Pomp and Circumstance at an Ancient Maya Village: The 2023 Season at Group M of the Medicinal Trail Community, NW Belize

Summary

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

This poster provides a summary of the 2023 archaeological investigations conducted at and

around Group M of the Medicinal Trail Hinterland Community, an ancient Maya site in

northwestern Belize. Group M is a non-residential masonry architectural group located at the

north end of the Medicinal Trail Community. It is situated on a knoll, with a sharp topographic

drop north, east, and west of the group. It is located on the northern terminus of the ridge top that

also includes formal residential Groups A and B, and represents the northern boundary of the

community. Initial survey and brief excavations from the 2017 field season indicated the group

was atypical of architectural groups from elsewhere in the community, not being residential or a

work area associated with terraces. Topographic mapping, drone photography, and courtyard

excavations were undertaken. These findings, in addition to others from the 2023 field season,

provide evidence for the interpretation of the group as a ceremonial center. This has implications

for our understanding of Group M’s function and significance within the community, as well as

larger implications for ritual behavior among the rural non-elite Maya.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39463.0