Introduction to the Lower Belize River Watershed: A Deep History of Human-Environment Interaction

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Archaeology and the History of Human-Environment Interaction in the Lower Belize River Watershed" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper situates the results of 10 years of archaeological investigations by the Belize River East Archaeology (BREA) project, beginning more than 10,000 years ago in the preceramic period. We have also documented ample Maya occupation, including their settlement, production activities, ritual ceremonies, and other aspects of daily life. The BREA study area contains over 122 km2 of perennial wetlands (28% of all wetlands in Belize). Our investigations have documented a long history of human-wetland interaction beginning in the preceramic and continuing through the Maya period. European contact has also been detected, when Spanish entradas penetrated these swamps en route to the Petén. Logwood in these swamps later attracted the British Baymen, who settled in the lower Belize Watershed, including Crooked Tree—today one of the oldest Creole communities in Belize. The archaeology of the Creole, descendants of European and enslaved Africans, has been the focus of our recent investigations. In 2018, BREA worked with the community of Crooked Tree to develop a museum and cultural heritage center. It features the results of the BREA archaeological research, from preceramic to colonial times. The museum is geared for the public, namely local school-age children, aimed at promoting long-term cultural sustainability.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeology and the History of Human-Environment Interaction in the Lower Belize River Watershed   •
• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33057