Preclassic Faunal Utilization at Pacbitun, Belize.

Summary

Archaeological excavations within the Belize River Valley region have produced robust faunal assemblages that have increased our understanding of the Maya use of animals during the Preclassic. At Pacbitun, located on the southern periphery of the Valley, large scale horizontal excavations are providing insights into animal utilization during the Preclassic period at the site (1000 BC – AD 300). These investigations have probed into plaza floors, residential and ceremonial platforms, as well as burials. The resulting conclusions have demonstrated a relatively narrow use of animals at the site as food resources but exemplify a significant use of freshwater and marine faunal resources, with evidence for the widespread use of the latter as raw material for Preclassic shell bead production. We offer varying interpretations for the substantial amounts of freshwater jute shells found at the site and discuss Pacbitun’s role in long distance exchange networks to procure marine faunal resources. Investigations at Pacbitun demonstrate numerous avenues for the use of animals and help determine evolving space and social class dynamics over time. Finally, we contextualize faunal use at Pacbitun within the broader patterns of Preclassic animal use seen in the Belize River Valley.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21333