Tracing the Relationship between E Groups and Emerging Social Integration at the Site of Actuncan, Belize

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Preclassic Landscape in the Mopan Valley, Belize" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

One of the earliest known examples of permanent architecture in the Maya Lowlands, a distinctive plaza-structure complex known as an E Group, is also one of the most commonly encountered architectural groups present within Preclassic sites throughout the region. The rapid adoption of permanent architecture and widespread standardization in its form suggest incredible intraregional integration within the Lowlands, but the nature of this integration remains an important topic of discussion. This presentation reviews techniques and data generated from the E Group at the site of Actuncan, located in the Mopan River valley of Belize, for the examination of local community integration. The construction history of Actuncan’s E Group indicates the presence of local antecedents to the formal complex. Through each phase of occupation, how can the construction techniques and uses of the architectural group inform our understanding of the developing local community? Which practices were innovated with the growth of the complex and which indicate long-standing connections within the river valley? This approach offers an opportunity to study the changing arrangement and uses of the constructed space and develop a case study for the role of architecture in anchoring local communities and promoting social integration at multiple scales.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• The Preclassic Landscape in the Mopan Valley, Belize

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32299