Eccentric Caching Practices of the Belize Valley

Summary

The ancient Maya expressed complex ideological and cosmological systems through diverse material practices. The ritual caching of objects, particularly offerings of chert and obsidian eccentrics, was a common manifestation of this integrated worldview throughout the Maya Lowlands. The study of these caches allows archaeologists to explore elements of ancient Maya ideology, which were shared across broad temporal and spatial landscapes.

With over 100 years of previous archaeological research, the Belize Valley is an ideal locale for understanding regional caching practices. At the major civic-ceremonial center of Xunantunich, recent work by the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Project revealed the presence of several dedicatory caches from the Late Classic Period, adding to the corpus of known caches in the valley. An examination of eccentric morphology and cache context from the Belize Valley elucidates the manifestation of strong regional traditions and pan-Maya ideology, as well as provides insight into access and consumption of local and long distance trade commodities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16355