Garbage of the Gods? Squatters, Refuse Disposal, and Termination Rituals among the Ancient Maya

• Published in: Latin American antiquity Vol. 19; no. 3; pp. 227 - 247
• Main Authors: Stanton, Travis W., Brown, M. Kathryn, Pagliaro, Jonathan B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, US Cambridge University Press 01-09-2008; Society for American Archaeology
• Subjects: Archaeology; Architecture; Book publishing; Ethnoarchaeology; Excavations; Funerary rituals; Garbage collection; Material culture; Middens; Publishing industry; Refuse and refuse disposal; Rites, ceremonies and celebrations; Rituals; Squatter settlements; United States; Mexico; United Kingdom
• ISSN: 1045-6635; 2325-5080
• DOI: 10.1017/S1045663500007938

Differentiating the material patterning between domestic refuse from squatters and ceremonial trash generated from termination rituals has been difficult for Maya archaeologists. Rich floor assemblages, especially from elite contexts, have been interpreted as “decadent” squatter refuse by some researchers and the remains of abandonment rituals by others. The identification and separation of these classes of behavior are essential for interpretations of floor assemblages. In this paper, we examine data from numerous contexts, in order to contextualize the debate over the interpretation of these two models. Ethnoarchaeological, ethnohistoric, and archaeological data indicate that close scrutiny of the context and material composition of such deposits are needed to distinguish these very different classes of behavior.