maax na archaeology project - Archaeological Institute of America

MAAX NA ARCHAEOLOGY PROJECT
2012 FIELD PROGRAM
May 17 – June 13, 2012
GREETINGS
BELIZE
Thank you for your interest in the Maax
Na Archaeology Project (MNAP) in the Rio Bravo
Conservation Area in Belize and our 2012
program.
This newsletter is intended to
introduce you to the MNAP, summarize our
summer plans, and provide some basic
information on camp life and logistics. The
MNAP field school is an intensive, researchoriented program that introduces students to
archaeological fieldwork by giving them handson experience in survey, excavation, and
laboratory analysis. No prior archaeological
experience or knowledge is necessary to
participate.
The MNAP is a collaborative research
project of Bowdoin College and Howard
University, through its two directors. We have
exciting plans for 2012 that include exploring a
little-known residential sector of the large site of
Maax Na, with some possible additional work at
the smaller center of Bolsa Verde. We will also
continue our analysis of Maya ceramics and other
artifacts in the field laboratory.
Please contact us with any questions -and we hope you decide to join us!
Belize is a wonderful country -- the kind
of place that grows on you. Originally called
British Honduras, Belize has been an
independent nation since 1981. English is the
national language, but you will also hear
Spanish and Mayan spoken there, particularly
where we work, and, of course, Belizean Creole.
We will be in Belize before the major
rainy season, but we do expect to see some rain.
Much of the time it will be in the mid-80s, and
yes, it will be humid. But our camp is below the
forest canopy as are the sites we will be working
on. There are several travel guidebooks for
Belize that are available at larger bookstores and
you can call the Belize Tourist Board at 1-800624-0686 for a free information package or visit
their web page: www.travelbelize.org.
In previous field seasons, many of our
students have taken a few days after the project
to travel around Belize on their own or to visit
other Maya sites. We would be glad to give you
information on travel possibilities, including
hotels and places to see. We have several
discounts at hotels and we can direct you to the
less expensive modes of travel.
Project Directors:
Dr. Leslie Shaw
lshaw@bowdoin.edu
Dr. Eleanor King
emking@howard.edu
M AAX N A GLYPH
R IO B RAVO
C ONSERVATION A REA
http://www.pfbelize.org
The Rio Bravo Conservation Area
includes over 250,000 acres of tropical rainforest
in northwestern Belize.
It is owned and
managed by the Programme for Belize (PfB), a
Belizean non-profit organization that began in
1988 in an effort to save the area from clearcutting and development. The goals of the PfB
are to protect the inner core of the conservation
area to preserve biodiversity (with ongoing
scientific study) and to develop strategies for
sustainable resource use and tourism along the
perimeter of the preserve. Their efforts have
been remarkable and now protect one of the last
remaining rainforests in Central America. This
area is home to an amazing diversity of birds (a
top-rated place by birders) and supports large
populations of howler and spider monkeys,
jaguars, peccaries, and other animals that utilize
the food diversity found in forests with mature
canopies.
prominence of the site of La Milpa, the only
large site recorded in the conservation area prior
to the survey. Many smaller sites were also
found, which indicate dispersed agriculturists
were able to manage the water resources in this
hilly area to feed the growing population.
A RCHAEOLOGY IN R IO B RAVO
The PfB Archaeology Project began soon
after the Conservation Area was established. At
the time, almost nothing was known about the
Maya occupation of this part of Belize and it was
quickly realized that a survey was needed to
locate all archaeological sites. The exploration of
the Conservation Area was undertaken by Dr.
R.E.W. Adams of the University of Texas at San
Antonio and Dr. Fred Valdez of the University
of Texas at Austin, beginning in 1992. Within
months, they realized that this region had been
densely settled by the Classic Maya. Indeed, to
date over 60 new sites have been reported.
Dr. Valdez took over as sole Project
Director in 1995 and has continued the
exploration of the Rio Bravo region every year
since then. Contrary to what many expected,
several very large sites were discovered,
including the sites of Dos Hombres, Grand
Cacao, and Maax Na -- all of which rival the
MNAP
The Maax Na Archaeology Project
(MNAP) grew from the University of Texas
survey. The large site of Maax Na and several
smaller ceremonial centers to the east of it were
discovered in 1995 by the survey team, who
were following an old logging road west
towards Guatemala. Maax Na is situated on top
of a hill and has an expansive site center that
includes several large ceremonial plazas, a
ballcourt, and extensive elite residences. Maax
Na (sounds like maush-nah) means “Monkey
House” in Maya, which is appropriate, given the
number of monkeys that live at the site and
throughout the rainforests of the Rio Bravo.
The Maax Na Project began in 1996 and
is co-directed by Dr. Leslie Shaw (Bowdoin
College, Brunswick, Maine) and Dr. Eleanor
King (Howard University, Washington, D.C).
Dr. Shaw, who received her Ph.D. from the
University of Massachusetts in 1991, has worked
in Belize since 1982 and has also conducted
research in Easter Island and North America
(New England, Wyoming, and Texas). Dr. King
received her Ph.D. in 2000 from the University
of Pennsylvania and since 1981 has worked
extensively in Belize and Guatemala at several
Maya sites. She has also worked in France and
North America (Arizona, New Mexico,
Pennsylvania, Texas).
Excavation and mapping for the 2012
season will focus on the settlement areas that
extend miles out from the Maya ceremonial
centers, which to date are poorly documented at
Maax Na. We will use sophisticated modern
mapping technology to map a transect running
from the ceremonial center of the site northwest,
to the area of greatest known settlement density,
the Toknal Plateau.
This sector harbors
hundreds of large and small mounds as well as
possible lithic workshops and other interesting
features. Rotating teams will learn to map using
a laser transit and will conduct test excavations
in the Toknal area, to get an idea of the range of
activities carried out there as well as the
chronology of occupation. We may also conduct
additional tests in the Maax Na center, time and
weather permitting. Our main objectives this
season are to expand our knowledge of the
settlement in preparation for future seasons
devoted to understanding better the everyday
life and occupations of the Maax Na inhabitants.
The smaller site of Bolsa Verde, located
at the base of the escarpment below Maax Na,
was the focus of several seasons of excavations
and mapping in the past. This site, which was
probably an agricultural community allied with
Maax Na, has a small but impressive ceremonial
complex with 3 attached plazas, and several
adjacent residential structure groups. If we have
time, we will return to Bolsa Verde and extend
our map of the area it occupies.
Please read through the information
below and contact us with any questions. If you
decide you want to apply, we will send along a
packet with more specifics, including lists of
what to pack, an article about Maax Na,
additional reading lists, and site maps. It is
going to be a great season and we hope you
decide to join us!
2012 S TUDENT P ROGRAM
The field program will focus on training
in settlement survey and mapping, excavation
methodology, note-taking, stratigraphic documentation, and the handling and treatment of
artifacts. Training in the field laboratory at our
field camp will include primary curation, basic
artifact identification, and an introduction to the
analyses of lithic and ceramic materials. This
program will be supplemented by evening
lectures, readings (to be provided before the
field school), and an individual research project
that students will present to the group at the end
of the project. Reference materials are available
in the field camp to help students pursue their
topics in more depth. Our overall goal is to
familiarize participants with the basic methods
of archaeological investigation and with the
reasoning and objectives behind specific
strategies of data collection.
Program Costs:
MNAP Program Fee: $1895
• This covers all your project-related ground
transportation in Belize, including (during the
field school session dates), all meals and
lodging at the Rio Bravo field camp, laundry,
and the use of archaeological equipment. Two
field trips to major Maya sites in Belize are
also included.
Additional costs:
• $420-$630 round-trip airfare to Belize City
from your place of departure in the States
• $30 US exit tax paid at the airport when you
depart
• personal funds for souvenirs, optional meals
in town, sodas, snacks, or phone cards (U.S.
currency is accepted everywhere and travelers
checks are cashed at most places but it’s best
to get these in $20 amounts); about $200
would be good.
• course credits through Howard University
(not required) – if you are interested, please
contact Dr. King for details.
C AMP L IFE
It has been said that the most difficult
part of a field school is surviving the field camp.
But we are quite proud of the one that has been
built through the efforts of Dr. Fred Valdez. The
camp is located next to the Programme for
Belize Research Station, about 5 miles into the
conservation area. The camp focal point is a
large building that has upstairs dorm rooms
with bunk beds (and a nice porch for evening
relaxing), as well as a large laboratory on the
first floor. Tent platforms with roofs are also
available for students. We have a nice kitchen
and dining area (that is screened in, which
makes it pleasant for evening games), along
with showers and the ever-popular latrines.
We certainly have no complaints about
our food -- our cooks provide three meals a day
and, while the food is basic (Belize is known for
its rice and beans), there is always plenty of it.
Provision is made for vegetarians, but people
with other food requirements should ask us
specifically about accommodating them. We
rise early to beat the heat, with breakfast at 6 am,
and we head to the field by 7. We return at 4 pm
for showers and relaxing (or volleyball, if
anyone has any energy left) and then dinner
around 6 pm. Evening activities vary. We share
the camp with several other projects and field
schools, so there are often interesting lectures to
attend. You will also have plenty of free time to
spend on your own or getting to know some of
the other groups. We even have the occasional
movie-in-the-jungle night!
In addition, we encourage people to take
advantage of the rainforest experience. The PfB
has a weather station and a small natural history
library, and they maintain several hiking trails.
There is always wildlife to see in the early
morning or evening and birding is exceptional.
As the name implies, the rainforest does sometimes have rain, but this rarely slows us down—
and soggy boots can add to the experience!
JOIN US IN BELIZE!
For an application packet, please contact:
Dr. Leslie Shaw
7000 College Station, Brunswick, ME 04011
207-725-3815 lshaw@bowdoin.edu
Dr. Eleanor King
Box 987, Howard University Washington, DC 20059
202-806-5255 emking@howard.edu
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