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ANCIENT MAYA CAUSEWAYS AND SITE ORGANIZATION AT CARACOL, BELIZE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2002

Arlen F. Chase  and
Diane Z. Chase
Arlen F. Chase
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
Diane Z. Chase
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
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Abstract

Statements concerning the function of intrasite Maya causeways often focus on inferred ritual purposes or on symbolic kinship alliances rather than on the more practical roles that such roads may have served. Data collected on an extensive intrasite causeway system at Caracol, Belize, demonstrate that the primary role of its sacbes lay in facilitating the administrative control of people, goods, and services. An estimated 75 km of roads not only served intrasite communication and transport; they also affected the political and economic integration of this huge center.

Type
SPECIAL SECTION: RECENT RESEARCH ON MAYA CAUSEWAYS
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 12 , Issue 2 , July 2001 , pp. 273 - 281
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press

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