Fuelling the Ancient Maya Salt Industry

Fuelling the Ancient Maya Salt Industry. The ancient Maya of Paynes Creek National Park in coastal southern Belize produced salt by boiling brine in ceramic vessels above fires. The process requires a constant supply of wood to maintain the fires. Charcoal recovered from Chan B'i, an Early Classic (300-600 C.E.) salt work, provides a record of fuel wood selection within a workshop context. Taxonomic identifications reveal a selection preference for species from both mangrove and broadleaf habitats. Wood from the Chrysobalanaceae family dominates the assemblage. Rhizophora mangle L., Laguncularia racemosa (L.) C.F. Gaertn., and Hieronyma sp. were also preferred wood fuel species. A total of 21 species were identified in the assemblage. Charcoal identifications are considered in terms of selection strategies within a heterogeneous landscape to better understand forest exploitation behavior for wood fuel. Selection follows principles of optimal foraging in which transport cost was a principal concern for foragers.