A Pilot Study Examining Ceramic Paste Fabrics at the Ancient Maya Site of Hun Tun in Northwestern Belize

This article is a pilot study applying a petrographic analysis to ceramic body sherds from the ancient Maya site of Hun Tun, a hinterland site in northwestern Belize. The goal is to understand if there are multiple producer groups at the site, and determine what, if any, trade, and exchange are taking place at the site. The study revealed two distinct paste fabrics, being the Sand-Carbonate, and Carbonate fabrics. The Sand-Carbonate fabric is distinguished by well-sorted and rounded to well-rounded sand sized calcite grains, while the Carbonate fabric is distinguished by poor sorting, angular calcite grains, and large amounts of voids. The results of the study show the validity of the method at a small site, while also serving as the basis for future research.