The Rapid Rise and Fall of Cerros, Belize: A Generational Approach to Chronology

Vadala, Jeffrey; Walker, Debra S.

doi:10.1017/laq.2019.102

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…While the Carmela ballcourt is unexcavated, ceramics identified as types within the Tulix complex recovered from the Structure 50 ballcourt date it to between 200 b.c. and a.d. 200 (Vadala and Walker 2020), coeval with the Wob ceramic complex at Yaxnohcah. Three I-shaped ballcourts are also found in El Mirador: one in the Grupo León, one in Grupo Colomte, and one in the Grupo Tres Micos (Mejía and Velázquez 2013:Figure 4; Morales-Aguilar et al 2015:9).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preclassic Placemaking at Yaxnohcah, Mexico: A View From the Grazia and Helena Complexes

López

Reese-Taylor

Esquivel³

2022

Ancient Mesoam

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Archaeological excavations at Yaxnohcah have revealed a long sequence of sedentary occupation, from 1000 b.c. to a.d. 1400, with dynamic periods of growth occurring during the Middle (1000–400 b.c.) and Late Preclassic (400 b.c.–a.d. 200). Two of these complexes, Grazia and Helena, serve as case studies that reveal the transformative processes of this period, illustrating site evolution on a larger scale. The Grazia platform probably began as a residential area in the Middle Preclassic and acquired an increasingly public character throughout subsequent modifications, culminating in the construction of a triadic temple platform and a ballcourt. A long sequence of fire rituals and altars show the importance of the Grazia complex as a center for collective ritual. Helena also features Middle Preclassic domestic constructions, but was transformed into a ballcourt platform during the transition to the Late Preclassic. Both cases show that Yaxnohcah was founded as a widespread, loosely integrated settlement in the Middle Preclassic and evolved into a formally and centralized network of communities with their respective nodal centers in the Late Preclassic period. Placemaking and the rise of monumentality played an important role in this transformation and reflect the particular forms of community integration.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is common to find caches associated with monumental architecture on the medial axis of buildings, at the summit of a platform, or in the staircases, as has been reported for the triadic groups of Cerro Maya—Structures 4, 5, 6, and 29—during the Late Preclassic period (Tulix phase, 200 b.c. – a.d. 200; Vadala and Walker 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preclassic Placemaking at Yaxnohcah, Mexico: A View From the Grazia and Helena Complexes

López

Reese-Taylor

Esquivel³

2022

Ancient Mesoam

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“…Drained fields and irrigation features in the site periphery suggest intensified agriculture (Figure 1). New AMS dates (Vadala 2016; Vadala and Walker 2020) link most monumental construction to the Terminal Formative period (50 BC to AD 200). Cathy Crane's (1986, 1996) paleobotanical studies of Cerro Maya's pollen and macro-botanical plant remains documented a variety of fruit trees and flowering plants.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Origins of Maya Stingless Beekeeping

Paris

Castrejon

Walker

et al. 2020

Journal of Ethnobiology

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Beekeeping among the modern Maya of Yucatan, Mexico, reflects an intricate network of symbiotic relationships between bees, flowering plants, humans, and the managed landscape, which includes both settlements (kaaj, [kah]) and the cultivated and fallow farmlands surrounding them (k'ax). Native stingless bees are valued today both for the honey and wax they produce and the crops they pollinate. This study utilizes the ethnobiology of modern Maya stingless beekeeping to interpret the material correlates of ancient Maya beekeeping through archaeological exploration at Late Formative (200 BC–AD 200) Cerro Maya, Belize. Our contemporary data focus on the species of bees kept, the characteristics of wood species preferred for hive structures (hobon[ob]), the functional parameters of limestone disk hobon covers (mak tuun[ob]), and the plant species identified in symbiotic cultivation with them. The ecological and cultural factors that mediate stingless beekeeping in the present day provide important insights for the interpretation of ancient beekeeping practices at Cerro Maya, evidenced in the worked limestone disks hypothesized to be ancient mak tuunob. Beyond Cerro Maya, the documentation of beekeeping activity throughout ancient urban centers has important implications for the interpretation of urban green spaces in early Maya cities. Together with information on the ritual use of hive furniture and effigies, these data suggest ancient elites recognized the importance of pollinator species, and that deliberate management of stingless bees was standard practice during the period of agricultural intensification known as the Late Formative.

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Using Actor-Network Theory to Characterize the Production of Ancient Maya Caching Events at Cerro Maya (Cerros, Belize)

Vadala

Duffy

2020

J Archaeol Method Theory

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The Rapid Rise and Fall of Cerros, Belize: A Generational Approach to Chronology

Cited by 6 publications

References 28 publications

Preclassic Placemaking at Yaxnohcah, Mexico: A View From the Grazia and Helena Complexes

Preclassic Placemaking at Yaxnohcah, Mexico: A View From the Grazia and Helena Complexes

The Origins of Maya Stingless Beekeeping

Using Actor-Network Theory to Characterize the Production of Ancient Maya Caching Events at Cerro Maya (Cerros, Belize)

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