Lamanai, Belize – Ancient Maya Classic Period (circa AD 250 to 900)
This
time period can also be divided. In the Early Classic (AD 250 to 600)
state-level political organizations developed and expanded in the Maya
region, especially in the central lowlands, and included Tikal, Altun
Ha, and Xunantunich. The Late Classic (AD 600 to 800) saw a rise in the
new kinship-based rulership combined with a peak in population and
cultural development especially in the central and southern lowlands.
And finally, the Terminal Classic (AD 800 to 900), which marks a sharp
decline, indicating severe stress in the central and southern lowland
sites and ends with the last recorded date in the Long Count calendar.
The
opening of the Terminal Classic period marked the beginning of a
dramatic decline. Thriving cities of hundreds of thousands were left
largely deserted. There have been numerous theories proposed to explain
the decline including drought, exhausted soils, depleted subsistence
sources, poor nutrition, disease, and social disintegration. Once
failure began to set in it was most likely a combination of the above
but many questions still remain.
Adding
to these questions about the decline during the Terminal Classic are
those specifically about Lamanai. What
factors led to Lamanai surviving and thriving during and after this
period? Certainly the New
River Lagoon, referred to as Dzuluinicob (foreign men) in prehistoric
times, was a factor in this, but was it the primary one?
Did the fact that Lamanai was well established and organized
enough to construct monumental architecture as is evident by Structure
N10-43 during the
Preclassic allow the Maya residing there to survive this Terminal
Classic decline? Or was
there some other factor that is not yet evident that led to the city
thriving for this extended period of time?
Structure
N10-27 – Stela 9, Classic Period - Lamanai, Belize
Classic
period carved stone monument, March 2003 recent decipherment by
epigrapher Simon Martin
did
not change the original two dates recorded on the monument determined by
Michael Closs of
AD 608 & 625 – but does change the individuals we think may be
being discussed from Lord Smoking Shell to Yopaat and Sun Shark – it
is not clear if the main figure is the dead lord Yopaat or the current
ruler (actually more like King, a rare title of East Kaloomte') dressed
in royal regalia that actually is very old-fashioned, see below for more
information - with this in mind we'd lean toward the figure representing
Yopaat after his death
Lamanai
Stela 9, Rubbing
By
L. Belanger (www.louisebelanger.com)
-
Iconographic
representations
identified by D. Reents-Budet
indicates a blend of Early and Late Classic traits – early being
headdress with projecting chin strap, wristlets in the central area that
resemble earplugs, ruler holding emblematic head in one hand and a
ceremonial bar in the other – late traits being some empty space
throughout (a reduction of imagery trend), outward turned feet (not seen
here), and earplugs depicted as independent from the headdress
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Quad
N10, Classic Period –
Lamanai
Archaeological Reserve, Belize
Downtown
Lamanai where the ancient Maya elite carried on everyday activities,
certainly there is evidence for Preclassic and Postclassic activity but
predominantly more Classic Period architecture presides
 Classic
Period, Unifacial blade points, Lamanai
Recovered
in the elite residential area, Ottawa – it may be the case that there
is a trend during the Middle to Terminal Classic period at Lamanai (and
possibly beyond) in which these were placed in dedicatory architectural
offerings (illustration by M. England)
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 AD
500 – Classic Period façade sculpture on Structure N9-56 (Mask
Temple)
Archaeological
illustration of Structure N9-56 by L. Belanger (www.louisebelanger.com),
during the Classic period there was a rise in kinship and rulership
'worship', less representations of deities and gods (although still
present) – during the Early Classic period at Lamanai we see this
large façade mask that certainly represents a human figure, whether
this is a depiction of one of Lamanai's ruler or an even higher power is
uncertain, although one of the only two tombs recovered at Lamanai was
recovered within this structure and dates to this time period
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