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An Ancient Maya Dock and Dam at Blue Creek, Rio Hondo, Belize

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Jason W. Barrett  and
Thomas H. Guderjan
Jason W. Barrett
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas 77843-4352
Thomas H. Guderjan
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Anthropology, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas 76129
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Abstract

A precolumbian Maya dock and dam complex was located on the Río Hondo in northwestern Belize near the site of Blue Creek. Survey and excavation showed a range of activities to be associated with the complex, including lithic raw material procurement and manufacture. The discovery also underscores Blue Creek’s role in long-distance commercial exchange involving lowland riverine systems. Large quantities of exotic commodities, including jadeite from the Motagua River valley in Guatemala and stone tools from the industrial manufacturing site of Colhá, Belize, have been recovered from Preclassic and Classic period deposits at Blue Creek, and the site is posited as a vital point of transshipment responsible for the filtering of peripheral resources into the central lowlands. The Blue Creek dock and dam provides a rare glimpse of Maya riverine architecture and offers tangible evidence of infrastructural supports associated with maritime commerce.

Hemos localizado un complejo precolombino de dársena-dique sobre el río Hondo, cercano al sitio arqueológico Blue Creek, en el noroeste de Belice. Las exploraciones y excavaciones realizadas muestran una variedad de actividades asociadas a este complejo incluyendo la obtención de materias primas líticas y fabricación de artefactos. El descubrimiento destaca además la importancia de Blue Creek en la red de intercambios comerciales a larga distancia de este sistema fluvial de tierras bajas. Importantes cantidades de materias exóticas, como jadeite procedente del valle del río Motagua, Guatemala, y artefactos del sitio industrial de Colhá, Belice, se han recuperado en Blue Creek en depósitos de los periodos Preclásico y Clásico. Por ello, proponemos que el sitio fue un punto de acceso vital, responsable de filtrar el ingreso de los recursos periféricos hacia las tierras bajas centrales. Este complejo de dársena-dique de Blue Creek brinda una inusual oportunidad para entender la arquitectura fluvial maya, ofreciendo evidencias concretas de la infraestructura de apoyo asociada con el comercio marítimo.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , June 2006 , pp. 227 - 239
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 by the Society for American Archaeology.

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