2000 Years of Eating: Continuity and change in food practices among the Puuc Maya

Summary

This paper examines the evidence for what and how the Maya of the Puuc region ate during the long history of occupation of this region. Data collected from almost two decades of research by the Bolonchen Regional Archaeological Project and covering close to two millennium of occupation are used in this exploration of eating. Household archaeology primarily from the site of Kiuic and the suburban site of Stairway to Heaven, and ceramic data from throughout the BRAP study area provide insights into continuities and change during the Maya occupation of the Puuc region. Among the most important findings is the evidence for dramatic changes in daily practices of eating that took place from the Preclassic to Classic periods at the household level. These changes are argued to reflect significant differences in how Preclassic and Classic Maya saw their social relations between themselves, other family members and the larger social world. Ethnographic data and comparative archaeological data are used to further examine what these patterns in Maya ceramics may mean.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• The Social Uses of Food in Ancient Maya Culture

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16834