A Multi-instrument Geophysical Survey for the Identification of Preclassic Ritual Deposits at Cahal Pech, Belize

Summary

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

The Preclassic (~1000 BC-AD 300) marked the appearance of increased socio-political integration and the emergence of inequality in the Maya lowlands. Over the course of the Preclassic, emerging elites invested in monumental construction projects and consolidated their ritual authority with ceremonial events, which occurred in large public plazas. As one of the earliest sites in the Belize Valley, Cahal Pech has been the focus of archaeological research to understand Preclassic ritual behavior and the establishment of kingship. During the 2019 field season, researchers conducted a multi-instrument geophysical survey of the largest public plaza at Cahal Pech using gradiometry, electromagnetic conductivity, magnetic susceptibility, and ground penetrating radar. Excavations in 2022 targeted features identified by the geophysics survey, revealing a dedicatory cache consisting of a dense layer of chert flakes and debitage. Radiocarbon dated to 780-400 cal BC, this feature represents one of the earliest examples of a ritual lithic deposit from the Belize Valley. Our results illustrate the success of geophysical methods in locating ritual features in Maya plazas. Additionally, excavation data suggest that placement of caches likely played an important role in the development of the leadership strategies that persisted through the Classic period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39842.0