Production and Intensification in Hinterland Communities

Summary

This study investigates the nature and intensity of ancient Maya household economies in northwestern Belize. The primary focus will be centered on investigative ways in which settlement pattern data offers insight to understanding production systems in hinterland communities. The preliminary patterned relationship that emerged among settlement features and land resources allowed for the interpretation of land management strategies and production systems implemented in different environment zones of the study area. Geospatial analysis of raw material procurement and distribution will be examined through the use of a Geographic Information System (GIS). Furthermore, spatial distribution of cultural materials should provide insight into the regional and localized circulation of goods. Results of this study will demonstrate how a hinterland community stratified land resources and built its local landscape into a complex diversified production area specialized in the production of marketable commodities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Polities, Hinterland Communities, and Everything in Between: Twenty-Five Years of Archaeological Research in Northwest Belize   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16570