Cultural Change on a Temporal and Spatial Frontier

Discussions of Mayan civilisation are still beset by questions of collapse and its causes and the Upper Belize Valley is no exception. This study examines the issue through a comparative assessment of ceramic evidence from sites in this region dating from the Terminal Classic to Postclassic period, roughly c.AD 850 to c.AD 1050. Previously published and new data from a range of sites is used to examine Mayan society at this time and simultaneously to re-examine the question of collapse. Evaluation of ceramic types, distribution, use, stylistic change and the types of sites where they are found is brought together in a discussion of ethnic, religious and social change and, ultimately, an overview of the Terminal Classic to Postclassic transition in the Upper Belize Valley.