Understanding Animal Use at the Wetland Maya Site of Chulub

Summary

Reconstructions of ancient Maya animal use often emphasize the importance of terrestrial species, such as deer, to the overall diet. While these species played an important role, much less attention has been paid to the use of aquatic resources despite the presence of resource rich perennial wetlands in the Maya lowlands. To further understand this crucial area of the Maya-environment relationship, we investigated the site of Chulub located in the Western Lagoon Wetlands of Belize. This site dates to the Classic-Postclassic transition (ca. AD 800-1200) and contains only one formal plaza, but it includes numerous outlying structures associated with a series of artificial pond and canal features. During the 2017 season, we tested one of these structures and performed a series of test pits targeting midden deposits in the main plaza. The preliminary zooarchaeological results presented here suggest terrestrial and aquatic species, particularly freshwater turtles, were important components in the overall subsistence of Chulub inhabitants. The presence of ceramic net weights further corroborates the importance of aquatic species, possibly raised and farmed in the nearby ponds. These preliminary results highlight the importance of aquatic resources within Maya subsistence and support the need for further research within this understudied area.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22518