Underwater Archaeologists Discovered Ancient Kitchens in the Waters of Belize That Shed New Light on
Underwater Archaeologists Discovered Ancient Kitchens in the Waters of Belize That Shed New Light on Mayan Life
Entrepreneurial Mayans made a cottage industry out of salt.
Vittoria Benzine, October 11, 2022
The excavation team at work. All photos courtesy of Heather McKillop.
The recent discovery of ancient salt kitchens, found underwater in a Belize national park, is giving archaeologists new insight about the role of salt in the Mayan economy.
In a study published in Antiquity last week, Louisiana State University anthropologists Heather McKillop and E. Cory Sills documented four underwater pole-and-thatch structures—three kitchens and one residence—throughout Paynes Creek National Park.
All four structures hail from Ta’ab Nuk Na, the largest salt complex at Paynes Creek. Assuming all 10 known salt kitchens across Paynes Creek were active at the same time, they could’ve provided enough salt for 24,000 people, who used it to preserve and flavor food.
“The workers lived on site, which shows it was a ‘cottage industry,’ featuring families producing more than their needs [and supplying salt for] the nearby inland Maya,” McKillop told Artnews.
More:
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/archaeologists-discover-maya-salt-kitchens-2190166