Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: A Community Archaeology of Ancient Maya Household Identity in the Toledo district of southern Belize

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Under the supervision of Dr. Patricia A. McAnany, Claire Novotny will examine ancient Maya household architecture and associated artifacts in order to evaluate social, political, and economic strategies of identity among rural Maya households in the Toledo district of southern Belize. The geographical location of the southern Belize region within the Maya area between major sites combined with the relatively rapid rise of political centers during the Late Classic period (AD 570 - 850) brings questions of identity and affiliation to the fore: what was the nature of interaction between hinterland households and political centers? Did interactions work to construct a regional identity or reinforce a local one? Excavations of five rural households located on Aguacate community land present a unique opportunity to understand the nature of social complexity in rural populations. Stemming from rich archaeological data on rural complexity collected from across the globe, this dissertation aims to expand anthropological knowledge of the negotiations that comprise a social universe. In southern Belize, the prevailing assumption has been that the political centers of Lubaantun, Uxbenká, Pusilhá, and Nim Li Punit were the organizing forces behind regional political, social, and economic processes. Previous archaeological research has focused on these centers, while little is known about the role of rural households. Excavation data drawn from Late Classic dwellings located midway between Pusilhá and Uxbenká will include architecture, ceramic vessels, stone tools, specially crafted artifacts, and soil chemistry signatures. Higher frequencies of materials produced or acquired regionally could suggest that a regional identity became more meaningful to a household. By comparing frequencies of regional imports across multiple households, Ms. Novotny will be able to evaluate whether or not this kind of social change occurred within the study area and whether it was prevalent or restricted in distribution. Additionally, soil analysis can provide insight into daily household activities and how they may have contributed to social life and identity in southern Belize. All together, the archaeological residues selected for analysis will inform daily practices performed by ancient farming households.The broader impacts of this study include international cooperation between American researchers and indigenous peoples, and the engagement of local communities with the process of archaeological research. A field school conducted with students from Tumul K'in Center of Learning will promote the creation of historical knowledge by Maya people. During the field season data will be disseminated to Aguacate villagers through community meetings and presentations of student projects; a weekly radio broadcast from Tumul K'in will update surrounding Maya villages on research progress. Research reports will be made available to Aguacate village and Tumul K'in in hard copy as well as on a data CD. Volunteers from the United States will also receive training in archaeological methods and community archaeology. Results of the research will be presented at international (Belize Archaeological Symposium) and national (Society for American Archaeology, American Anthropological Association) academic meetings and published as a monograph, enhancing international understanding of Maya household archaeology and community-based archaeology methodologies in Mesoamerica.