Belize Ritual Caves Project

Introduction

In Belize, cave research has been hampered by the absence of a coherent list of site names and their alias, survey and mapping histories, a centralized and standardized series of maps with accompanying photographs, and an accurate record of location information. In the absence of such a standardized record the voluminous data generated over the past 100 years, while interesting and of great intrinsic value, can have little impact from an archaeological perspective. With FAMSI support a rich and significant database has been created by accessing previously unpublished and archived material from a wide variety of sources to supplement the published literature. In its final form this material will serve not only to address the research question stated at the outset of this project, but will also act as a substantial resource with which to contextualize and assess ongoing studies.

The following brief history of cave studies in Belize clearly demonstrates the utility of the data collection strategy undertaken. Following, preliminary results of data acquisition are presented. Sincere thanks are offered to all of the individuals who contributed their time, energy, and dedication to this project.

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