The Ceramic Chronology of Vista Alegre: An Updated Typological Assessment

Summary

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

The ceramic sequence developed for Vista Alegre, a Maya port site on the northern coast of Quintana Roo, Mexico, demonstrates both the site’s persistence through time and its extensive trade relationships across the Maya world. The Proyecto Costa Escondida (PCE) team has synthesized an official site chronology from an ongoing analysis of the ceramic materials, revising Vista Alegre’s site history into six ceramic complexes. The earliest Middle Preclassic materials link Vista Alegre to the Gulf Coast and Belize, and the ceramics from subsequent time periods continually expanded this initial geographic range. Vista Alegre’s ceramic collection shows ceramic affiliation with various large city centers over time, though without direct external control. The northern Maya Lowland regional trends of Terminal Preclassic incised bichromes and Late Classic slatewares are strongly represented, as well as smaller amounts of southern Lowland-produced ceramic types starting in the Early Classic period. The number of ceramic types found to date shows a remarkable variety as compared to the nearest inland sites and regional city centers. Vista Alegre’s ceramic diversity and volume are indicative of a well-connected, long-lived, and resilient trading port, and its ceramic collection continues to enhance our understanding of ancient Maya maritime exchange.

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): 41495.0