Ancient Maya Marketplace Investigations at Hun Tun

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Prehispanic Maya Marketplace Investigations in the Three Rivers Region of Belize: First Results" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper discusses preliminary data related to a potential ancient Maya marketplace at the Late Classic site Hun Tun. The Hun Tun Archaeology Project operates under the larger Programme for Belize Archaeological Project and within the modern geographic boundaries of the Rio Bravo Conservation Area. It was determined that Hun Tun Group B fit the established criteria of known marketplaces within the region and was included in this investigation. The coordinated support and collaboration of the larger marketplace study provided the opportunity to gain a regional perspective of Late Classic Maya economy. Marketplace interactions between larger sites, such as La Milpa, and the surrounding hinterland settlements provide insight into the regional mobility of goods. Current marketplace research is the first of its kind at Hun Tun. Marketplace research methodology at Hun Tun was consistent with other sites included in this study and consisted of the following: soil testing of marketplace plazas, trench excavations of plaza courtyards, investigations of associated features, and identification of tree species. Group A served as a control or “non-marketplace” courtyard. Archaeological matrix and tree species were also evaluated in Group A at Hun Tun.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Prehispanic Maya Marketplace Investigations in the Three Rivers Region of Belize: First Results   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39641.0