Groundstone Production and Community Development at the Ancient Maya Site of Pacbitun, Belize

Summary

The archaeological site of Pacbitun is one of the ancient sites that was inhabited by the Maya for approximately two thousand years. It is located in west central Belize near the modern Maya village of San Antonio. In 2011, investigations in the periphery of the site core revealed a small group of mounds, of which one contained evidence of groundstone production. This group, designated as the Tzib Group, was targeted because one of the mounds, labelled Mano Mound, yielded numerous mano fragments on its surface. Intensive investigations at Mano Mound revealed a production loci, namely the manufacture of manos made from granite, dating to the Late Classic (600-800 CE) period. Systematic survey immediately around the Tzib Group has produced numerous other small groups of mounds also engaged in mano production. Until the summer of 2017 we believed that this mano producing community was limited to the northwest periphery of the site core. However, recent investigations in the southeast periphery have identified yet another groundstone workshop for the manufacture of granite manos. This paper will contextualize our findings and discuss the role of these granite workshops as it relates to sociopolitical and economic development in the Late Classic.

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): 21064