Dating Classic Maya Houselot Markers in Northwestern Belize

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Surrounding the ancient Maya site of Xnoha in northwestern Belize are residential areas with houselots delineated by Linear Stone Boundary Markers (LSBMs). Lidar from 2016 revealed hundreds of such houselots. However, until now, we had no understanding of the dates of construction of the LSBMs. In 2023, backhoe testing was undertaken to determine that construction dates of the LSBMs were Early Classic at approximately 20 locations. If dates from other locations remain consistent with this sample, we must consider the implications of the rapid rise of Xnoha and the equally rapid rise of the idea of defining private space and the very idea of privately controlled exterior space.

Cite this Record

Dating Classic Maya Houselot Markers in Northwestern Belize. Thomas Guderjan, Alexander Parmington, Colleen Hanratty. Presented at The 89th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. 2024 ( tDAR id: 499389)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -94.197; min lat: 16.004 ; max long: -86.682; max lat: 21.984 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38269.0