Ambergris Caye Belize Resort Development - Department of ...

PREHISTORIC SALT PRODUCTION ON AMBERGRIS CAYE
Two methods of salt production were employed by the ancient Maya.
These are known as the “sal solar” and “sal cocida” methods. Sal solar is
produced naturally by evaporation and the salt is simply recovered from
naturally occurring salt beds along coastal areas. The major source for this
type of salt in the Maya region is from the northern tip of the Yucatan
Peninsula, north of the modern city of Merida. In the sal cocida method
salt water or brine is boiled in large pots and the resulting salt is recovered
in loose form or shaped into salt cakes. The latter method appears to have
been the primary mode of production along the Belizean coast and
fragments of the specialized ceramic vessels that were used in the process
have been found at most coastal sites. On Ambergris Caye, ceramic
vessels used for salt production were classified as Coconut Walk ceramics.
Elizabeth Graham (1994) describes these ceramics as friable open
platters, likely used for making salt cakes. These vessels differ from those
used for salt production in southern Belize The southern Belize Maya
predominantly used restricted-orifice jars, spacers, and sockets for
producing salt (McKillop 2002:112-114).
On places like San Pedro, salt pans were sometimes naturally created on
the interior of the island as a result of seasonal conditions. This often
occurred on small lagoons that were flooded during rainy seasons. One
such small lagoon, which connects with the Laguna Cantena, is found at
the western edge of the ABR property. It should also be noted that we did
discover two ceramic sherds that may have been associated with salt
production in this area. It is therefore likely that more could be present in
sub-surface deposits and would be exposed if the area is dredged or
excavated during construction.
SURVEY AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Description of ABR Property:
As we indicate above, the ABR property which we were contracted to
survey covers an area of 185.13 acres. The parcel is comprised of an
approximately 1 km long, narrow strip of beach front that rises gently
towards a 2-4 meter high dune, then gradually drops off towards the west
where the narrow strip of land is bordered by the Laguna Cantena (Fig. 3).
A preliminary assessment of the geography of the area (Fig. 4) suggested
that the property is located south of the ancient Maya sites of Ek Luum and
Valencia (see description of th ese sites below). Unfortunately, no GPS
readings of these sites were taken during the 1980’s archaeological
investigation of the area thus it is difficult to determine the accuracy of this
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