A Thriving Non-Royal Lineage at Blue Creek; Evidence From a Sequence of Burials, Caches and Architecture

As the fortunes of the Maya city of Blue Creek (Belize) rose in the Late Preclassic and Early Classic, so did those of its elite, non-royals. In one elite residence, the Structure 37 Plazuela, we see evidence of a lineage marked by the interment of an early venerated ancestor, possibly its founder. Later, as this lineage became important on a community-wide basis and as the community itself grew in wealth and stature, another individual was interred nearby, bearing accoutrements of a shaman. While clearly not a royal person, this individual’s tomb indicates high status and probable direct descent from the lineage founder. Furthermore, these individuals were celebrated with the construction of a shrine on top of their internments. The evidence at Structure 34 shows the residents of the plazuela to have been a long-term lineage whose fortunes were entwined with the overall growth of Blue Creek and that their collective memory incorporated the aggrandizement of their founder and ancestors.