TRANSFORMATIONS AND ADAPTATIONS: THE TERMINAL CLASSIC TO POSTCLASSIC IN NORTHERN BELIZE

Abstract

Northern Belize was an active and interactive region of the ancient Maya during the Terminal Classic and Postclassic periods. Data concerning the Terminal Classic Maya and episodes of the period are discussed in the context of several northern Belize communities, particularly Colha and Lamanai. The Terminal Classic events witnessed at Colha seem to be different and in contrast to developments at Lamanai. The transition or transformation to Postclassic life at both Colha and Lamanai are also reviewed as a means of understanding continuity as well as discontinuity in occupation, settlement, and cultural tradition(s) in northern Belize. Changes among the ancient Maya from the Terminal Classic into the Postclassic are focused on data from material remains including lithics, ceramics, and faunal resources. Specific details for the chronology at each site are compared and contrasted. The pattern of adaptation(s) in northern Belize, for the two periods under discussion, may be seen as developmentally similar in other regions of the ancient lowland Maya.