A Granitic Ground Stone Tool Quarry in Belize: Using Chaine Operatoire as a Context for Framing Future Research

Abstract Archaeological interest in analyses of ground stone tools (GST) was minimal until fairly recent times. Often these typically heavy artifacts were noted, but not collected as parts of archaeological assemblages. Most archaeologists did not recognize that GST were sometimes manufactured and could be considered in light of chaîne-opératoire lithic theory, in the same manner as their flaked-stone counterparts. The articles in this Compact Section are focused on a newly discovered granite ground stone quarry and manufacturing area in Belize. The subject is exceptional for two reasons: (1) granite ground stone quarries have not yet been studied elsewhere and (2) this is the first ground stone quarry to be discovered in Belize. The Mountain Pine Ridge batholith quarries are compared with previous quarry studies in the U.S. Southwest, Mexico, and Guatemala and suggestions made for future avenues of research in Belize.