EXPLORING ENVIRONMENT-HUMAN-ANIMAL RELATIONSHIPS AND INDIGENOUS SUSTAINABILITY IN CENTRAL BELIZE: INSIGHTS FROM STABLE ISOTOPE AND ZOOARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSES

This study explores the trends of human-animal interactions and Maya sustainability in the Valley of Peace Archaeology (VOPA) project area from the Late Preclassic to Postclassic periods (c. 300 BCE-1100 CE) by applying preliminary zooarchaeological and stable isotopic analyses of fauna from Yalbac, Cara Blanca, Saturday Creek, and surrounding rural house mounds. Evidence shows that the Maya at Saturday Creek along the Belize River from the 7th century BCE to the 16th century CE, did not appear to degrade the environment. However, the Maya abandoned Yalbac and Cara Blanca before the Postclassic period (c. 900 CE). The Maya in this region likely had differential access to animals between commoner and elite households. Among the construction fills are several different special faunal deposits, including two large cats, a grey fox, and armadillo scutes. Finally, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotope analyses reflect one deer's access to maize and indicate extended dry seasons with frequent climate variability during Late and Terminal Classic, which is also supported by other zooarchaeological analyses (c. 600-900 CE).