THE SAN PEDRO SITE: LATE POSTCLASSIC AND HISTORIC OCCUPATION ON AMBERGRIS CAYE, BELIZE

This paper presents a summary of archaeological investigations of the San Pedro site in downtown San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize. This multicomponent site was recently excavated prior to construction work related to the renovation of a hotel on the property in 2017, and later in 2023 prior to the sale of the property. Recent archaeological investigations at the site have expanded our understanding of a Late Postclassic period Maya community that was focused heavily on marine resource exploitation. Archaeological investigations have revealed that the Late Postclassic San Pedro Maya enjoyed strong economic and social relationships with other Maya communities on Ambergris Caye, the mainland of northern Belize, and beyond. We also have acquired new insights into the lives of the Caste War refugees who established the town in 1848-1849. San Pedro represents one of only a few sites situated along the coast of Belize that has evidence of substantial Late Postclassic Maya occupation. In addition, its other, later temporal component spans the period from the mid-nineteenth century through modern times, and may be the only known instance thus far of significant Caste War refugee settlement on any one of Belize’s hundreds of offshore islands.