Analysis of Marine Sediment of Ancient Maya Saltworks in Paynes Creek National Park, Southern Belize.

Summary

In this paper we present the results of archaeological research at two Classic period Maya salt works currently submerged in a shallow salt-water lagoon in Paynes Creek National Park, Southern Belize. These two contexts are part of the more than 100 locations so far identified in the area where salt was produced by boiling brine over fires near wooden structures. Through the study of marine sediment recovered at excavations from sites 24 and 35, we were able to document environmental and anthropogenic changes over time. This research included loss-on ignition of 32 sediment samples, along with macroscopic and microscopic descriptions of marine sediment. The results of these marine sediment analyses, in conjunction with data on their spatial distribution and their relation with cultural remains, provide insights on the timing and rate of sea-level rise at these submerged salt works. These results advance our understanding of the abandonment of such salt production facilities in Southern Belize at the end of the Classic period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Flooded Ancient Maya Salt Works, Paynes Creek National Park, Belize

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15165