Crumbling Walls: Terminal Classic Maya Collapse and Abandonment of Nim Li Punit, Belize
Author(s): Mario Borrero; Luke Stroth; Chad Rankle; Geoffrey Braswell
Year: 2021
Summary
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.
This paper will present a synthetic review of the Terminal Classic collapse of the Maya site of Nim li Punit, Belize, based on new data from recent architectural excavations and artifact analysis. These lines of evidence show that around A.D. 800 the site saw the cessation of elite activities, the halting of new constructions, the disrepair of existing architecture, and ultimately the abandonment of the site. The data presented will illuminate the nature of abandonment of one of the major Southern Belize centers at the close of the Classic period. We will examine theories on the processes of state collapse and consider the archaeological evidence from our site and how it may fit into these narratives. Finally, we will conclude by exploring the possible internal regional dynamics of the Southern Belize Region during this major period of social change and transformation.
Cite this Record
Crumbling Walls: Terminal Classic Maya Collapse and Abandonment of Nim Li Punit, Belize. Mario Borrero, Luke Stroth, Chad Rankle, Geoffrey Braswell. Presented at The 86th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. 2021 ( tDAR id: 467750)
This Resource is Part of the Following Collections
Keywords
General
Archaeometry & Materials Analysis
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Architecture
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Collapse, Abandonment, Photogrammetry
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Maya: Classic
Geographic Keywords
Mesoamerica
Spatial Coverage
min long: -107.271; min lat: 12.383 ; max long: -86.353; max lat: 23.08 ;
Record Identifiers
Abstract Id(s): 33411