Anthropology Professor Rissa Trachman gave a presentation on June 30, 2011 at the 9th annual Belize Archaeology Symposium in San Ignacio, Belize.
Her presentation, titled “Trade and Exchange at the Site of Dos Hombres and its Hinterlands: a Multiscale Perspective in Northwestern Belize,” concerned her ongoing research in Maya archaeology. Her recent research in northwestern Belize at the site of Dos Hombres combined with previous research at the site and sites in its hinterlands has revealed much information about the artifacts and architecture.
Trade and exchange of this material culture both in the site proper and in the nearby households is evidenced through the presence of obsidian, shell, lithics, and ceramics. Trachman’s research has also shown that not only was the trade of objects very important for the ancient Maya, but that access to different social groups differed through time. In addition, the importance of the exchange of labor and ideas cannot be overstated, as indicated through the maintenance of a recently discovered ancient spring fed water management system as well as architectural elements seen at both Dos Hombres and the nearby site of La Milpa.