, Paynes Creek National Park, Belize.

Keywords

Spatial Coverage