Recent archaeological work at Colha and at other localities in the geographically restricted chert-bearing zone of northern Belize has revealed large-scale exploitation of chert for stone tool production. Workshops dated during the Late Preclassic period signal the beginning of craft specialization in chert working that continued in the Late Classic and into the Early Postclassic periods. Secular items such as large oval bifaces, tranchet bit tools and prismatic blades, as well as nonsecular eccentrics and stemmed macroblade artifacts are distinctive of the Late Preclassic and Late Classic workshops. The distribution sphere of Preclassic and Classic period chert tools has been traced to several contemporaneous sites that lie beyond the chert-bearing zone to the north. Colha has been identified as the primary production and distribution center during the Late Preclassic period; although it remained a production center in the Late Classic period, the main center for distribution may have shifted to Altun Ha.

The Maya archaeological site at Colha in northern Belize, Central America, has yielded several spouted ceramic vessels that contain residues from the preparation of food and beverages. Here we analyse dry residue samples by using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to atmospheric-pressure chemical-ionization mass spectrometry, and show that chocolate (Theobroma cacao) was consumed by the Preclassic Maya as early as 600 bc, pushing back the earliest chemical evidence of cacao use by some 1,000 years. Our application of this new and highly sensitive analytical technique could be extended to the identification of other ancient foods and beverages.

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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. This content downloaded from 185.44.79.127 on Wed, 11 Jun 2014 11:23:35 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Spouted vessels are diagnostic forms of Middle Preclassic (1000-400 B.C.) and Late Preclassic (400 B.C.-A.D. 250) Maya ceramic assemblages.Mayanists have traditionally called these vessels "chocolate pots," but until recently there has been little direct evidence to support this interpretation. In fact, few studies have focused on the role these specializedforms played in the daily social and ritual activities of the ancient Maya. This paper provides a contextual and functional analysis of Preclassic spouted vessels found across the Maya lowlands and highlands. Additionally, the results of chemical analyses on residues collected from spouted vessels found in Middle and Late Preclassic burials at Colha, Belize are provided. Preliminary data reveal that some of the vessels from Colha contained substantial amounts of theobromine, a distinct markerfor cacao or chocolate. The significance of the discovery of chocolate in Maya spouted vessels is discussed as well as its implications for the rest of Mesoamerica. Las vasijas con vertedera son una forma diagnostica de la cera'mica maya del Precla'sico Medio (1000-400 a. C.) y del PreclasicoTardio (400 a. C.-250 d. C.). Tradicionalmente los arqueologos han denominado a estas vasijas "jarras de chocolate ", pero hasta ahora no se contaba con evidencias directas para apoyar esta interpretacion. De hecho, pocos estudios se han enfocado en el papel que estas formas especializadas tuvieron en actividades sociales y rituales cotidianas entre los mayas. Esta investigacion of rece una analisis contextual y funcional de piezas completas con vertedera del Preclasico en diferentes sitios del altiplano y de las tierras bajas mayas. Adema's, se incluyen los resultados de los ana'lisis quimicos de residuos de vasijas de esta clase encontradas en entierros del Preclasico en Colha, Belice. Para esta ultima coleccion, los resultados preliminares indican que algunas p iezas con ten ian can tidades conside rables de teob romina, un ma rcado r ca racte ristico del cacao o chocolate. En este articu lo se discute la relevancia de la identificacion positiva de chocolate en las vasijas con vertedera mayas asicomo sus implicaciones para Mesoame'rica. Form and StyleCompared to the occurrence of other vessel forms (e.g., plates, dishes, vases) in Preclassic Maya ceramic assemblages, spouted vessels are a rare but diagnostic form of the period. In appearance, spouted vessels have both a central orifice and an open-ended, tubular spout that is placed in a fashion that is very similar to those on a kettle or teapot. Jars and bowls are often the shapes...