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Blue Creek |
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Summer 2012
MRP's 21st Field Season at Blue Creek | |
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Excavation and Study of a Classic Maya City The Site and Past Projects. Since 1992, research at the Maya center of Blue Creek has been MRP's flagship effort. Blue Creek was a wealthy polity with large monumental architecture. We have excavated much of the public and residential architecture, discovered one of the Maya ar
 ea's largest caches of jade, and found a large-scale ancient agricultural system. (Click here for a brief site summary.) MRP has also been instrumental in documenting and protecting many Maya sites in northwest Belize. MRP's work at Blue Creek has produced an academic book, dozens of published papers, ten doctoral dissertations and over a dozen master's theses. Over 2200 students and volunteers have participated in the project in the past 20 years. The current Blue Creek project team includes faculty members and graduate students from over a dozen universities worldwide. In addition, the Blue Creek field school has been certified by the Register of Professional Archaeologists and the project won the Archaeological Institute of America's Excavation Outreach contest!From May to July of each year, MRP hosts multiple two-week sessions for students and volunteers at Blue Creek. Everyone is a full participant in the effort and is involved with field excavations and laboratory work.
MRP's Maya Area Scholarly Imperative: Understanding the Classic Collapse. What happened to Classic Maya civilization? Why did the entire society collapse -- region wide -- during a short crisis in the mid-ninth century A.D.? Was it persistent warfare? Agricultural or environmental collapse? Overpopulation? Drought? Or some combination . . . of some other factors altogether? Because of the extent of the Blue Creek site (from Middle Preclassic to the Terminal Classic collapse) and because of the length of time and extent of our studies, MRP is in a unique position to analyze a wealth of data that may provide critical insights into this mystery. This is an overarching focus of research over the coming years, into which all of our new projects will feed. This is at the vanguard of scholarship, impacting the debate about the Classic Maya collapse among scholars and institutions around the Nojol Nah, Ixno' Ha, and Grey Fox . There are at least three additional major monumental site centers in our survey area west of the site of Blue Creek. There is much to be learned from these sites and they will be a focus of MRP's work at the Blue Creek Field Station for years to come. Mapping and excavation of the area began in the 2008 and will continue in 2012. (Click here for a map of the area and major sites.) Wetlands Agriculture. Led by Dr. Sheryl Luzzader- Beach and Dr. Tim Beach, we continue long term investigations of ancient wetlands agricultural systems at Blue Creek and elsewhere in Northwestern Belize. Caves Research:
2012 Season Dates (must participate in at least one two-week session):
Session 1: Monday May 28 - Sunday June 10 A required donation of $1750 is required for a single session ($1500 for students). Each subsequent session is an additional $1200. You are also responsible for getting to and from Belize City. Additional Information: Click here for MUCH MORE INFORMATION about Blue Creek. These additional pages contain a descriptive map of the ceremonial core, a history of Blue Creek, many pictures of our people and finds, and much, much more.
Call or email Dr. Tom Guderjan (817-831-9011), mrpinquiries@gmail.com for further information.
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Scholarships and student support available. | |
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