Curation and Best Practice with Human Remains in Northwest Belize

Summary

As of the summer of 2015, approximately 135 burials have been recovered and investigated through the Programme for Belize Archaeological Project (PfBAP) in Northwest Belize. Within the 270,000 acres of land on which the PfBAP operates, approximately 60 archaeological sites have been recorded and investigated. As the number of burials increases with new site identification and investigation, a need for data consolidation and accessibility has arisen. We aim to make this data more attainable through consolidating the burial records and inventory into a more accessible database. This coincides with an effort to practice best preservation methods, maintenance, and curation protocols as it relates to human remains. We are currently working to establish analysis and storage standards and a running accession process for the PfBAP human remains collection. Here we address the beginnings of this project, the accomplishments and mishaps experienced during the first year of its development, and the hopeful plan and intention for the project as it develops in the future.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage