Comparative Geochemical Analyses of Lime-Plaster from a Cave Site in Belize, C.A.

Summary

The medium-sized Late Classic Maya polity of Las Cuevas, Belize features a heavily-modified cave just below the main plaza, containing 73 platforms, seven staircases, and two sets of terraces. Geochemical analyses of the plastered surfaces were conducted in situ using portable XRF (pXRF) and in the lab using pXRF, XRD, SEM-EDS, and FTIR in order to understand the technology used to create the platforms within the cave. Platforms were sampled by selecting from different areas of the cave entrance, different light quality, and different sizes. I hypothesize that differences in chemical composition may represent chronological or functional differences. I will present the results of these different but complementary analyses, discuss the range of variation and explore possible explanations.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Spatial Coverage