Abstract
- The local Southeastern Mesoamerican metalworking tradition was characterized by lost wax cast status ornaments; some of these were copper-gold alloys, others were from copper-tin bronze or copper-arsenic bronze, but all were made from a very pure copper. Copper artifacts made their appearance at Lamanai in the beginning of the Early Postclassic (~1250 AD). These objects include elaborate plain-walled bells, filigree rings and buttons. The location of production for these metal objects has never been determined. Recent excavations have uncovered new evidence that people at Lamanai were involved in the manipulation of metals to form many of these culturally and ritually important artifacts. The strongest evidence for copper manipulation consists of broken copper axes, copper prills and a variety of mis-cast bells and pieces of scrap sheet metal recovered from Terminal Postclassic and Historic Period contexts. Of particular interest are what have previously been termed copper ingots but under new investigation appear to be casting reserviors, resulting from the lost wax casting process.