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Location Analysis of Prehistoric Maya Sites in Northern British Honduras

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Ernestene L. Green
Ernestene L. Green*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Western Michigan University
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Abstract

This paper examines the spatial distribution of prehistoric Maya sites in Corozal District, northern British Honduras (Belize). Central to the analysis is the proposition that sites were located so as to minimize the effort expended in acquiring critical resources. The method is to isolate characteristics of the environment and to test their correlation with settlement distribution. The analysis includes both bivariate and multivariate tests. By using both kinds of tests, it is possible to suggest not only which characteristics were relevant to the selection of a location for settlement but also the relative importance of these characteristics. The analysis indicates that variables of soil, vegetation, and distance from navigable water are significantly associated with settlement. Also, the analysis brings out the phenomenon of settlement clusterings as it occurs in this region.

Type
Articles
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 38 , Issue 3 , July 1973 , pp. 279 - 293
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1973

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