RECONSTRUCTING the FORMATION of PERI-ABANDONMENT DEPOSITS at BAKING POT, BELIZE

Julie A. Hoggarth, J. Britt Davis, Jaime J. Awe, Christophe Helmke

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Archaeological research in the Maya lowlands has identified special deposits that offer essential information about the abandonment of Classic Maya centers. We argue that some of the "problematical deposits" associated with terminal architecture may be more accurately described as peri-abandonment deposits since they temporally and behaviorally relate to the activities associated with the final use of ceremonial space. Here, we describe several peri-abandonment deposits that were identified in Group B at the site of Baking Pot, located in western Belize. Using detailed stratigraphic and contextual information, artifact assemblages, and calendar dates recorded on polychrome vessels recovered in the deposits, we describe the nature of activities associated with the formation of peri-abandonment deposits at Baking Pot in the eighth to ninth centuries. We find patterning in the spatial locations of deposits in the corners of plazas and courtyards at Baking Pot, with variability in artifact assemblages between specific deposits.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)139-149
Number of pages11
JournalAncient Mesoamerica
Volume31
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)

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