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THE LAST HURRAH: EXAMINING THE NATURE OF PERI-ABANDONMENT DEPOSITS AND ACTIVITIES AT CAHAL PECH, BELIZE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2020

Jaime J. Awe Open the ORCID record for Jaime J. Awe [Opens in a new window] ,
Claire E. Ebert ,
Julie A. Hoggarth Open the ORCID record for Julie A. Hoggarth [Opens in a new window] ,
James J. Aimers Open the ORCID record for James J. Aimers [Opens in a new window] ,
Christophe Helmke Open the ORCID record for Christophe Helmke [Opens in a new window] ,
John Douglas  and
W. James Stemp Open the ORCID record for W. James Stemp [Opens in a new window]
Jaime J. Awe*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University, 5 East McConnell Drive, Flagstaff, Arizona86011
Claire E. Ebert
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University, 5 East McConnell Drive, Flagstaff, Arizona86011
Julie A. Hoggarth
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Baylor University One Bear Place #97173, Waco, Texas76798
James J. Aimers
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, The State University of New York at Geneseo, 1 College Circle, Geneseo, New York14454
Christophe Helmke
Affiliation:
Institute of Cross-cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Karen Blixens Plads 8, DK-2300Copenhagen S, Denmark
John Douglas
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, Montana59812
W. James Stemp
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology, Keene State College, 229 Main Street, Keene, New Hampshire03435
*
E-mail correspondence to: [email protected]
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Abstract

Archaeological investigations by the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance Project at Cahal Pech uncovered several Terminal Classic (a.d. 750–900) peri-abandonment deposits and activity areas at this Belize River Valley center. The deposits contained a diverse assemblage of cultural remains located above and between collapsed architecture, associated with evidence for burning activities. In the past, archaeologists have generally interpreted similar assemblages as “problematic deposits”—“de facto” refuse (garbage)—as associated with building termination and desecration, or as evidence for rapid abandonment during the violent destruction of these ancient cities. It is argued here that the microstratigraphic excavation and contextual analysis of these features provide limited support for these explanations. Alternatively, we suggest that the deposits are more likely associated with peri-abandonment rituals that were conducted by a reduced remnant population at Cahal Pech, or by small groups who continued to reside in the site's periphery during the last stages of the Terminal Classic period.

Type
Special Section: Problematic “On-Floor” Deposits in the Terminal Classic Eastern Maya Lowlands: Implications for the Maya Collapse
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 31 , Issue 1 , Spring 2020 , pp. 175 - 187
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2020

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References

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