Under the supervision of Dr. Patricia A. McAnany, Claire Novotny will examine ancient Maya household architecture and associated artifacts in order to evaluate social, political, and economic strategies of identity among rural Maya households in the Toledo district of southern Belize. The geographical location of the southern Belize region within the Maya area between major sites combined with the relatively rapid rise of political centers during the Late Classic period (AD 570 - 850) brings questions of identity and affiliation to the fore: what was the nature of interaction between hinterland households and political centers? Did interactions work to construct a regional identity or reinforce a local one? Excavations of five rural households located on Aguacate community land present a unique opportunity to understand the nature of social complexity in rural populations.
Stemming from rich archaeological data on rural complexity collected from across the globe, this dissertation aims to expand anthropological knowledge of the negotiations that comprise a social universe. In southern Belize, the prevailing assumption has been that the political centers of Lubaantun, Uxbenká, Pusilhá, and Nim Li Punit were the organizing forces behind regional political, social, and economic processes. Previous archaeological research has focused on these centers, while little is known about the role of rural households. Excavation data drawn from Late Classic dwellings located midway between Pusilhá and Uxbenká will include architecture, ceramic vessels, stone tools, specially crafted artifacts, and soil chemistry signatures. Higher frequencies of materials produced or acquired regionally could suggest that a regional identity became more meaningful to a household. By comparing frequencies of regional imports across multiple households, Ms. Novotny will be able to evaluate whether or not this kind of social change occurred within the study area and whether it was prevalent or restricted in distribution. Additionally, soil analysis can provide insight into daily household activities and how they may have contributed to social life and identity in southern Belize. All together, the archaeological residues selected for analysis will inform daily practices performed by ancient farming households.
The broader impacts of this study include international cooperation between American researchers and indigenous peoples, and the engagement of local communities with the process of archaeological research. A field school conducted with students from Tumul K'in Center of Learning will promote the creation of historical knowledge by Maya people. During the field season data will be disseminated to Aguacate villagers through community meetings and presentations of student projects; a weekly radio broadcast from Tumul K'in will update surrounding Maya villages on research progress. Research reports will be made available to Aguacate village and Tumul K'in in hard copy as well as on a data CD. Volunteers from the United States will also receive training in archaeological methods and community archaeology. Results of the research will be presented at international (Belize Archaeological Symposium) and national (Society for American Archaeology, American Anthropological Association) academic meetings and published as a monograph, enhancing international understanding of Maya household archaeology and community-based archaeology methodologies in Mesoamerica.
Over two field seasons funded by the National Science Foundation, the Aguacate Community Archaeology Project (ACAP) documented and excavated ancient Maya sites in southern Belize. The effort involved the Belizean Institute of Archaeology, University of North Carolina students, local Maya villagers, and Maya high school students in the research process, fostering a collaborative relationship between American researchers and local people. Results deepened our understanding of how social identity informs the dynamic interplay between hinterland households and political centers during the Classic Period (AD 250-900). In addition, ACAP fostered a heritage education project in the Q'qechi'-speaking village of Aguacate, which increased local awareness of archaeological sites and conservation. During 2012 and 2013, ACAP surveyed and mapped ancient structures, conducted salvage excavations of mounds in danger of destruction, and implemented controlled excavations of two structures in order to establish a preliminary chronology for the area. Survey and mapping of Aguacate community land documented 12 archaeological sites. Two of these sites, Sites 9 and 10, were newly discovered, and hence were undamaged by farming or looting. The bulk of excavations took place at Site 1, and showed that its residents were connected with both long-distance and local trade routes. The presence of obsidian tools, imported ceramics, and figurines supports this idea. Remodeling events that occurred on two of the structures indicate a long-term investment in the site. Chronologically, there is ceramic evidence for an Early Classic (AD 250-500) settlement date for Site 1. Radiocarbon dating revealed that inhabitants were burying their dead at the site through the Late Classic (AD 550-900) period; in ancient Maya worldview, burial of the dead is a way of staking claim to the land. These insights have enhanced our understanding of ancient Maya society in southern Belize, a region where previous research focused primarily on elite centers, painting an incomplete and inaccurate picture of ancient Maya society. Without studies of households, it is difficult to understand wider political, economic, or social patterns. Excavations at Site 1 reveal how rural people negotiated regional and local identities during the Classic Period. Specifically, residents of Site 1, while integrated into economic and political relationships with powerful sites, retained a distinct sense of place and identity. This project also furthered scholarly engagement with multiple publics: American volunteers and undergraduates, local Maya high school students, and the local Maya community. Volunteers and students from the US were given an opportunity to experience archaeological fieldwork and learn from community members. Maya high school students at Tumul K’in Center of Learning participated in survey and mapping of Site 1 through a Maya History course taught in conjunction with the archaeological research. Aguacate village, on whose land the site lies, collaborated with archaeologists on a heritage education program that disseminated information to community members and worked to conserve archaeological sites identified on community land. In sum, ACAP was able to contribute to two scholarly conversations: 1) the ways in which ancient rural people in the Maya region negotiated political, economic, and social identities, and 2) expanding ways to engage the public in archaeological research.
