Vaca Plateau Geoarchaeological Project

Project Overview
The Vaca Plateau Geoarchaeological Project (VPGP) is a long-term, multidisciplinary investigation of a 25 square kilometer section of the Vaca Plateau in west-central Belize (Reeder 1993, 1996, 2003; Reeder et al. 1990-2002; Reeder, et al. 1998; Colas, et al. 1999; Webster et al. 2000). This project combines various aspects of the "geosciences" with archaeology to understand both the physical and cultural landscapes of the area. Philip Reeder has been project director for this project since its inception in 1990, and along with other researchers, they have fielded research expeditions to the study area for the last 14 years. This project is the longest continuous geoarchaeology project operating in Belize, and it has contributed substantially to the existing base of knowledge about the relationships between the physical and Mayan cultural landscapes in this remote section of Mesoamerica.
In the course of compiling soil, sediment, geologic and hydrologic data over the last 14 years (Reeder et al. 1996, 1997; Reeder 2003), the VPGP has also documented abundant evidence of Pre-Columbian use and modification of the natural landscape by the Maya. The VPGP in the year 2004 field season will expand its investigation to focus on the inter-relationship between physical environment and the cultural landscape, which is defined as "the composite of human imprints on the earth's surface". This phase will focus on three sets of data: (1) surface landscape properties and human modifications, (2) the relationships between surface and subsurface physical and cultural landscapes and (3) the formation, evolution and human utilization of area caverns.
Agricultural terraces, walls, and check dams form the largest category of indigenous modification of the physical landscape. These features, as well as associated soils and sediments, will be systematically documented so that a model depicting elements of the Maya pre-collapse cultural landscape can begin to be reconstructed. Another area of focus will be to establish relationships between physical environments and cultural landscapes related to caves . Thus far we have investigated approximately 150 caves, and the spatial relationship between caves and habitation sites suggests that caves were a central element in Maya activities. Processes related to how and where the caves develop, appear to be related to how the cultural landscape developed and evolved. The majority of caves have deep vertical shafts at their entrances with middens (piles of archaeological materials) at their base, which suggests that ceremonies were held at the entrances and offerings were dropped down the shaft. Only a few examples of this type of cave utilization were previously known, which provides our project the opportunity to not only define a regional form of cave use, but to begin to clarify the relationships between area geology, physical geography, the formation and evolution of the surface and subsurface physical landscapes, and the creation and modification of the cultural landscape. The archaeology portion of the project has been conducted by Dr. Pierre Colas from the University of Bonn (Germany).