The Early/Middle Formative Kanocha Phase (1200-850 B.C.) at Blackman Eddy, Belize
James F. Garber, M. Kathryn Brown, and Christopher J. Hartman

Conclusion

Primary objectives of the recent investigations at Blackman Eddy were to augment the emerging Formative period data base as evidenced at the site of Cahal Pech (Awe, 1992). At the start of these initiatives, what was known of Formative occupation of the area was essentially what Willey and his colleagues (1965) had discovered in the 1950s. More recently, Ball and Taschek (1986), Healy (1990), Ford (1990), and Ford and Fedick (1992) recorded evidence of Formative occupation at Buenavista del Cayo, Pacbitun, and the area to the northwest of the Belize River, but these data were represented by little more than ceramic remains. Collectively, the information gained from these sites indicated that Jenny Creek pottery represented the earliest ceramic tradition of the region. These ceramics however, had not been isolated stratigraphically and its early Middle Formative date had been determined solely by seriation (Willey et al., 1965:562-563; Gifford, 1976). In his discussion of early facet Jenny Creek pottery Sharer acknowledged this problem.

"It should be stressed that the following facet definitions are minimal, that is, further excavations in the Belize Valley area should add to and refine this picture of the initial pottery tradition in the eastern Maya Lowlands". (Sharer, 1976:61)

Prior to the excavations at Blackman Eddy (Brown and Garber, 1998; Brown et al., 2000; Garber, 1997; Garber et al., 2001) and Cahal Pech (Awe, 1992; Cheetham, 1995; 1996) there were no data on securely dated architecture or settlements prior to 850 B.C. Data regarding interaction spheres and long distance trade were limited as well. In part due to this limited data base, Willey et al. (1965), Gifford (1970) and Sharer and Gifford (1970) suggested that sociopolitical complexity did not develop in the upper Belize Valley until the terminal Late Preclassic. Additionally, they argued that this development was probably sparked by outside influence from the highlands.

The excavations at Blackman Eddy have revealed a developmental sequence of architectural construction initiated at approximately 1200 B.C. with the construction of pole and thatch domestic buildings built on and slightly above bedrock. Through time, the buildings increased in complexity. By the beginning of the early Jenny Creek phase (850 B.C.), the inhabitants of the valley were constructing lime-plastered, cut masonry, monumental public architecture. Participation in a far-reaching interaction sphere has been documented for these earliest settled groups. Evidence for the importation of exotic goods from the Guatemalan highlands, the Motagua Valley, and the Caribbean coast predate the late Middle Formative record for these activities at Barton Ramie (Willey et al., 1965).

The presence of dedication and termination offerings, feasting debris, figurines, carved greenstone, and the incised elements and motifs of the early ceramics, indicate the importance of symbolism and ritual ideology at an early date in the Lowlands. The iconographic motifs of the Kanocha phase at Blackman Eddy indicate that the earliest settled groups of the Belize Valley participated in a pan-Mesoamerican symbol system. This is evident in the Cunil phase at Cahal Pech as well (Awe, 1992; Cheetham, 1998).

The investigations at Blackman Eddy have revealed Jenny Creek phase material in sealed stratigraphic context. The associated radiocarbon dates for these remains confirm the early Middle Formative date (850 B.C.-650 B.C) for early Jenny Creek ceramic remains (Table 2). Stratigraphically beneath, and thus pre-dating, these remains are deposits of the Kanocha phase (1200 B.C.-850 B.C.) at Blackman Eddy. There are several important questions about this phase that remain unanswered. These concern the origins of the ceramic types, their developmental relationships to Jenny Creek, and their relationship to the early ceramics of the Peten and northern Belize.

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