"An admirable contribution to the growing literature on Maya settlement research initiated by Gordon Willey in the Belize Valley in the 1950s."—Shirley B. Mock, University of Texas, San Antonio
Over half a century ago, the late Gordon Willey began his research in the Belize Valley, and ten years later he published a synthesis of his data that is recognized today as a classic study of ancient Maya settlement patterns. This new volume looks at the abundant research that has taken place in the region since the 1950s (and includes a new retrospective chapter from Willey that was submitted shortly before his death in April, 2002). The Ancient Maya of the Belize Valley represents an attempt to present in one volume the extensive data from the diverse sites in this part of Mesoamerica, one of the richest archaeological areas in the Maya world. The collection provides a key to understanding the valley's ancient political and social organization by highlighting the interconnectedness of the region's settlements.
Contents
1. The Archaeology of the Belize Valley in Historical Perspective, by Arlen F. Chase and James F. Garber
2. Retrospective, by Gordon R. Willey
Part 1. The Central Belize Valley
3. Middle Formative Prehistory of the Central Belize Valley: An Examination of Architecture, Material Culture, and Sociopolitical Change at Blackman Eddy, by James F. Garber, Jaime J. Awe, M. Kathryn Brown, and Christopher J. Hartman
4. Archaeological Investigations at Blackman Eddy, by James F. Garber, M. Kathryn Brown, W. David Driver, David M. Glassman, Christopher J. Hartman, F. Kent Reilly III, and Lauren A. Sullivan
5. Major Center Identifiers at a Plazuela Group Near the Ancient Maya Site of Baking Pot, by James M. Conlon and Terry G. Powis
6. Ancient Maya Settlement in the Valley of Peace Area, by Lisa J. Lucero, Scott L. Fedick, Andrew Kinkella, and Sean M. Graebner
Part 2. The Upper Belize Valley
7. Cahal Pech, Belize: The Middle Formative Period, by Paul F. Healy, David Cheetham, Terry G. Powis, and Jaime J. Awe
8. The Role of "Terminus Groups" in Lowland Maya Site Planning: An Example from Cahal Pech, by David Cheetham
9. Buenavista del Cayo: A Short Outline of Occupational and Cultural History at an Upper Belize Valley Regal-Ritual Center, by Joseph W. Ball and Jennifer T. Taschek
10. Xunantunich in a Belize Valley Context, by Richard M. Leventhal and Wendy Ashmore
11. The Royal Charter at Xunantunich, by Virginia M. Fields
12. Buenavista del Cayo, Cahal Pech, and Xunantunich: Three Centers, Three Histories, One Central Place, by Jennifer T. Taschek and Joseph W. Ball
Part 3. The Belize Valley: Neighboring Connections
13. The Ancient Maya Center of Pacbitun, by Paul F. Healy, Bobbi Hohmann, and Terry G. Powis
14. Defining Royal Maya Burials: A Case from Pacbitun, by Paul F. Healy, Jaime J. Awe, and Hermann Helmuth
15. Integration among Communities, Centers, and Regions: The Case from El Pilar, by Anabel Ford
16. The Classic Maya Trading Port of Moho Cay, by Heather McKil
lop
Part 4. The Belize Valley: Intergration
17. Problems in the Definition and Interpretation of "Minor Centers" in Maya Archaeology with Reference to the Upper Belize River Valley, by Gyles Iannone
18. The Emergence of Minor Centers in the Zones between Seats of Power, by W. David Driver and James F. Garber
19. The Terminal Classic to Postclassic Transition in the Belize River Valley, by James Aimers
20. Polities, Politics, and Social Dynamics: "Contextualizing" the Archaeology of the Belize Valley and Caracol, by Arlen F. Chase
21. Diverse Voices: Toward an Understanding of Belize Valley Archaeology, by Diane Z. Chase
James F. Garber is professor of anthropology and field school director at Southwest Texas State University. He is the author of Archaeology at Cerros Belize, Central America, volume 2, The Artifacts.
“Ambitious and comprehensive. It presents the results of two decades of research in a Maya lowland region that has seen more activity than most. Its chapters are synthetic, contributing to both archaeological theory and to culture history. . . . Will be a boon to students and professional archaeologists.”—Journal of Field Archaeology
“Brings together recent findings and interpretations by many of the archaeologists active in and around the Belize Valley, one of the most intensively studied regions of the Maya lowlands. . . . A substantial contribution to Maya archaeology in particular, and Latin American anthropology in general.”—Journal of Latin American Anthropology
“As Maya scholars raise increasingly clearer and better informed questions about the development of Maya civilization over two and a half millennia, the very rich data sets from the Belize Valley that this highly recommended volume discusses are certain to play a crucial role in providing new answers and even more clarified questions.”—Journal of Anthropological Research
“The result is an outstanding body of evidence from Belize Valley that contributes to understanding the organization and dynamics of Maya society in general, and provides a stimulating basis for further research. Strongly recommended.”—Choice
Rodney Carlisle, professor of anthropology and field school director at Texas Statue University–San Marcos, is the author of Archaeology at Cerros Belize, Central America, volume 2, The Artifacts.
A volume in the series Maya Studies, edited by Diane and Arlen Chase
