Twenty Years of Historical Archaeology in the Yalahau and Costa Escondida Regions

Summary

Since the mid-1990s, members of the Yalahau and Costa Escondida projects have focused on historical archaeology in northern Quintana Roo. Our research has examined the remnants of the chicle (chewing gum), sugar cane and small-batch rum industries from the late 1800s. Although these sites are relatively recent, the production equipment and other artifacts have been picked through by later occupants, making it challenging to be able to reconstruct the historic record. In an attempt to overcome this obstacle, we have combined on the ground archaeology, with archival research and ethnographic interviews with local peoples as well as experts in commodity production. Through these combined methods, we have attempted to better understand the living and working conditions of Maya laborers, their foreign managers, as well as the production process for making chicle and rum in this remote region.  

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Recent Shifts in Maya Archaeology: Investigations of the Colonial and National Periods of the Yucatan   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15452