Making Choices in the Maya Hinterlands: An Analysis of Terminal Classic Households at Floodplain North, Western Belize

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Investigations at Floodplain North of the San Lorenzo Survey Area, located in the hinterlands of Xunantunich, examined the political and economic behaviors of a community as the navigated major transformations of the Terminal Classic (780-950 AD) period. While causes of the Maya collapse, the abandonment of large centers, and the changes in elite culture have experienced significant study, the active choices and behaviors of non-elites immediately prior, during, and after collapse were the focus of this study. This research addresses how rural settlements negotiated the collapse through archaeological examination of household settlements of hinterland commoners. Floodplain North was an ideal settlement to examine these processes due to long occupation history throughout the settlement cluster, with evidence of occupation in the Early Classic, Classic, and Postclassic periods. Choices made by commoners of Floodplain North were the result of active engagement with the broader political and economic transformations occurring in the Mopan River Valley. While the political and ceremonial center of Xunantunich began to wane in power and influence, residents of Floodplain North continued to farm their land and reinforce local authority. While many people migrated out of Mopan Valley following the Terminal Classic collapse, a contingent remained at Floodplain North.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32912