Southern Lowland Maya Archaeology And Human Skeletal Remains: Interpretations From Caracol (Belize), Santa Rita Corozal (Belize), And Tayasal (Guatemala)

One class of data that is crucial to archaeological interpretations of prehistoric populations, their health, status, and demographic patterns, is that derived from human burials. These are recovered in what, at first glance, appear to be sizeable quantities in most excavations at most Maya sites (Chase 1994; Saul and Saul 1991; Tourtellot 1990a; Welsh 1988). Yet, how much do we know about the actual remains of the ancient Maya and how can excavated samples be used to define ancient populations? The sites of Caracol, Santa Rita Corozal, and Tayasal are all Maya sites in the southern lowlands. Each of these sites, however, is located within a distinctive geographic area and maintains a different history of human occupation. Investigations at each site have added important information to our views of the ancient Maya and, when taken together, provide greater insight into both a broader interpretation of the nature of ancient Maya populations and the methodological and theoretical difficulties involved in making intersite comparisons. Copyright © 2006 The University of Alabama Press. All rights reserved