The Use of Geospatial Technology to Identify Patterns in the Distribution of Artifacts at the Ancient Maya Site of Pacbitun, Belize

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The archaeological site of Pacbitun is located in west central Belize between the ecozones of the Belize River Valley and the Mountain Pine Ridge. The ancient Maya occupied the site from the beginning of the Middle Preclassic (900 – 300 BC) and continuing through the Terminal Classic (AD 800-900). The use of geographic information systems (GIS) is becoming increasingly useful in the world of archaeology. Throughout the past ten years various artifacts that have been designated as "special finds" have been recovered from the site core and periphery, and based on context have been identified as either elite or commoner. These special finds belong to all material culture categories - bone, ceramic, and lithic – and have been found in isolated mounds, courtyards, plazas, temples, and palaces. In order to generate a better understanding of the significance of these special finds, either singly or in concentration/association, we use a GIS technique called heat mapping. Heat mapping will visually demonstrate any recognizable patterning of low or high frequencies of the special finds. This GIS technique will allow us to determine the kinds of activities (e.g., ritual, household, storage, midden) that were performed in different contexts through time at the site.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24475