Large-Scale, Upland, Landscape Modification and the Implications for Classic Maya Population Density and Land Tenure in Northwestern Belize

Summary

This is an abstract from the "2023 Fryxell Award Symposium: Papers in Honor of Timothy Beach Part I" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Lidar data from the 2016 survey and subsequent ground truthing and fieldwork in the settlement zone of the site of Xnoha have revealed a complex system of Linear Stone Boundary Markers surrounding house lots in residential areas surrounding the central precinct of the site. These are located on the tops of hills located to the North, East, West and South of the hill where the central precinct is located and generally termed “The NEWS.” At the bases of these hills are agricultural terraces and in the adjacent lowlands are ditched agricultural fields. In this paper, we examine the projected population density and access to local resources. Our data indicate that population size and density were much higher than anticipated and that residents had access to significant resources in their solarés as well as additional resources located proximally to the NEWS residential groups.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)   •
• 2023 Fryxell Award Symposium: Papers in Honor of Timothy Beach Part I

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35577.0