Six Decades of Research into Ancient Maya Settlement in Belize

Summary

This is an abstract from the "“The Center and the Edge”: How the Archaeology of Belize Is Foundational for Understanding the Ancient Maya" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Nearly 60 years ago Gordon Willey’s team published "Prehistoric Maya Settlements in the Belize Valley," initiating the study of ancient Maya communities with a focus at Barton Ramie in Belize. The lead continues to this day with the first archaeological application of lidar by the Chases at Caracol. These are but two salient examples of the centrality of data collection on Maya settlement emanating from Belize. Scholars working in Belize have led the way in understanding ancient Maya settlement. Documenting the dynamic methodologies and new understandings that have resulted from three katunob of research, this paper presents an overview of the diverse settlement studies supported by the nation of Belize. We show how these significant studies have contributed and influenced a new level of appreciation of the importance of Belize to the knowledge of all lowland Maya prehistory.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• “The Center and the Edge”: How the Archaeology of Belize Is Foundational for Understanding the Ancient Maya   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37903.0