Situating Preclassic Interments and Fire-Pits at Santa Rita Corozal, Belize

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2018

Publication Title

Archaeological Investigations in the Eastern Maya Lowlands: Papers of the 2017 Belize Archaeology Symposium

Publisher

Institute of Archaeology National Institute of Culture and History

Publisher Location

Belmopan, Belize

Volume

15

First page number:

159

Last page number:

167

Abstract

Excavations were carried out at Santa Rita Corozal from 1979 through 1985 by the Corozal Postclassic Project. Although the original project sought to excavate only Postclassic occupation, substantial Preclassic remains were also incidentally recovered and recorded during field investigations. This Preclassic data was mentioned in passing in subsequent publications, but was not fully illustrated or published because of the original focus on the Postclassic Period Maya. Approximately 31% of the burials recovered during 4 years of excavation at Santa Rita Corozal by the Corozal Postclassic Project dated to the Preclassic Period. A total of 41 Preclassic burials were recovered from Santa Rita Corozal; 5 of these dated to the early Middle Preclassic Period; 4 dated to the later Middle Preclassic Period; and 32 dated to the Late Preclassic Period. The majority of these interments were accompanied by one or more ceramic vessels that permitted the dating of the deposit. This paper presents the archaeological data relating to the Preclassic burials recovered at Santa Rita Corozal and also positions these interments in terms of the broader Maya world.

Disciplines

Biological and Physical Anthropology | Social and Cultural Anthropology

Language

English


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