Building Partnerships and a Jungle Expedition: Archaeological and Mapping Efforts of the Chiquibul Cave System, Cayo District, Belize

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), Belizean non-profit Friends for Conservation and Development, and the Institute of Archaeology conducted a technical visit to the vast and remote Chiquibul Cave System (CCS). Located in Cayo District of Belize, the CCS totals approximately 65 kilometers and contains not only outstanding karstic geology and biodiversity, but also significant Mayan material culture. Due to difficulties in jurisdiction, international relations, and logistics, the CCS had not been extensively mapped or documented to date. To aid in these efforts, FCD requested assistance of the DOI-International Technical Assistance Program, which employs specialists from within DOI to support partner countries. Funded by USAID, DOI staff travelled to Belize to conduct fieldwork within the Kabal Entrance of the CCS. Goals were to gather high-quality, baseline data to inform management decisions, including potential sustainable tourism, and conduct staff training. Fieldwork resulted in 60 archaeological features and 22 notable artifacts documented, along with a 1.6-mile section of the cave mapped. Positive relationships were also built amongst collaborating agencies. This project is a preliminary step in an ongoing effort to best manage the CCS – one of the most unique and important cave systems in the world.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52121