Granite Use at an Ancient Maya Boomtown

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Recent Advances in Ground Stone Studies in the Eastern Maya Lowlands" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In this presentation, we discuss our research into the use of granite by the ancient inhabitants of Alabama: a Late to Terminal Classic boomtown of the eastern Maya lowlands. One of our initial hypotheses regarding the relatively sudden rise of the town toward the end of the Late Classic period focused on granite as a staple resource exploited by its residents. We highlight current results of local geological surveys and related spatial, geochemical, and petrographic studies; analyses of surface collected and excavated archaeological artifact assemblages and architectural elements; standardization observations; and attempts at community-engaged experimental archaeology. We then summarize the evidence in support of and against the staple resource hypothesis for settlement development. Although ancient Alabamans accessed granite in various ways and used it for multiple purposes—from the raw resource stage through to resulting manufacture byproducts—we conclude that insufficient evidence exists for proof of intensive staple product manufacture for export that would have fueled Alabama’s socioeconomic development.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Recent Advances in Ground Stone Studies in the Eastern Maya Lowlands   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36349.0