Lithic Raw Material Sources at the Southern End of the Freshwater Creek Drainage: A View from Laguna de on, Belize

Stone tools at the Late Postclassic (AD 1050-1500) settlement at Laguna de On are indicative of significant inter-community exchange among the Maya of northern Belize. The lithic artifacts represent a consumer assemblage, in which the majority of formal tools were procured from the well-known stone...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Lithic technology 1999-09, Vol.24 (2), p.91-110
Main Author: Oland, Maxine H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Archaeological surveys
Lagoons
Nodules
Outcrops
Quartz
Raw materials
Research universities
Rock textures
Stone tools
Surface texture
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Summary:Stone tools at the Late Postclassic (AD 1050-1500) settlement at Laguna de On are indicative of significant inter-community exchange among the Maya of northern Belize. The lithic artifacts represent a consumer assemblage, in which the majority of formal tools were procured from the well-known stone tool production center of Colha, 10 km away. A raw material survey was conducted to see what types of stone were readily available locally. A raw material analysis of formal tools and unused lithic flakes was then independently conducted, to assess the degree to which local and imported stone was being utilized at the settlement. The data present patterns of dependence on the craft specialization of Colha for formal tools, while local materials served primarily in the manufacture of expedient tools.
ISSN:0197-7261
2051-6185
DOI:10.1080/01977261.1999.11720950