THE IMPACT OF MICROENVIRONMENTS ON SOCIOECONOMIC ORGANIZATION IN THE MAYA LOWLANDS: A STONE TOOL PERSPECTIVE

The Maya Lowlands are a diverse physiographic landscape comprised of multiple microenvironments. In the Late Classic, it is believed that landuse specific communities evolved in less optimal localities creating dependency relationships between sites. In this article I present the results of the lithic analysis from three Minimal Ceremonial Centers in Northwestern Belize, concluding that the lithic technological organization reflects localized resource specialization, supporting the theory that these communities functioned in variable ways relative to their specialized position in their microenvironment This study's regional approach to understanding lithic artifact assemblages refines our perception of Late Classic Lowland Maya socio-economic organization.