# Postclassic period in Belize

The Postclassic period of Belizean, Maya, and Mesoamerican history began with the completion of the Classic Maya collapse in AD 900, and ended with the arrival of the Spanish in 1500. The period was originally conceived as that which followed the Classic apogee of Maya civilisation, that is, 'as a decline from the Classic peak of civilisation, a time marked by decadence rather than an era of continued development.' It is now thought of as a time of political, social, and economic transformation or revival.

## Geography

During the pre-Columbian era, Belize formed part of the central and southern Maya Lowlands of the Maya Region of Mesoamerica.

## History

Though the political vacuum of the Classic collapse is thought to have given prompt rise to new regimes, the 'advent of the Early Postclassic era is not fully understood [as of 2021] and has been referred to as a "dark age."' The Late Postclassic, on the other hand, is thought to have been a period of prosperity across the Lowlands.

## Demographics

The demographic effects of the Classic collapse, principally urban flight, which 'resulted in the almost total abandonment of the [L]owlands by the beginning of the Early Postclassic period,' are thought to have 'extend[ed] well into the Early Postclassic period, possibly until 1250.' Santa Rita, for instance, likely began the Postclassic with some 1,000 to 2,000 residents, but saw its population triple to some 7,000 in circa 1300 due to its increasing prominence as the port of Chetumal.

## Technology

The Postclassic is partially characterised 'by the appearance of metallrugy,' as cast metal 'becomes a heavily traded good' in the market, with gold from southern Central America and copper from west Mexico.

## Economy

The Postclassic brought about the expansion or intensification of the circum-peninsular maritime trade, 'based on the more efficient bulk transport of commodities by large seagoing canoes,' in addition to 'continued population growth throughout Mesoamerica,' the introduction of 'a variety of new products, such as metal objects, [...] to new markets,' 'increases in volume and efficiency of both production and transport' of goods, and the trading interests of the regional Postclassic powers, Chichen Itza and Mayapan. Belize and eastern Yucatan were 'a major producer of honey, beeswax, and manufactured products such as pottery,' while their ports served as 'a major link for the sea routes around the peninsula.' For instance, the capital of Chetumal is thought to have been '[o]ne of the most important ports on the Caribbean coast,' while excavations upriver at Lamanai have unearthed Postclassic 'pottery, incense burners, and objects of both gold and copper that represent its trade connections with Yucatan, Central Mexico, and even Central America,' and work across the bay at the Marco Gonzalez port have revealed particular Postclassic emphasis on transhipment of obsidian from Ixtepeque, in the Maya Highlands.
Commercial growth is further attributed to the absence of the state's regulation of labour, and the production and consumption of prestige goods, such as obsidian, in the Early Postclassic.

## Society

The growth of maritime trade in the Postclassic, which would have required a growing number of full-time occupational specialists (like merchants, beekeepers, potters), is thought to have spurred the expansion of the middle class, that is, of wealthy commoners.
Postclassic religious practice is thought to have been less centralised and more private, as compared to Classic practice. In particular, the Classic 'huge public spectacles' are thought to have given way to smaller rituals on family shrines, and private pilgrimmages, in the Postclassic. Ritual activity is thought to have endured into the Early Postclassic at Xunantunich, for instance, possibly due specifically to its antiquity. The Postclassic ubiquity of incense burners, in particular, is thought to signal wider participation in religious ritual, given it was now a small, private affair.

## Government

With the Classic fall of divine sovereigns and abolition of absolute monarchy, the Postclassic saw 'a return to more collective governance.'

## Sites

Postclassic sites in central and southern Belize have been more technically difficult to locate and identify than those in northern Belize. In addition to sites with evidence of occupation (settlements), sites with evidence of ritual activity (pilgrimmage points) are also seen in the Postclassic, such as Cahal Pech, Chan, and Xunantunich in Cayo, and La Milpa in Orange Walk.
Prominent excavated sites in Belize with Postclassic artefacts, material, or structures. :
| Name | Location | Size | Notes |
| Akab Mucil | Orange Walk | Small | — |
| Barton Ramie | Cayo | Small | — |
| Buenavista | Cayo | Large | — |
| Cahal Pech | Cayo | Large | — |
| Chan | Cayo | Small | — |
| Colha | Orange Walk | Small | — |
| Ek Xux | Toledo | Small | — |
| Honey Camp Lagoon | Orange Walk | Small | cf |
| La Milpa | Orange Walk | Large | — |
| Laguna Seca | Corozal | Small | — |
| Lamanai | Orange Walk | Large | — |
| Marco Gonzalez | Belize | Small | — |
| Muklebal Tzul | Toledo | Small | — |
| Nohmul | Orange Walk | Small | — |
| Progresso Lagoon | Corozal | Small | — |
| Santa Rita | Corozal | Small | cf |
| Tipu | Cayo | Small | cf |
| Xunantunich | Cayo | Large | — |

## Scholarship

   Myths and stigmas of the Postclassic persist, including that the Maya completely disappeared and that the Postclassic Maya were declining, decaying, decadent, and depopulated.
As of 2023, the Postclassic remains 'one of the least understood time periods of the ancient Maya' in Belize, given Mayanist focus on 'larger sites with monumental architecture [Mayapan and Chichen Itza],' and on the Classic collapse; technical difficulties locating and identifying Postclassic remains; and an ethnohistorical conception of the Postclassic as being 'less important' than the Classic, and of Belize as being 'a backwater for Maya archaeology.' Nonetheless, work on 'recognisabl[y] Postclassic materials' began by at least 1900 with Thomas Gann's study of Santa Rita.