Belize Valley Archaeological
Reconnaissance Project

Fieldwork Opportunities

In 2013 BVAR will be hosting its 25th summer field school. As in 2012, our fieldwork will continue with investigations at the ancient Maya sites of Cahal Pech, Baking Pot and Lower Dover. These major Belize Valley sites are located on the outskirts of the modern town of San Ignacio, capital of the Cayo District of Belize, Central America

(click here for a location map and general info on Belize).

Cahal Pech, Baking Pot and Lower Dover are among the largest prehistoric Maya sites in the upper Belize River Valley and served as the capitals to small kingdoms in the Classic period (c. AD 250-900). BVAR excavations at Cahal Pech have revealed that this site is the location of some of the earliest Maya settlements in the Maya lowlands. First settled around 1200 B.C., the site was continuously occupied until the 10th century A.D. Despite many years of investigations at Baking Pot, large portions of the monumental site core remain unexcavated and sections of the settlement area remain unexplored. Lower Dover, in contrast, is a recently discovered site and investigations here are only just beginning.

During the 2013 season, BVAR will continue work at Baking Pot with the purpose understanding the nature and complexity of the polity's decline. Research will focus in the monumental center at the palace complex of Group B, clearing large sections of the palace's structures and courtyards, aiming to refine our understanding of the chronological processes of abandonment by the royal court. This research will build upon previous excavations in the monumental center, particularly those in the palace in 2004, as well as complementing the extensive settlement research at the site, which was focused on household and community organization in the processes of collapse and social reorganization in the transition from the Classic to Postclassic period.  

Archaeological research at Lower Dover will focus on understanding the sociopolitical development of the site. The 2013 excavations will complement the 2012 research, which exposed small portions of the interior courtyard and structures of the acropolis. Excavations will focus on the southern-most plaza of the acropolis complex and will feature systematic large-scale horizontal exposures of the courtyard and acropolis structures. In addition, several vertical trenches will be placed in the structures in order to identify the chronological history of construction episodes as well as enable us to understand the use of space through time in the acropolis complex.  

The investigations at Cahal Pech will focus on two objectives: continued investigations of the monumental architecture of the site core, and on settlement pattern studies in the sustaining area of the site. The investigations in the site core aim to further elucidate the status and complexity of this important center, from its establishment at the end of the Early Preclassic period (1200-900 B.C.) to its subsequent abandonment in the Terminal Classic period (1000 A.D.). These investigations will involve excavation of several large pyramidal and palace-type buildings, as well as smaller platforms beneath plaza levels in the site core. Our settlement research will involve mapping of unrecorded mounds in the northern and eastern periphery of the site, and test excavations of these settlements.  

Since 2007, BVAR has been conducting extensive settlement research in the Belize Valley in an area that extends from the confluence of the Macal and Mopan Rivers to approximately 30 miles downstream (along the Belize River). This research has focused on surveying the entire site of Baking Pot (nine square kilometers centered on the monumental epicenter) and the excavation of a 20% sample of house groups, in order to gain a perspective on demographic changes associated with the establishment and decline of the site over time. The second phase of survey (at Cahal Pech) was initiated in 2011, focusing on extending the survey in the southern and western periphery of the site. In addition, BVAR's regional survey continues within the Belize Valley, recording sites and archaeological features over an area of nearly 100 square kilometers.

During the 2013 season, BVAR will continue complementing its research in the monumental centers of Cahal Pech, Baking Pot, and Lower Dover with continuing settlement survey in the Belize Valley. The investigations will include extensive stratigraphic excavations, testing of architecture by means of test-pitting, trenching and horizontal exploration, as well as mapping of the archaeological features and architectural remains uncovered. Students will be involved in all aspects of the archaeological investigations, from the setting of excavation units to the production of site maps. The project also incorporates daily laboratory work where students participate in the processing and inventorying of the artifacts recovered from the site (including a range of ceramic and lithic artifacts as well as human and animal remains). Weekly lectures will present an overview of Maya civilization and will provide introductions to other specific topics such as ceramic typology, archaeological survey methods, human osteology, and Maya ritual and ideology.