Sitting on the Dock of the Bay

In this chapter the authors examine change in interregional exchange networks across time. They focus on the movement of pottery across short distances between Chetumal Bay and the study site, Lamanai. The large urban center is 80 kilometers inland on the New River Lagoon. Rather than exotic goods, the authors isolate the movement of “redundant” material goods, presumed to have had less intrinsic value since they were produced locally in abundance. Using geological sourcing and petrographic analysis, they compare the origins of samples of Lamanai pottery in three transitional eras, the Terminal Preclassic, Terminal Classic, and Late Postclassic periods, to measure the connectedness of the trading communities. In terms of redundant ceramics, it appears the bay area influenced Lamanai at the Preclassic-Classic transition, while Lamanai provided a stronger influence on the bay area at the Terminal Classic–Postclassic boundary. At the time of European contact, Lamanai was again aligned with the bay area, particularly in terms of effigy censer distribution.