DENUDED LANDSCAPES AND EXPOSED NEIGHBORHOODS: RESULTS OF THE 2022 VALLEY OF PEACE ARCHAEOLOGY PROJECT

Much of the Valley of Peace Archaeology (VOPA) project area, encompassing the center of Yalbac to the south, the pilgrimage destination of Cara Blanca to the north (owned by The Belize Maya Forest Trust as of late 2020) and rural areas in between that were home to farmsteads and elite residences, has recently been deforested for agricultural purposes exposing hundreds of mounds. Here we present the results of the 2022 VOPA salvage archaeology operations (excavations of 14 rural residences) in an area between Yalbac and Cara Blanca that yielded information on ancestral neighborhoods. One of the major benefits of this project is our contribution to recording ancestral Maya culture heritage one neighborhood at a time, which not only preserves their history, but also reveals lessons from the past. Even when Maya population peaked c. 600-800 CE in the Late Classic period, the Maya endured because of their diverse and sustainable practices.