Understanding Wealth and Status Through Household Ceramic Assemblages at Actuncan

Author: Rebekah Metz

Field of Study: Anthropology

Program Affiliation: Environmental Anthropology Story Labs (EASL)

Faculty Mentors: David Mixter

Easel: 91

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: Ceramics in the Maya world can serve as key indicators of social identity and can be used to show variations in economic status throughout a site. At Actuncan, a Maya center located in Cayo, Belize, assemblages from two different household groups were compared to model changes in wealth from the Late (AD 600 to 780) to Terminal Classic (AD 780 to 1000) Periods. Here, it is possible to report on formal ceramic analysis to look for indicators of changing wealth, status, and household role by focusing on vessel size, form, function, and decoration. These findings are then contextualized in previous research on household architecture and neighborhood dynamics at Actuncan. In a broader sense, this explores how wealth differences across time can help to guide interpretations of how households interact within and beyond their communities.