Rachel A. Horowitz

RACHEL HOROWITZ, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, was approved funding in September 2023 to aid research on “Quotidian Economies among the Classic period Maya: Tracing the Use-Lives of Lithic Implements.” The project examined economic interactions among the Classic period (200-800 CE). We explored how people of varying socioeconomic statuses interacted through lithic, or stone tool economies. Based in the Mopan Valley of western Belize, and drawing on both previously excavated materials and new research, we examined the sources of raw material for making stone tools to create a model of the daily economy for the Classic period Maya of the region. We collected raw material samples of chert, the most commonly used raw material in the region, to compare with archaeological samples from previously excavated locations. These geochemical comparisons create signatures for the various sources and allow us to identify which sources were used by which groups in the region. Grant funds also supported outreach activities, including the 2024 Succotz Archaeology Fair.