Aftermath A.D. 696—Late 7th and Early 8th Century Special Deposits and Elite Main Plaza Burials at Buenavista del Cayo, Western Belize: A Study in Classic Maya “Historical Archaeology”

ABSTRACT

Between 1984 and 1989, a number of depositional contexts were excavated at the Classic Maya center/site of Buenavista del Cayo in the upper Belize Valley that appeared to be products of sudden cessations of activity or architectural “terminations” dating to sometime in the late 7th to mid-8th century. Ceramic furnishings also linked at least two elite status burials on the Central Plaza of the site to these deposits. Conjunctive analysis of the deposits, burials, and their contents together with applicable epigraphic history recorded at a nearby major city, Naranjo, suggests that they are the result of and directly reflect successful military action by Naranjo against Buenavista in a.d. 696. An examination of the contexts and epigraphic history concerned; the archaeological grounds for linking the two; and the rich, composite understanding of the deposits and their behavioral, cultural, and historical significance illustrate the rewards and advantages of 21st century Maya archaeology’s new paradigmatic status as true “historical archaeology.”

KEYWORDS:

• Belize Valley
• Buenavista del Cayo
• Naranjo
• Maya political history
• Maya warfare

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Acknowledgments

The investigations reported on in this article were supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (BNS-8310677; BNS-8719157), San Diego State University, and multiple private donors. Permission to carry out fieldwork at Buenavista was graciously extended through the Belize Department of Archaeology by successive Commissioners of Archaeology, Harriot Topsey and Winnel Branche, and by Pablo Guerra and Hector Guerra on whose ranch the site is located. Among the many who participated in and contributed to these investigations from 1984 to 1989, we would especially like to acknowledge Field Assistants Ubaldamir Alfaro, Armando Bautista (Foreman), Eduardo Chi, and Ventura Cocom; Field Staff Laura Bernd, Richalene Kelsay, and Carol Winkler; Lab Supervisor JoAnne Gilmer. Our understanding of Buenavista has benefitted immensely from discussions of its archaeology with many colleagues, but most especially, Jason Yaeger and Christophe Helmke. We thank each for their input and observations. We especially thank Christophe Helmke for reading and commenting on an earlier version of this paper. We also thank our anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and insights. The authors take full and sole responsibility for any/all errors of fact, interpretation, or any other shortcomings from which the article may suffer.

Notes on Contributors

Joseph W. Ball (Ph.D. 1973, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is Albert W. Johnson Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at San Diego State University. His research interests include Maya ceramics, contextual analysis, archaeological theory, and Maya-Mesoamerican culture history and ethnography.

Jennifer T. Taschek (Ph.D. 1982, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is Adjunct Professor at San Diego State University. Her research interests include architectural excavation and restorative preservation, graphic applications in archaeology, Maya-Mesoamerican culture history and ethnography, and Old World prehistory.