Investigations of a Preclassic E Group at Las Ruinas de Arenal, 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.

The Mopan Valley Preclassic Project began a multiyear project at Las Ruinas de Arenal as part of a larger regional study of the Preclassic social and political landscape in the upper Belize River valley. New excavations of the site’s E Group complex and associated ball court have shed light on Preclassic ritual behavior at the site. Several Preclassic burials and offerings were uncovered on centerline within the E Group plaza. Several of the burials were reentered suggesting ancestor veneration activities. We also encountered a number of small postholes on centerline with offerings of jade. Our preliminary data suggests a complex history of ritual activity within the E Group extending back in time to the Middle Preclassic.

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): 33346