Terminal Classic Circular Architecture in the Sibun Valley, Belize

Bibliographic Data

ID6033701
AuthorsEleanor Harrison-Buck (0000-0002-8499-297X, University of New Hampshire, corresponding author), Patricia A Mcanany (0000-0001-6657-9711, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Year2013
Volume24
Issue2
Pages295-306
Publication date2013-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAncient Mesoamerica (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0956-5361 • E-ISSN: 1469-1787
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0956536113000199
OpenAlexW2139465101
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited38

Terminal Classic circular architecture has been characterized as a “non-Classic” trait stemming from Chontal-Itza groups from the Gulf lowlands who developed a long-distance, circum-peninsular trade route and established their capital city at Chichen Itza in northern Yucatan. Recent investigations of a series of circular shrines proximate to the Caribbean coast in Belize have yielded ceramics and radiocarbon dates that link these buildings to the ninth century, coeval with the early Sotuta phase at Chichen Itza (a.d.830–900). We present an architectural comparison of circular shrines and map out a network of sites that cluster along the rivers and coast of Belize. We consider two possibilities that may not be mutually exclusive: (1) local elite emulation of northern styles following pilgrimage to Chichen Itza for political accession ceremonies, and, (2) trading diasporas involving small-scale migration of Chontal-Itza merchants along the eastern Caribbean coast

Ancient history · Archaeology · Geography · Pilgrimage · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · History · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Architecture

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