Archaeological Reconnaissance at Chau Hiix

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With National Science Foundation support Dr. Anne Pyburn and her collaborators will conduct one season of archaeological research at the site of Chau Hiix. This site, located in the lowlands of Belize, was only brought to archaeological attention in 1990 and is extremely unusual because villagers who live in the region have protected it from looting. Preliminary research suggests that Chau Hiix served as a major regional center because it contains a number of mounds and associated courtyards. In this first season of work Dr. Pyburn and her colleagues will map and survey the site. They will conduct limited excavations on visible structures and also carry out a program of coring to determine whether less obvious archaeological features are also present. On this basis they should be able to provide more exact dates for the span of occupation and obtain a better idea of its internal organization. These data will provide the basis to design a second, more extensive project. The Maya constitute a central focus of archaeological interest because they developed a civilization with monumental architecture, writing and large population concentrations in a difficult lowland tropical environment. Just as mysteriously as it arose, the Maya civilization then declined as large centers were abandoned and large scale construction ceased. Dr. Pyburn wishes to gain insight into this process. In the last decade Belize has been the scene of much archaeological research and a number of Mayan sites have been studied. It is unclear to what extent each functioned as an independent center and it is not known whether sites were grouped into larger functional units. Through excavation of Chau Hiix and comparison with other sites known from the area Dr. Pyburn wishes to examine this question. This research is important for several reasons. It will provide insight into how complex societies arise, are maintained and decline. It will provide data of interest to many archaeologists and assist in the training of undergraduate students.