Changing spheres of interaction in terminal classic western belize

Archaeological investigations in western Belize have recorded a growing body of evidence that is indicative of non-central lowland Maya influences in this Maya sub-region during the Terminal Classic period. Evidence for Yucatec and non-Maya influence in the Belize River Valley is manifested by the presence of new architectural styles and programs, and by the introduction of “foreign” artifacts and ideologically charged symbols. These cultural changes represent a departure from the previous Late Classic cultural tradition which reflects closer ties with central Peten sites. Besides providing evidence for Yucatecan style architecture and artifacts in western Belize, we suggest that these non-local traits were likely associated with the waning influence of Peten sites during a period of economic and political decline in the central Maya lowlands, and with the concurrent rise of Terminal Classic polities in the northern lowlands of the Yucatan Peninsula and the Gulf Coast of Mexico.