Graham, Elizabeth
From Court to Court: The Ka'kabish Ballcourt in Relation to the Political Landscape of Classic Maya North-Central Belize
This thesis presents the excavation and analysis of Structure D-6 at the Maya city of Ka'kabish in what is now North-Central Belize. Structure D-6, together with Structure D-7, comprise the site's only known ballcourt. Performance theory is used in tandem with the existing literature about the Mesoamerican ballcourt's crucial function within the legitimization strategies of Maya elites to understand Ka'kabish's position in its political landscape. Comparisons are also made between Ka'kabish and Lamanai's markers of elite activity to judge the plausibility of various degrees of political integration between the two sites. This study is significant as North-Central Belize is traditionally overlooked by scholars of the ancient Maya in favor of the more extensively analyzed Central Petén and Yucatan Peninsula, leading to simplified, static constructions of the region's political history. The findings of this study suggest a more dynamic, complex past for these cities and this area than previously thought.
Author Keywords: Ballcourts, Belize, Classic Maya, Monumental Architecture, Performance Theory, Sociopolitical Organization