Abstract :
The idea of collective or social memory is explored in this paper as a way to understand ancient Maya ritual behavior. The theoretical
characteristics of collective memory are defined and a strategy to operationalize the theory of collective memory using archaeological
remains is presented. Two archaeological examples from the sites of Minanha and Zubin in west central Belize are discussed in terms of
how they fit this new model. Finally, the social motivations that underlie this behavior are examined.
