Under the direction of Dr. Patrick Culbert MS Julie Kunen will collect data for her doctoral dissertation. Building on one season of preliminary fieldwork, she will continue survey and excavation at the archaeological site of La Milpa. Located in northwestern Belize this large lowland Mayan settlement contains a range of structures which vary in size from small household size mounds to major monumental structures. Most interesting perhaps is the presence of a system of reservoirs and drainages that regulated the storage and release of water to different areas of the site. This suggests a high degree of centralized water management and control. Also associated with the site are low-lying swampy areas known as `bajos.` These features have been the focus of much speculation because many researchers believe that these areas were significantly altered by purposeful human modification and served as highly productive field systems. They believe that bajo agriculture allowed Mayan peoples to achieve population densities unusual in lowland tropical settings. MS Kunen will conduct extensive excavation in one bajo to search for cultural modifications. She will prepare a detailed vegetation map since evidence indicates that fine grained variation in vegetation patterns provides indications of human manipulation of soil. During her preliminary work MS Kunen located a number of sites located near the edge of the bajo and she will survey and excavate them. She wants to understand the social organization of the prehistoric La Milpa inhabitants and wishes to test the idea that variation in household size and status is determined by their relative placement on the landscape in relation to agricultural resources. Because her work is part of a larger project, she will be able to compare the settlements she excavates to those located in non-bajo areas. This research is important for several reasons. It will shed light on how the prehistoric Maya with a relatively simple technology were able to achieve high population densities in a resource poor environment. It may provide new insight into the principles of Mayan social organization and will assist in training a promising young scientist.
