NEW INSIGHTS REVEALED DURING UNDERWATER EXCAVATION OF MAYA SALT MINES
ARCHAEOLOGISTS CONDUCTING UNDERWATER EXCAVATIONS OF TA’AB NUK NA (600-800 AD), THE LARGEST OF 110 SUBMERGED MAYA SITES IN PAYNES CREEK, BELIZE, HAVE REVEALED THAT THE SALT WORKERS WORKED FROM HOME.
Ta’ab Nuk Na is located in a coastal lagoon, where researchers have identified over 100 other submerged Maya sites from between 600-1000 AD, including several other salt works spread along the shore.
By conducting a systematic survey of Ta’ab Nuk Na, the team found a submerged residential structure where the workers lived, providing new insights into how this important industry was organised for the production of salt at the height of the Classic Maya Period.
Underwater archaeologists marked the location of key finds on the lagoon floor, leaving the water bristled with a forest of over 600 flags marking their location. This included many features that are rarely preserved outside of a submerged setting.
The survey identified hundreds of wooden posts that defines the walls of Classic Maya “pole and thatch” wooden buildings, giving the researchers a rare view of the architecture that once dominated most ancient Maya communities.
More:
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/10/new-insights-revealed-during-underwater-excavation-of-maya-salt-mines/144912
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Older article:
Salt Of The Earth – Belize’s Maya Make The News Again
Updated on May 31, 2019
When something thousands of years old makes today’s news we can’t help but pay attention – especially when it’s the Maya of Belize making headlines. And with Chaa Creek’s limited time shoulder season discounts on accommodation and activities in Belize’s Maya heartland, exploring the ancient world of the Maya makes for an exciting – and very affordable – vacation
Once again, from England to Australia, the US to Leningrad, Belize’s Maya are making the news – showing the attraction this enigmatic, fascinating civilisation still has on the world.
News of a recent discovery of what is called the oldest salt works and meat processing facility in the new world has been making headlines, receiving coverage from the UK’s Daily Mail, the US’s NPR, and with no less an authority than the Smithsonian Institute spreading the word.
So what’s the big deal?
Researchers from Louisiana State University and Japan’s Ibaraki University, working at archaeological digs at Payne’s Creek in Belize, made some frankly astounding discoveries.
More:
https://belize-travel-blog.chaacreek.com/2018/10/salt-of-earth-belize-maya-make-news-again/
