Browsing by Subject "Belize"
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Item A Multi-Faceted Needs Assessment of the Belizean Agriculture Industry(2013-05) Porter, Haley; Brashears, Michael T.; Irlbeck, Erica; Meyers, CourtneyAgriculture is vital to the economy of Belize as it provides approximately 71% of the country's total foreign exchange earnings and represents 29% of the total labor force (U.S. Department of State, 2011). Until now, there has been a lack of knowledge pertaining to the educational needs of those involved in the agricultural industry of Belize. The purpose for this qualitative study was to conduct a needs assessment to determine the areas of research that should be focused on so that future educational programming and collaborative work in the form of workshops, internships, and grant proposals can be created. Case study methodology was used to address the following objectives: 1) determine what barriers prevent the agricultural industry of Belize from being more successful, 2) determine what the agricultural industry of Belize, as a whole, needs in order to be more successful, and 3) determine what the educational needs are for the agricultural industry of Belize. A variety of needs assessment techniques were used to collect data for this study: individual interviews, group interviews, and observations. A team of eight researchers from Texas Tech University traveled to Belize to meet with representatives from a governmental agency, the citrus industry, the poultry industry, the banana industry, the beef industry, the shrimp industry, and the restaurant/tourism industry. All interviews were digitally recorded and observational notes were taken. Upon return from Belize, the audio and video data were transcribed, then analyzed through the use of NVivo 10 for common themes. The results revealed several major themes that spanned across the entire agricultural industry. For Research Objective 1, the barriers identified for the Belizean agriculture industry were related to government, energy, oil, boat transportation, disease, weather, illiteracy/lack of technology, and unemployment. For Research Objective 2, general agricultural needs were identified for the citrus, beef, poultry, restaurant/tourism/agritourism, banana, and shrimp industries, and also the agricultural health authority for Belize. For Research Objective 3, several agricultural education needs were identified: the need for a link with other universities, the need for more government assistance in terms of education, the need for better collaboration with the Mennonite culture, the need to focus on extension education more, and the need for a better information dissemination system. The researcher identified several recommendations for future research. First, a demographic questionnaire should be distributed so that more rich and in-depth descriptions can be provided about the interview participants. Second, all of the interview participants for this study hold leadership positions within the Belizean agriculture industry; therefore, it would be beneficial to examine the perceptions of those who do not hold leadership positions within the industry. Third, it is recommended that the perceptions of government officials be examined in regard to the country’s agricultural industry. Fourth, a more in-depth examination of the needs of Belize’s Mennonite population should be examined, due to the fact that they represent a significant contribution to the agricultural industry. Fifth, a more extensive amount of time should be spent in Belize in order to thoroughly examine the country’s agricultural industry. The last recommendation is to begin developing workshop content based off the needs determined in this needs assessment.Item A Short Walk from Paradise: Initial Excavations at the Ruins of Kaxil Uinic, Belize(2013-05) Harris, Matthew C; Houk, Brett A.; Walter, Tamra L.The summer of 2012 marked the first field season of excavations at the ruins of Kaxil Uinic in northwestern Belize. The goal of the investigation was to understand the site and its relationships to the nearby site of Chan Chich, the historic Maya village/chicle camp, and a nearby aguada. In the course of the investigations, the original map of the site was modified and two previously unidentified structures were added. The stela and altar at the site were also targeted for investigation to better understand the chronology of the site. Some structures were also investigated for this purpose. This thesis discusses what was found during excavation at the site and provides possible explanations for the nature of certain concentrations of artifacts found.Item Abundance and distribution trends of the West Indian manatee in the coastal zone of Belize: implications for conservation.(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Auil, Nicole EricaThe coastal zone of Belize is home to the largest recorded number of the threatened Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) within the species' Caribbean range. The objectives of my study were: (1) to determine long-term trends in aerial survey counts and indices of the manatee population in the coastal zone of Belize; and (2) to examine the seasonal change in manatee distribution among habitats in the coastal zone. Standardized extended-area aerial surveys were conducted along the entire coastline of Belize in the dry and wet seasons of 1997, and 1999 - 2002. Manatees were counted in five habitat categories: cay, coast, estuary, lagoon, and river. Total sightings per survey ranged from 90 to 338; the greatest number was counted in the 2002 wet season. Calf percentage ranged from 5 to 13. A slight negative trend in total counts was significant for dry-season, not wet-season surveys, indicating an interactive effect of season and year. Based on analysis of variance, the Abundance Index (transformed manatee sightings per hour) did not differ significantly among years, although it varied significantly within year by season and habitat by season. In applying a spatial approach, the general survey route was buffered 1 km on both sides, and 1 km grids were overlaid and classified by habitat type. The presence or absence of each cell for each survey was used in likelihood ratio tests of the single and interactive effect of season and habitat. The Index for river habitat was higher in the dry season, while cay habitat was higher in the wet season. Overall, near-shore habitat (estuary, lagoon, and river) showed a higher Index than did the offshore habitat (cay and coast) although the total number of sightings was higher offshore. Considering the interactive effect of year, season, and habitat, long-term studies are needed, in both seasons, and among all habitats to account for variation. Continued broad-scale surveys, along with metapopulation analysis would fine-tune the understanding of specific sites, enhancing integrated coastal zone management for protected species and their habitat systems.Item Conservation of Antillean manatees in the Drowned Cayes area of Belize(2009-05-15) Sullivan, Caryn SelfThe purpose of this study was to determine how manatees use Swallow Caye, Drowned Cayes, and Gallows Reef, three distinct habitat types within the Belize Barrier Reef lagoon system near Belize City. Data were collected using boat-based point scan methods with the assistance of volunteers. Presence/absence and photo ID methods ensured consistency of data collection despite a changing pool of volunteer researchers. Results confirmed the mangrove and seagrass ecosystem between the Belize Barrier Reef and Belize City as important manatee habitat. Inconsistent with the prevailing "seasonal distribution hypothesis" for manatees in Belize, the probability of encountering manatees at Swallow Caye and in the Drowned Cayes was equal between dry and wet seasons. However, manatees were only observed at Gallows Reef during the wet season. Swallow Caye had the highest probability of encountering manatees, confirming traditional knowledge held by local tour operators, which led to the establishment of Swallow Caye Wildlife Sanctuary in 2002. In contrast to previous studies, my data suggest that at least 44% of the manatee population carry scars from non-lethal boat strikes. The proportion of scarred animals did not vary as a function of habitat type, season, or year. The probability of encountering manatees did not change between years, despite an exponential increase in cruise ship tourism. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and wildlife protection laws indicate that Belize is working to meet obligations under international agreements. However, there is still cause for concern. Manatees do not remain inside designated refuge boundaries; governmental agencies depend on co-management agreements with local non-governmental organizations for enforcement of rules inside MPAs; regulations governing human behavior outside MPAs are lacking; funds for monitoring and evaluation of MPAs are lacking. Manatee conservation strategies should be integrated into a system of riverine, coastal, and marine protected areas supported by additional tactics such as required manatee training for boat captains, slow zones at hot spots outside MPAs, and continued educational outreach. With few modifications and increased enforcement and monitoring, the Belize model for manatee conservation could lead to a shared "triumph on the commons" for the manatees and the user groups that shared their habitat.Item Defining the development and meaning of a commemoration complex : the Los Pisos Courtyard, La Milpa, Belize(2013-08) Martinez, Maria Magdalena; Valdez, Fred, Jr., 1953-The current research takes place at La Milpa, the third largest Maya center in Belize, Central America. The primary aim of this research was to investigate the development and function of "palace" courtyard complexes within Maya centers. More specifically, this research chronicles transformations in the built environment and activities taking place, particularly rituals, in the Los Pisos Courtyard from the Late Preclassic to the Late/Terminal Classic periods (400 B.C.-A.D. 900). Consequently, an attempt to correlate shifts in the built environment with changing sociopolitical fields and ritual practice was engaged. The role of agents in the construction and use of the built environment is of particular importance to the study of Maya monumental architecture. Therefore, the incorporation of social theories of structure and agency were employed in order to create a dialogue between the built environment and the people of La Milpa. This research project explored how the Los Pisos Courtyard developed in concert with the central precinct and its role within the La Milpa community. Excavations conducted by the author coupled with LaMAP (directed by Drs. Norman Hammond and Gair Tourtellot) excavations revealed that during the Late Preclassic period the Los Pisos Courtyard and Plaza A were cleared and leveled as the central precinct began to take form. During this time it is argued that the 3 m natural hillock on which the Los Pisos Courtyard rests was an open space used for ritual activity and community engagement. By the Early Classic period, a massive construction program occurred and the courtyard began to take its present configuration. The most significant change occurred during the Late/Terminal Classic period, when colossal construction efforts took hold of the entire site. Through monumentality and verticality, the Los Pisos Courtyard became an exclusive and segregated space designated for the most important inhabitants of La Milpa. Although the Los Pisos Courtyard became an exclusive locale, it may have remained an important symbol that served as a mnemonic device used to invoke memories that legitimated the power and authority of the elite.Item Developmental education in Belize : toward a national strategy(2009-05) Bateman, Douglas Richard; Roueche, John E.; Bumphus, Walter G.The issues and challenges for post-secondary education in Belize are many and have been exacerbated by the democratization of higher education in this young, small, developing, Caribbean nation. Improving access to tertiary education is understood as essential to the development of nations throughout the world and increasing access to higher education is an important element in regional development and integration. Despite significant growth in the tertiary education population, the Caribbean region continues to lag behind the developed world in post-secondary enrollment and Belize's enrollment of the 18-24 year old cohort is among the lowest in the region. As the tertiary system in the Caribbean has been democratized and the enrollment numbers have increased, developmental education programs have been introduced to protect the quality of college credit courses and to ensure that students are academically prepared for success at the tertiary level. This research was designed to assess the effectiveness of developmental education offered in the junior colleges of Belize and to examine student and faculty perceptions of developmental education programs in Belize. St. John's College Junior College (SJCJC), located in Belize City, and its Summer Development Program (SDP) provided the case study for this research. Since SJCJC's summer bridge program has been replicated at other junior colleges in Belize, this research contributed to understanding a national approach to developmental education. The investigator used a mixed methods approach relying on quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The research questions were: What percentage of students who enrolled in SJCJC's SDP passed the next level gateway course in the subject for which they required remediation? How does this compare with the success rate of students not enrolled in SDP courses? What percentage of students who took one or more courses in the SDP graduated within two years? How does this compare with the graduation rate of students that had not enrolled in SDP courses? What are SDP students' perceptions of the program? What are SDP faculty members' perceptions of the program? How do these perceptions relate to the effectiveness of the program as determined by research questions #1 and #2?Item Diet, habitat and ecomorphology of cichlids in the Upper Bladen River, Belize(Texas A&M University, 2008-10-10) Cochran, Jennifer LynnCichlids are among the most species rich and ecologically diverse families of freshwater fishes. Life history attributes vary greatly among cichlids across their global range, and in the Neotropics alone studies have revealed a great deal of diversity in cichlid ecology, morphology and behavior. This study investigated the habitat use, diet, and ecomorphology of an assemblage of cichlids in the Upper Bladen River, Belize. Mesohabitats, including riffles, runs, deep pools, vegetated areas and adjacent streams, were surveyed and snorkeled, and physicochemical and habitat variables were measured at each site where cichlids were observed or collected. Between 12 and 65 stomachs of each cichlid species were analyzed for diet composition. In addition, traditional morphometrics were completed on five individuals of each species in order to investigate the relationships between morphology, diet, and habitat use. The present study revealed patterns of trophic and morphological diversity consistent with a hypothesis of resource partitioning in accordance with adaptive divergence in morphological traits that influence ecological performance. The Bladen cichlid assemblage has one algivore with a long, coiled gut (Archocentrus spilurus), one piscivore with an elongated body and highly protrusbile jaws (Petenia splendida), two substrate sifters that feed extensively on benthic invertebrates (Astatheros robertsoni and Thorichthys meeki), one midwater invertebrate feeder ('Cichlasoma' salvini), and one large-bodied, trophic generalist (Vieja maculicauda). Species in this assemblage display divergent ecological patterns supported by morphological and behavioral adaptations that yield a degree of diet and habitat segregation. The present study provides not only basic ecological data essential for effective conservation, but also evidence of niche diversification within a local assemblage of heroine cichlids that will be useful for ecological and evolutionary analyses at larger scales of taxonomy, geography, and time.Item Evaluation of organochlorine residues in Morelet's and American crocodile eggs from Belize(Texas Tech University, 2000-08) Wu, Ted H.Non-viable eggs of Morelet's crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) and American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) were collected from various locations in Belize and screened for organochlorine (OC) compounds using gas chromatography (GC) with electron capture detection (ECD). Seven complete clutches (1 non-viable and 6 flooded nests) of eggs from Morelet's crocodiles were also collected to examine distribution of OCs and determine the appropriate minimum number of eggs to sample in the field to obtain an accurate mean p,p-DDE concentration representative of the full clutch. All but one egg (American crocodile. Maps Cay, Nest 2) analyzed tested positive for one or more OCs. The primary contaminant was p,p-DDE (99%). Other OCs detected included p,p-DDT, p,p-DDD, methoxychlor, endosulfan I and II, endrin, aldrin, and a-chlordane. Concentrations of individual OCs on a wet weight calculation ranged from 1 ppb (ng chemical/g egg) to >0.5 ppm (jig chemical/g egg). Total concentration of OCs (sum of all OCs) for one egg collected from a nest at Gold Button Lagoon (GBL) reached as high as 0.7 ppm. No significant difference (p < 0.05) between non-viable eggs from American (n = 12) and Morelet's (n = 13) crocodile nests was observed for egg p,p-DDE concentration using a Wilcoxon rank sum test. However, significant differences were observed with absolute mean p,p-DDE contamination among complete clutches (n = 7) of eggs from Morelet's crocodile using Welch ANOVA (p < 0.0001). Correlation coefficients for DDT and DDT metabolites within complete clutches of eggs varied from an r of 0.95 to 0.24. The weaker correlation coefficients between DDT and DDT metabolites may suggest the possibility of another source of contaminants in eggs besides by maternal transfer. A statistical evaluation of p,p-DDE levels in three complete clutches (GBL 2, 1999; GBL 3, 1997; and GBL 4, 1997) of eggs recommended a minimum sample size of 11. This sample size should give an accurate estimate of contaminant levels in a full clutch of eggs based on an average standard deviation (0.26 ng/g), average clutch size (n = 20), acceptable deviation from the mean (± 0.1), and a confidence interval of 90%. The statistically recommended sample size of 11 eggs was successfully tested on four additional clutches. Sediment and nest media (soil and plant material) collected from GBL and New River Lagoon (NRL) also tested positive for OCs (lindane, aldrin, heptachlor, methoxychlor, endrin aldehyde, p,p-DDT among others). Contaminated media could be a potential source for transfer of volatile OCs into eggs. Based on the 264 egg samples analyzed, Morelet's and American crocodiles from Belize are being exposed to OCs. Such exposure may present a health threat to populations of crocodilians in Central America.Item Excavation and preliminary analysis of a Maya Burial at the Medicinal Trail archaeological site, Belize, Central America(2011-05) Drake, Stacy Marie; Valdez, Fred, Jr., 1953-; Creel, DarrellThe following report describes the excavation and preliminary analysis of Burial 5 at Group A of the Medicinal Trail archaeological site in northwest Belize. The excavation of Burial 5 occurred over the duration of the 2009 and 2010 field seasons, and this report focuses on the 2010 portion of this excavation, which was conducted within the field laboratory at the Programme for Belize Archaeology Project. In this report, I describe the methods utilized during the 2010 excavation and preliminary analysis processes. I also discuss some of the theory relevant to Maya mortuary practices as they relate to my interpretations of the findings from Burial 5.Item Geoarchaeological and archaeobotanical approaches to human-environmental interactions during the Archaic to Preclassic Periods in Northwestern Belize(2015-05) Aebersold, Luisa; Valdez, Fred, Jr., 1953-; Beach, TimothyThis report reviews human-environmental interactions in Northwestern Belize during the transition from Archaic (8000 to 4000 B.P.) to Preclassic periods (4000 B.P. to 2000 B.P.). Specifically, the transition of subsistence strategies from nomadic hunter-gatherer to more sedentary food production, which we still do not fully understand in the tropical lowlands of the Maya region. It is during this pivotal era that early to mid-Holocene humans domesticated a wide variety of plants and animals, establishing a new human niche strategy that dramatically changed environments around the world. This report considers how human niche construction, a theoretical framework that expressly attributes populations with deliberate ecosystem engineering strategies, plays an integral role in the Anthropocene. I present my plans for analyzing sediments and microbotanical remains to contribute to knowledge about paleoenvironment and human-landscape interactions to provide direct evidence for transformative behavior by humans.Item A household perspective : ceramics from a domestic structure at Kichpanha, Belize(2010-05) Root-Garey, Emily Donna; Rodriguez-Alegría, Enrique R.; Valdez, FredResearch at Kichpanha, Belize, has primarily focused on the Late Preclassic, elite contexts, and the regional economic and political roles of the site. This study is an initial step in expanding qualitative research at Kichpanha across the Classic period and into the smaller scale of domestic contexts, analyzing ceramics recovered in association with a Late Classic mound structure and Late Preclassic lithic workshop. Drawing on literature in household archaeology and pre-Columbian Maya commoners, I focus on structure function and social status of occupants. Additionally, I examine how the ceramics fit into the established chronology at Kichpanha, and address the spatiotemporal relationship between the mound structure and lithic workshop.Item Hun Tun hinterland complexity : investigations of a commoner settlement in northwestern Belize(2016-05) Dodge, Robyn Leigh; Valdez, Fred, Jr., 1953-; Creel, Darrell; Menchaca, Martha; Moore, Allan; Trachman, RissaThis dissertation focuses on hinterland social complexity in northwestern Belize. The archaeological site of Hun Tun was investigated to understand ancient Maya life ways in a household context. The site itself contributes to the institutions that form social complexity during the Late Classic Maya Chronology. Hun Tun is located on the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area in northwestern Belize and serves as the location for this dissertation research. Hun Tun research is part of a collaborative research endeavor aimed at understanding the various institutions that form Maya society. Initial data for this project began with the creation of a site map and cursory test-pit excavations. Survey expeditions yielded an abundance of information regarding the potential for long- term research poised to answer questions about social complexity at the household level. Settlement pattern studies began as the first priority of research following the traditions of following in the traditions of Willey (1953), Ashmore (1981, 1991), Ashmore and Sabloff (2002), Villamil (2007) and others. Whereas, ancient Maya commoner studies focuses on the support groups and their roles participating in ancient Maya society became a long-tern research endeavor at Hun Tun. Ancient Maya commoners serve as a focus for this study due to the size and scale of Hun Tun. Commoners are appropriate for a study regarding social complexity because they successfully adapt “to their social environments,” responding to external forces and pressures applied by others (Lohse and Valdez 2004). These adaptations can be observed in the Hun Tun archaeological record Other examples of Hun Tun social complexity at the household level include the recruitment of high quality limestone material, complex architecture, storage and maintenance of clay, and various examples of commoner rituals. Hun Tun is an agent of social formation, which challenges preconceived notions of household social complexity in a Late Classic hinterland context.Item Life on the Edge: Investigating Maya Hinterland Settlements in Northwestern Belize(2013-05) Boudreaux, Sarah; Houk, Brett A.; Walter, Tamra L.; Cortes-Rincon, MarisolThe Three Rivers Region of Northwestern Belize was an important area for Classic Maya development. Archaeological sites became known to archaeologists in the 1970s and gained much attention in the early 1990s with the creation of the Programme for Belize Archaeological Project (PfBAP). The PfBAP operates on a 250,000-acre nature preserve, known as the Programme for Belize (PfB). Most of this acreage is covered in semi-deciduous, rugged forest, resulting in unexplored terrain. This precludes exploration of the PfBAP and hinders the understanding of ancient Maya settlement. Thus, settlement studies are particularly difficult to conduct and the relationships between settlements and their environment are not well understood. Though, the Dos Hombres to Gran Cacao Archaeological Project (DH2GC), created by Dr. Marisol Cortes-Rincon of Humboldt State University, is creating a detailed picture of a portion of the PfBAP area by way of interdisciplinary inquiry including archaeology, ecology, and geoarchaeology. The DH2GC is conducting a settlement study along a 12-km transect to map settlement and ecological features between the cities of Dos Hombres and Gran Cacao. This thesis is a complementary project along side the DH2GC. The ultimate goal of the thesis project is to understand the nature of settlement patterning between large site centers. The main focus is on small courtyard groups that appear within the Dos Hombres suburban area. Analysis of these courtyard groups will be through settlement patterning that concerns environmental context, and site-planning planning principles.Item Maya muon tomography, muon tracking, and muon simulation(2007-12) Hui, CheukKai Becket, 1981-; Schwitters, Roy F.The Mayan Muon Tomography Project of the UT High Energy Physics Laboratory is in collaboration with UT Mesoamerican Archaeological Laboratory to explore a Maya pyramid in Belize. The detectors in this project will use cosmic ray muons, and thus unintrusively, to create tomographic images of the internal structures of the pyramid. A prototype muon detector has been completed and commissioned in early 2007. Currently, the Maya Muon group is studying various aspects of the detector in preparation for its service in Belize. Muon track reconstruction, imaging technique and data simulation have been studied and will be discussed here.Item Methods and simulations of muon tomography and reconstruction(2016-05) Schreiner III, Henry Fredrick; Schwitters, Roy F.; Dicus, Duane; Lang, Karol; Onyisi, Peter; Navratil, PaulThis dissertation investigates imaging with cosmic ray muons using scintillator-based portable particle detectors, and covers a variety of the elements required for the detectors to operate and take data, from the detector internal communications and software algorithms to a measurement to allow accurate predictions of the attenuation of physical targets. A discussion of the tracking process for the three layer helical design developed at UT Austin is presented, with details of the data acquisition system, and the highly efficient data format. Upgrades to this system provide a stable system for taking images in harsh or inaccessible environments, such as in a remote jungle in Belize. A Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation was used to develop our understanding of the efficiency of the system, as well as to make predictions for a variety of different targets. The projection process is discussed, with a high-speed algorithm for sweeping a plane through data in near real time, to be used in applications requiring a search through space for target discovery. Several other projections and a foundation of high fidelity 3D reconstructions are covered. A variable binning scheme for rapidly varying statistics over portions of an image plane is also presented and used. A discrepancy in our predictions and the observed attenuation through smaller targets is shown, and it is resolved with a new measurement of low energy spectrum, using a specially designed enclosure to make a series of measurements underwater. This provides a better basis for understanding the images of small amounts of materials, such as for thin cover materials.Item Pollen from Laguna Verde, Blue Creek, Belize: Implications for Paleoecology, Paleoethnobotany, Agriculture, and Human Settlement(2010-10-12) Morse, MckenzieThis dissertation is a palynological examination of the Mayan archaeological site at Blue Creek, northwestern Belize. This study uncovers more than 4,500 years of environmental and agricultural history of the region, which can be related to human incursion, habitation and plant use, abandonment, and reoccupation of the region. After an historical and ecological overview of the study site, there follows an explanation of procedures for collecting, sampling, processing, identifying, and counting the fossil pollen from the area. Evidence from archaeology, paleoecology, and physical anthropology is used to construct a model for the first entry of humans into the Maya area. Examinations are made of Archaic Period paleoecology and the cultural developments that set the stage for the advancement of Maya culture. Next, the physical environment of Blue Creek is explored, and its stability is assessed. This information leads to an assessment of the possibility of drought or soil degradation during the height of Mayan civilization, and contributes to the current understanding of the Maya Collapse at Blue Creek. Mayan agricultural methodologies are explained, and the changes to traditional production systems that resulted from European colonization are described. A model of agricultural development is proposed. The plant taxa identified in the Laguna Verde pollen core are listed and described. Finally, the Laguna Verde pollen core is interpreted in terms of the vegetation associations and environmental conditions represented by each stratum. This dissertation is a palynological examination of the Mayan archaeological site at Blue Creek, northwestern Belize. This study uncovers more than 4,500 years of environmental and agricultural history of the region, which can be related to human incursion, habitation and plant use, abandonment, and reoccupation of the region. After an historical and ecological overview of the study site, there follows an explanation of procedures for collecting, sampling, processing, identifying, and counting the fossil pollen from the area. Evidence from archaeology, paleoecology, and physical anthropology is used to construct a model for the first entry of humans into the Maya area. Examinations are made of Archaic Period paleoecology and the cultural developments that set the stage for the advancement of Maya culture. Next, the physical environment of Blue Creek is explored, and its stability is assessed. This information leads to an assessment of the possibility of drought or soil degradation during the height of Mayan civilization, and contributes to the current understanding of the Maya Collapse at Blue Creek. Mayan agricultural methodologies are explained, and the changes to traditional production systems that resulted from European colonization are described. A model of agricultural development is proposed. The plant taxa identified in the Laguna Verde pollen core are listed and described. Finally, the Laguna Verde pollen core is interpreted in terms of the vegetation associations and environmental conditions represented by each stratum.Item Research report on archaeological investigations at Hun Tun(2010-05) Dodge, Robyn Leigh; Valdez, Fred, Jr., 1953-; Wilson, SamuelThis paper examines the archaeological data collected during the 2008 and 2009 seasons at the Maya settlement, Hun Tun, in northwestern Belize. Hun Tun was initially identified in 2008 where preliminary investigations have focused on survey, mapping and testing courtyard spaces. Architectural evidence and material culture will be discussed generally in terms of chronology and possible function. Ceramic analysis suggests a single occupation with a Late Classic hiatus. Analysis of field research will be limited to studies of settlement patterns, chronological sequencing of courtyard spaces and proposed function of limestone features. These initial field seasons have yielded information pertaining to socioeconomic status, sociopolitical interaction and potential hypotheses related to these topics. Future research at Hun Tun is presented with an emphasis on household archaeology.