Models for ancient Maya coastal site development and economy: examination of Pork and Doughboy Point, Port Honduras, Belize

In the summer of 2003 I conducted an archaeological study at Pork and Doughboy Point, Belize, under the direction of Dr. Heather McKillop. The site, situated amidst other ancient Maya coastal settlements of the Port Honduras in southern Belize, has only been tested for offshore deposits in the three decades since it was reported. The current research involved the first reported terrestrial excavations at the site. The goals of this investigation were to recover pottery that could be used to date the ancient Maya occupation and obtain artifacts that would suggest the nature of the site. From artifact analyses I have concluded that Pork and Doughboy Point was the location of one or more intensified activities, the products of which were likely involved in coastal-inland trade with the interior centers of southern Belize. I propose first generation models that test the available data in an attempt to depict the nature of ancient Maya coastal site development and economy. These models may also be appropriate in other regions of the Maya realm