The Social Archaeology Research Program (SARP) is a long term project focused on the investigation of ancient Maya sociopolitical interaction. In particular, we are interested in examining the following questions: Why were Maya city-states so unstable? How did city-states of different size and strength interact with each other? How were these city-states integrated? How were royal courts organized? What was life like on the border of a city-state? And, What factors lead to the infamous “Maya collapse?” Our research is focused at the ancient Maya center of Minanha. Twelve years of research at this ancient Maya center has answered many questions, but there is much more to learn. This year's research will focus on Minanha's ballcourt.

Weekday room and board will be arranged by the project director. Given the limited water supply at Minanha itself, all students and instructional staff will stay at the Martz Farm, a Belizean run eco-resort located ca. 5 km from the site. Students will be required to supply their own camping gear, such as tents, mattresses, sheets, and blankets. Although there is no electrical power at the farm, there is abundant water, fabulous food, and amazing scenery. Martz Farm is a 15 minute drive from the town of Benque Viejo, and the Guatemalan border. The larger town of San Ignacio is roughly a 35-40 minute drive. San Ignacio is a picturesque, hilly town of approximately 16,812 inhabitants. The town has 24 hour electrical supply, treated tap water, a hospital, three banks, plus daily and dependable bus service.

Field work will run Mondays to Fridays (7:30 am to 3:00 pm). This will include site reconnaissance, surveying, setting up units, general excavation, screening, drawing of plans and profiles, and data recording. Lab work, which includes the washing, cataloguing, drawing, and classification of artifacts will be conducted once per week, on scheduled lab days. In addition, emergency lab days may be called, particularly during rainy days. The student’s lab work will provide them with a detailed understanding of the various material culture items produced by the ancient Maya.

Number of credits: Full Course Equivalent

 

Contact Person:

Gyles Iannone
Department of Anthropology, Trent University
Peterborough, Ontario K9J 7B8
Canada
705-748-1011 ext 7453
705-748-1613

Trent University/Social Archaeology Research Program (SARP)

Iannone, Gyles, "Annales History and the Ancient Maya State: Some Observations on the “Dynamic Model”." American Anthropologist. 104(1): 68-78. 2002.

Iannone, Gyles, "Archaeological Approaches to Ancient Maya Geopolitical Borders." In Space and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology, edited by Elizabeth C. Robertson, Jeffrey D. Seibert, Deepika C. Fernandez, and Marc U. Zender. pp. 205-214. Calgary, 2006.

Iannone, Gyles, "Rediscovery of the Ancient Maya Center of Minanha, Belize: Background, Description, and Future Prospects." Mexicon. 23:125-129. 2001.

Iannone, Gyles, "The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Maya Petty Royal Court." Latin American Antiquity. 16:26-44. 2005.