Cuello
Cuello is an archaeological site located in the Orange Walk District of northern Belize, recognized as the most thoroughly documented agricultural village from the Preclassic period of Maya civilization, dating from 1200 BCE to 250 CE. The site was excavated in the late 1970s and 1980s by archaeologist Norman Hammond, yielding some of the earliest radiocarbon dates for settled village life in the Maya lowlands. Initially, it was believed that Cuello produced some of the earliest Maya pottery, known as the Swasey complex, around 2000 BCE, but later assessments adjusted this date to between 1200 and 900 BCE. Cuello serves as an important representation of early Maya life, with a subsistence economy based on slash-and-burn agriculture, primarily cultivating maize, beans, and squash.
The village supported a population of about 300 to 400 people during the Swasey phase and saw a significant increase to around 2,600 residents during the Late Preclassic Cocos Chicanel phase. While Cuello may have had a marginal role in the broader political and religious developments of the Maya civilization, it illustrates the social complexity and cultural practices of smaller communities. Notable archaeological findings include the earliest human figurines and jade artifacts, which hint at social stratification. Cuello's archaeological features, including possible ceremonial structures, contribute valuable insights into the everyday lives and cultural practices of the Maya people during this formative period.
Cuello
Category: Archaeological site
Date: 1200 b.c.e.-250 c.e.
Location: Belize
Culture affected: Maya
Cuello, in northern Belize, is the best documented agricultural village of the Preclassic period (1200 b.c.e. to 250 c.e.) in lowland Maya culture. Occupied for about fifteen centuries, it provides important information on the genesis of the brilliant Maya civilization. Cuello was excavated in the late 1970’s and the 1980’s by a team led by archaeologist Norman Hammond. It has provided some of the earliest radiocarbon dates for settled village life in the Maya lowlands. At first, these dates suggested that the earliest Maya pottery, called the Swasey complex, was being manufactured as early as 2000 b.c.e. This made Swasey ceramics some of the earliest in Mesoamerica. A reappraisal of the date series, however, indicated that this interpretation was erroneous. Swasey pottery, now dated to between 1200 and 900 b.c.e., appears almost a thousand years later than the earliest Mesoamerican ceramics (known from sites on the Pacific Coast of Chiapas, Mexico). It is still one of the first ceramic industries in the Maya lowlands.
The archaeological features at Cuello indicate the presence of a small farming village that, although it played a marginal role in the emergence of political and religious complexity in the Maya lowlands, is representative of a way of life shared by most early Maya people. The population of the site during the Early Preclassic Swasey phase (1200 to 900 b.c.e.) is estimated at three hundred to four hundred people. The subsistence economy was based on slash-and-burn agriculture and the cultivation of maize, beans, squash, and other cultigens.
The earliest pottery at Cuello, appearing during the Swasey phase, is characterized by monochrome vessels finished with a polished red or orange slip. Forms include squat jars, bottles, spouted vessels, and round plates. Swasey is followed in time by a phase called Bladen (800 to 600 b.c.e.). Bladen ceramics include the earliest human figurines and roller stamps, associated with increased ceremonial activity at the site. Among architectural remains was a low, limestone platform that has been interpreted as the foundation of an early temple ceremonial structure with rubble fill, coated on the exterior with lime plaster, dating to 600 b.c.e. There are some hints that the Middle Preclassic occupants of Cuello may have been participating in a larger cultural tradition that included the Olmecs of the Gulf Coast of Mexico. The Lopez Mamom phase (600 to 400 b.c.e.) sees the appearance of spangle-shaped, claw-shaped, and bird-shaped pendants of blue-green jade in burials. This material was favored by the Olmecs at La Venta, and the presence of jade beads in child burials has been interpreted as evidence of inherited status, suggesting ranking and social differentiation at this early date.
The largest occupation of Cuello occurred during the Late Preclassic Cocos Chicanel phase (400 b.c.e. to 250 c.e.), at which time the village had a population of around twenty-six hundred people. This is relatively small when compared to contemporaneous occupations at sites such as Tikal, El Mirador, Nakbe, Cerros, Lamanai, and Komchen; Cuello must be considered as representative of the small villages that were located in territories away from major ceremonial centers. Nevertheless, Cuello has evidence for simple, uncarved limestone stelae that may have borne painted designs and are possible precursors to the elaborate historical monuments of the Early and Late Classic periods (250-900 c.e.).
Cuello’s significance lies in the fact that, although not a major ceremonial center, it has provided detailed information on the nature of Maya village life during the Preclassic period. It also demonstrates that there was a marked degree of social complexity even in small Maya villages from the first millennium b.c.e. on.