Cuello An Early Maya Community in Belize

The Maya built one of the great ancient civilizations in the New World, between AD 250 and 900. Famed for over 150 years for its cities buried deep in the Central American jungle, the origins of Maya culture have, nevertheless, remained obscure until quite recently. Over the past two decades, the Preclassic origins of complex society in the Maya area have been established by a series of innovative research projects. Among the best known of these is the study of Cuello, the earliest-known ancient Maya settlement. Excavations at Cuello over several seasons from 1975 to 1987 have yielded an unmatched picture of a pioneer tropical forest community. In this volume the origins of Maya civilization 1500 years ago are documented with detailed evidence on the environment, economy, buildings, crafts, ritual practices, burials and artistic imagery.

Acknowledgements; 1. The Maya and their civilization: Introduction: the geography, chronology and achievements of the Maya Norman Hammond; 2. Archaeological investigations at Cuello, 1975-1987 Norman Hammond; 3. Stratigraphy and chronology in the reconstruction of Preclassic development at Cuello Norman Hammond, Juliette Cartwright Gerhardt and Sara Donaghey; 4. The economy and ecology of Cuello: the natural and cultural landscape of Preclassic Cuello Charles H. Miksicek; 5. The exploitation of animals Elizabeth S. Wing and Sylvia J. Scudder; 6. The community of Cuello: the ceremonial core Juliette Cartwright Gerhardt and Norman Hammond; 7. The community of Cuello: patterns of household and settlement change Richard P. Wilk and Harold L. Wilhite, Jr.; 8. The Preclassic people of Cuello Frank P. Saul and Julie Mather Saul; 9. Craft technology and production Norman Hammond; 10. External contacts and trade at Cuello Norman Hammond; 11. Ritual and ideology Cynthia Robin; 12. Cuello in context: a summary Norman Hammond; Bibliography; Index.

In this volume, originally published in 1991, the origins of Maya civilization 1500 years ago are documented with detailed evidence on the environment, economy, buildings, crafts, ritual practices, burials and artistic imagery. Excavations at Cuello over several seasons from 1975 to 1987 have yielded an unmatched picture of a pioneer tropical forest community.