User:Ats446/sandbox

Early History of Belizean Food
Modern-day Belize was and continues to be heavily influenced neighboring peoples. This specifically applies to the origin of Belizean foodways. Being geographically close to countries such as Mexico, that area was tinted by arguably one of the most memorable civilizations: the Mayans. Therefore, aspects of the Mayan diet reached communities within the region of Belize.

The way Mayans consumed their chocolate resembles hot, bitter coffee, lacking the overt sweetness most people may associate it with. It was typically served as a hot drink, which sometimes contained chili, maize, honey, and/or water (Hurst et al.). There was also political and social values attached to chocolate in the Postclassic era, which is corroborated by archeological findings such as tea kettle-like vessels (LeCount). More supporting data uses high-performance liquid chromatography and atmospheric-pressure chemical-ionization mass spectrometry to confirm the presence of chocolate in Mayan vessels (Hurst et al.). This evidence allows one to conclude that the Mayans of modern-day Belize consumed liquified chocolate, using specific vessels to contain it. Furthermore, cacao wood charcoal dating is an additional scientific method that ties chocolate to Mayans in Belize during the Preclassic period (Hurst et al.). Even more support is shown by bringing forth evidence of multiple sets of ceramic vessels used for chocolate and tamales by Postclassic Mayans (LeCount).

Maize, more commonly referred to as corn, held numerous functions for the Mayans and other ancient peoples of modern-day Belize. One of these, as previously mentioned, was flavoring chocolate drinks (LeCount). Maize also contributed to the politics surrounding certain foods. For example, it was, and sometimes still is, the main ingredient in a dish called a tamale. Tamales, which typically consist of masa (corn flour dough) and other fillings steamed in corn husks or thick leaves, are another food that held more political value than festive value (LeCount). As for its impact on different peoples, the people of Cuello, Belize used maize, but not as much as their successors: the Mayans (Ambrose et. al.). Building upon this, the domestication of maize occurred in Central Mexico in approximately 6000 BC, reaching Belize three thousand years later. This proves how the people of Central Mexico engaged with and grew accustomed to maize over a longer period or time, and those in Belize possibly felt its effect to a lesser degree.

The evidence clearly explains the domestication of dog breeds by the Cuello and Mayan people (Clutton-Brock and Hammond). There were two breeds of dog: the techichi, which resembles a spaniel, and the xoloitzcuintli, which is a hairless dog. The dogs bred for consumption potentially experienced numerous farming techniques to maximize their yield. One such method involved castrating, fattening, and preparing them for consumption once they reach approximately a year old. Although they assisted in hunting, the energy required to raise dogs for sustenance was less than wild fauna. It was also economically reasonable to consume dog meat since it yielded a sufficient amount of protein, as opposed to turtles and other small game as they bore less meat. Additional faunal evidence implies that the people of Cuello, Belize also ate animals such as deer, turtle, types of rodents, and small amounts of armadillo (Ambrose et.al.).

Sea salt was another part of the Belizean diet for coastal communities during this time. Stingray Lagoon, Belize was one of the sites where artifacts proving the production of salt were uncovered by researchers, leading to the discovery of the sal cocida method (evaporating brines over open fires) (Mckillop). One function of the harvested salt was the preservation of fish for elites in inland communities. This is evident since there was a small amount of fish bones recovered from those sites, but the quantities found could not have fed the majority of the elites’ communities (Mckillop). Also, research implies that the salt itself was transported. Just as there are various types of salt in modern times, different salts held changes in taste, origin, and consumer. Yucatan salt, which was finer, more palatable, and required more labor, was used by elites (Mckillop). The other type of salt, which was made on the Belizean coast, was derived from the sal cocida method, giving it a cheaper quality and higher availability (Mckillop).

Bibliography

Ambrose, Stanley H., and M. Anne Katzenberg, editors. “Diet and Animal Husbandry of the Preclassic Maya at Cuello, Belize: Isotopic and Zooarchaeological Evidence.” Biogeochemical Approaches to Paleodietary Analysis, vol. 5, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2002, pp. 23–36. Advances in Archaeological and Museum Science.

Clutton-Brock, Juliet, and Norman Hammond. “Hot Dogs: Comestible Canids in Preclassic Maya Culture at Cuello, Belize.” Journal of Archaeological Science, vol. 21, no. 6, Nov. 1994, pp. 819–826., doi:10.1006/jasc.1994.1079.

Hurst, Jeffrey W., et al. “Archaeology: Cacao Usage by the Earliest Maya Civilization.” Nature: International Journal of Science, 18 July 2002, pp. 289–290., www.nature.com/nature/journal/v418/n6895/full/418289a.html?foxtrotcallback=true.

LeCount, Lisa J. “Like Water for Chocolate: Feasting and Political Ritual among the Late Classic Maya at Xunantunich, Belize.” American Anthropologist, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 7 May 2008, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1525/aa.2001.103.4.935/full.

Mckillop, Heather. “Underwater Archaeology, Salt Production, and Coastal Maya Trade at Stingray Lagoon, Belize.” Latin American Antiquity, vol. 6, no. 03, Sept. 1995, pp. 214–228., doi:10.2307/971673.