The Inside/Outside Connection: A Spatial Analysis of Faunal Remains from Contact Period Maya Elite Structures at Lamanai, Belize

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Celebrating 20 Years of Support: Current Work by Recipients of the Dienje Kenyon Memorial Fellowship for Zooarchaeologists" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

During the colonial period, the Maya living in frontier zones retained much of their community-level sociocultural and hierarchical systems. At Lamanai, Belize, recent excavations of three elite residences provide an opportunity to examine the relationship between status and animal use. In particular, one of the structures is hypothesized to be the residential compound of a Maya community head. I investigate if spatial faunal patterns can help separate Lamanai’s elite based on their political status (ruling vs. nonruling elite) and provide support for the possible identification of the colonial ruler’s residence. To do so, I compare faunal patterns among elite households and consider space use as it relates to activities involving animals. Spatial patterns are examined using taxonomic and skeletal data as well as anthropogenic modifications, such as burning, fracture patterns, and butchery marks. These methods allow me to assess whether different elite households had access to and/or controlled different sets of animal resources (both in terms of taxa or skeletal portions) and engaged in different practices involving animals and animal parts (e.g., rituals, artifact manufacturing, provisioning). Patterns revealed by other artifactual data are also considered. This study provides insight into Lamanai’s sociopolitical composition during Spanish contact.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Celebrating 20 Years of Support: Current Work by Recipients of the Dienje Kenyon Memorial Fellowship for Zooarchaeologists

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32641