Granite Value Among the Ancient Maya of Alabama, Belize
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14910423 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Meaghan Peuramaki-Brown (Athabasca University, corresponding author), Meaghan M Peuramaki‐brown (0000-0002-0752-5649, Athabasca University), Shawn G Morton (0000-0002-8322-8531, Northwestern Polytechnic), Jerry M Jordan (0000-0003-2925-7312, Film Independent), Jillian M Jordan (independent scholar), Virginia Chiac (Research Assistant) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 495-505 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ancient Mesoamerica (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0956-5361 • E-ISSN: 1469-1787 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0956536125000094 |
| OpenAlex | W7128433449 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
This article outlines our research into granite use by the ancient Maya of the Alabama Townsite—a Late to Terminal Classic (ca. a.d. 700–900) rapid-growth community in East-Central Belize, part of the Eastern Maya Lowlands. One of our initial hypotheses regarding the seemingly sudden appearance of the town toward the end of the Late Classic period focused on granite as a staple resource exploited by its residents. We highlight current results of local geological surveys and related spatial, geochemical, and petrographic studies; preliminary analyses of surface-collected and excavated archaeological assemblages and architectural elements; and attempts at community-engaged experimental archaeology. We conclude that while ancient Alabamans did not extract granite as a staple resource for export, which could have fueled the community’s growth, they nonetheless valued granite in many ways, which we highlight in our discussion
Ancient city · Maya · Period (music · Petrography · Resource (disambiguation · Amazonian Archaeology and Ethnohistory · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Latin American history and culture
A Staple Theory of Economic Growth
Advances in Geochemical Sourcing of Granite Ground Stone
Using X‐ray fluorescence to examine ancient Maya granite ground stone in Belize
Petrographic analysis and preliminary source identification of selected stone artifacts from the Maya sites of Seibal and Uaxactun, Guatemala
Maya Monumental “Boom”
AMS 14C dating of an Ancestral Maya boomtown
Resource Diversity in Belize and Its Implications for Models of Lowland Trade
Valuing the ubiquitous
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |