An Elite Household in the Late to Terminal Classic Periods at Aventura

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Households at Aventura: Life and Community Longevity at an Ancient Maya City" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper examines an elite household, Group 48, at the site of Aventura, Belize. Group 48 is located east and adjacent to Group C, one of the six adjoining plaza groups that form Aventura’s city center. It is also situated at the north end of an intersite causeway and adjacent and south of the proposed salt marketplace at Aventura. Group 48 displays a long history of occupation, from the Late Early Classic/Middle Classic period through to the Terminal Classic period. The Terminal Classic included the construction of small plaza-level buildings and additions. Group 48 is bounded by structures to the east, south, and west, and open to the north, and its structures range from 0.43 m to 2.6 m in height, with the eastern structure being the tallest. Exhibiting an impressive Terminal Classic midden, together with its focal location at the site, Group 48 and its elite household suggest an influential family occupied it. This paper explores elite architecture, activity areas, and burial practices of the Late to Terminal Classic transition, looking at the daily lives of an elite household.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Households at Aventura: Life and Community Longevity at an Ancient Maya City   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36657.0