Publications - Heather McKillop

Underwater Maya Project, Paynes Creek Salt Works, Belize

Books

• Salt, White Gold of the Ancient Maya. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, 2002.
• In Search of Maya Sea Traders. Texas A & M University Press, College Station, 2005.

Articles

2023

• (Heather I McKillop) “Flooded mangrove landscapes hide ancient Maya coastal sites in Belize” Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology, published online Feb 14, 2023.
•  (McKillop, Heather and E. Cory Sills) Briquetage and Brine: Living and Working at the Classic Maya Salt Works of Ek Way Nal, Belize.” Ancient Mesoamerica 34: 24-46. DOI: 10.1017/S0956536121000341.
• (Cher Foster, Heather McKillop, and E. Cory Sills) “Human-Environmental interactions at Ta’ab Nuk Na, a submerged Maya salt works site in Belize. Ancient Mesoamerica, published online, open access.

2022

• (McKillop, Heather and E. Cory Sills) Late Classic Maya Salt Workers’ Residence Identified Underwater at Ta’ab Nuk Na, Belize. Antiquity 96: 1232- 1250. DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2022.106
• Tree Selection for Late to Terminal Classic Maya Buildings at the Ek Way Nal Saltworks, Belize. (McKillop, Heather and E. Cory Sills) CLAAS Notes 2: 15-24.
• The Age and Construction of the LSU Campus Mounds: Consideration of Ellwood and Colleagues (2002). (McGimsey, Chip, Rebecca Saunders, Jeff Homberg, Nancy Hawkins, Heather McKillop, and Rob Mann). The SAA Archaeological Record 22 (5) (onlinedigeditions.com)

2021

• Surface collections and excavations: Case Studies from Moho Cay, Wild Cane Cay, and the Paynes Creek Salt Works. Claas Notes 1: 35-44. 

2019

• “Demystifying Jadeite : Underwater Maya Discovery at Ek Way Nal, Belize.” (Heather McKillop, George Harlow, April Sievert, C. Wayne Smith, and Michael C. Wiemann) Antiquity 93 368: 502–518. DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2019.35

2018

• “Specialized salt production during the ancient Maya Classic period at two Paynes Creek Salt Works, Belize: Chan b’i and Atz’aam Na.” (E. Cory Sills and Heather McKillop) Journal of Field Archaeology 43(6): 457-471. DOI: 10.1080/00934690.2018.1504543.
• “Contingent multi-crafting, surplus household production, and the Maya quest for salt.” Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 15: 265-273.
• “Assessment of the shell midden at the Eleanor Betty Salt Work, Belize.” (Valerie Feathers and Heather McKillop). Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 15: 275-285.

2017

• “Early Maya Navigation and Maritime Connections in Mesoamerica.” In The Sea in History: The Medieval World, edited by Michel Balard, pp. 701-715. Boydell and Brewer, Bogner Regis, England.
• “The Paynes Creek Salt Works: A Model for Coastal Belize.” (H McKillop and E.C. Sills) In Ancient Maya Commodities, edited by Jennifer Matthews and Tom Guderjan, 67–86. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
• “Diving Deeper in Punta Ycacos Lagoon at the Paynes Creek Salt Works, Belize.” Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 14: 279-288.
• “Excavating the underwater shell deposit at an ancient Maya salt work in Belize: the Eleanor Betty Site.” (Valerie Feathers, Heather McKillop, E. Cory Sills, and Rachel Watson) Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 14: 289-297.

2016

• “Coastal Economies: Comparing Northern and Southern Belize,” in Perspectives on the Ancient Maya of Chetumal Bay, edited by Debra S. Walker, pp.279-291, University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
• “Chemical Signatures of Ancient Activities at Chan b’i – A Submerged Maya salt works, Belize.” (E. Cory Sills, Heather McKillop, and E. Christian Wells). Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 9: 654-662.
• "Spatial Patterning of Salt Production and Wooden Buildings Evaluated by Underwater Excavations at Paynes Creek Salt Work 74." (H. McKillop and E.C. Sills) Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 13:229-237.

2015

• "Chemical Analysis of Marine Sediment from Chan b’i, Paynes Creek Salt Works, Belize," (E. C. Sills, H. McKillop, and E.C. Wells). Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology: 261-269.
• "Evaluating Ancient Maya Salt Production and the Domestic Economy: The Paynes Creek Salt Works and Beyond." (H. McKillop) Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 12: 97-105.

2014

• "Fueling the Ancient Maya Salt Industry." (M. Robinson and H. McKillop) Economic Botany 68: 96–108.
• "The Ancient Maya Canoe Paddle and the Canoe from Paynes Creek National Park, Belize," (H. McKillop, E.C. Sills, and V. Cellucci) Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 11: 297-306.  PDF

2013

• "Brine Enriching Slag Heaps or Mounded Remains of Salt Makers’ Homes? Earthen Mounds at the Paynes Creek Salt Works." (R. Watson, H. McKillop, and E.C. Sills) Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 10: 297-304.
• "Underwater Excavations of Classic Period Salt Works, Paynes Creek National Park, Belize."  (E. C. Sills and H. McKillop) Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 10: 281-288.
• "Ancient Maya wood selection and forest exploitation: a view from the Paynes Creek salt works, Belize." (M. Robinson and H. McKillop) Journal of Archaeological Science 40: 3584-3595.
• "Sustainable Archaeological Tourism of the Maya Paynes Creek project Using 3D Technology." (H. McKillop and E. C. Sills) Anthropology News May/June, pp. 12-13.

2012

• "Constructing and Using a GIS for Fieldwork: The Underwater Maya Project." (H. McKillop)  Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 9: 267-278.

2011

• "Stingray Lagoon and the nature of scientific discovery." (H. McKillop)  Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 8: 173-181.

2010

• "The Architecture of Salt Production at the John Spang Site, Paynes Creek National Park, Belize." (E. C. Sills and H. McKillop)  Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 7: 253-258.
• "Ancient Vegetation and Landscape of Salt Production in Paynes Creek National Park, Belize." (H. McKillop, E. Sills, and Jessica Harrison) Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 7: 245-252.
• "A Late Holocene Record of Sea-Level Rise: the K’ak’ Naab’ Underwater Maya Site Sediment Record, Belize." (H. McKillop, E. Sills, and J. Harrison) ACUA Underwater Archaeology Proceedings 2010, edited by Chris Horrell and Melanie Damour, pp. 200-207. Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology.
• "Underwater Maya: Spatial Analysis of Briquetage and Wooden Buildings at the Paynes Creek Saltworks, Belize, Central America," (H. McKillop)  In Salt Archaeology in China, volume 2: Global Comparative Perspectives. Edited by Shuicheng Li and Lothar von Falkenhausen, pp. 348-373. Science Press, Beijing. (English).
• "Underwater Maya: Spatial Analysis of Briquetage and Wooden Buildings at the Paynes Creek Saltworks, Belize, Central America," (H. McKillop)  In Salt Archaeology in China, volume 2: Global Comparative Perspectives. Edited by Shuicheng Li and Lothar von Falkenhausen, pp. 348-373. Science Press, Beijing. (Chinese).
• "Ancient Maya Canoe Navigation and their Implications for Classic and Postclassic Maya Economy and Trade." (H. McKillop) Journal of Caribbean Archaeology, Special Publication 3: 93-105.

2009

• "The Geopolitics of the Coastal Maya Economy in Southern Belize: Relations between the Coastal and Inland Maya." (H. McKillop) Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 6: 55-61.
• "Mapping Ancient Maya Wooden Architecture on the Sea Floor, Belize." (H. McKillop) ACUA Underwater Archaeology Proceedings 2009: 277-286.
• "El descubrimeiento y mapeo de arquitectura de Madera del Clascio Maya en una turbera debajo del suelo marino en el Parque Nacional Paynes Creek, Belice." (H. McKillop)  Los Investigadores de la Cultura Maya 18, Tomo 1, pp. 173-179. Universidad Autonoma de Campeche, San Fransisco de Campeche, Mexico.

2008

• "One Hundred Salt Works! The Infrastructure of the Ancient Maya Salt Industry." (H. McKillop) Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 5: 251-260.

2007

• GIS of the Maya Canoe Paddle Site, K’ak’ Naab.’ (H. McKillop) FAMSI Research Reports

2006

• "Underwater Maya: Ancient Maya Wooden Architecture." (H. McKillop) Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 3: 247-255.

2005

• "Classic Maya Workshops: Ancient Maya Salt Works in Paynes Creek National Park, Belize." (H. McKillop) Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 2: 279-289.
• "Finds in Belize Document Late Classic Maya Salt Making and Canoe Transport." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (H. McKillop) 102: 5630-5634.

1995

• "Underwater Archaeology, Salt Production, and Coastal Maya Trade at Stingray Lagoon, Belize." (H. McKillop) Latin American Antiquity 6:214-228.