Understanding Diachronic Patterns of Feasting at the Late Classic Maya Polity of Lower Dover, Belize.

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Traditional anthropological perspectives depict feasting events as a way of promoting social cohesion, as well as reinforcing inequalities. As described by Spanish observers, Postclassic and Colonial (~AD 1280-1600) Maya elites hosted elaborate feasts to reward their followers’ loyalty. Similar events are shown on polychrome pottery, depicting Classic Maya kings and their aristocratic entourage consuming tamales, meat, and chicha from decorated vessels. Though feasts are notoriously difficult to identify archaeologically, careful quantitative and context-specific analysis of consumption patterns at the regional level can reveal the existence of feasting and its social and political significance. Using over 80 years of excavation data from the Late Classic (AD 600-900) Maya polity of Lower Dover, Belize, this study analyzes the proportions and distribution of faunal remains and vessels forms (serving vs. storage vs. cooking) from over 96 household contexts. Results revealed significantly higher proportions of serving vessels in intermediate elite and high-status commoner contexts than in low-status commoner households. We propose patterns in faunal and ceramic assemblages allude to the differences in feasting capacity for higher-status and lower-status households, and support patterns of elite-hosted feasting as depicted in Classic, Postclassic, and Colonial periods.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37211.0