Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-sjtt6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-01T03:25:39.688Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

POSTCLASSIC MAYA RITUAL AT LAGUNA DE ON ISLAND, BELIZE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 1999

Marilyn Andrews Masson
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology SS 263, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA

Abstract

Ritual contexts at Laguna de On Island are identified in two structures that form part of a single household cluster in the central area of the site. The features and artifact assemblages of these structures indicate that a continuum of domestic-to-ritual debris is found at each location. Variation in the content of these assemblages is used to identify the degree of ritual activity and the function of each structure. Structure I is identified as a dwelling where ritual activity was conducted. Structure II is identified as a specialized household shrine or oratory. This examination of the contexts for ritual practice at Laguna de On addresses the issue of “secularization” of Postclassic Maya religion and the connection between status and ritual at a small, rural, Postclassic community.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1999 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)