Negotiating Heritage through Education and Archaeology: Colonialism, National Identity, and Resistance in Belize

Abstract

If true historical scholarship is about linking the present to the past and impelling the reader to take action in the here and now, then Alicia Ebbitt McGill's book—a culmination of over 15 years of ethnographic research in Crooked Tree and Biscayne, two Kriol communities of north-central Belize—more than delivers. McGill argues that archaeology and education are intersecting and interconnected institutions through which both official heritage and vernacular heritage (which in McGill's conceptualization comprises local, tangible, and intangible cultural components that are shared by the community) are negotiated and contested. Alongside her deep understanding of the Crooked Tree and Biscayne communities, McGill also engages with British imperial archival sources, providing us with a glimpse into the past that is always in relation to the concerns of the present. In taking on the question of archaeology in Belize, McGill adds to conversations in public history around Maya archaeology begun in recent years by scholars such as Christina Bueno and Patricia A. McAnany on Mexico and Central America.There is a clear logic to the way that the book is organized. While chapter 1 lays out the main thrusts of the book, the rest is organized in chapter pairs. The first pair (chapters 2 and 3) focuses on education, looking at its historical development and linkages to heritage practices as well as its present issues and concerns. The second pair (chapters 4 and 5) picks up the story of archaeology by both giving a long view of this institution in Belize from colonial times to the present and examining current community negotiations and resistance around heritage practices connected to archaeology. The extremely vital concluding chapter is the author's reflection on both her field experiences and her engagement with the communities' youths.McGill's work is full of insights. One of her most illuminating arguments is that even as Belizean heritage practices continue to prioritize Maya history and archaeology, there is a simultaneous lack of initiative to understand the histories of other ethnic groups, particularly Kriol communities. Part of the reason for this failure, according to McGill, is the “thingification” of archaeology, whereby artifacts and ruins become the proofs of heritage. She makes powerful use of the drawings made by students in the schools that she studies, in which Maya heritage was repeatedly signified by the presence of “old things” (p. 103). The danger of orienting archaeology toward artifacts becomes clear in her interviews; even teachers often do not realize that Kriol communities have a tangible history that could form part of heritage preservation. Kriol children in these communities appear to be more familiar with the nation's Maya heritage than their own local history. Second, McGill highlights how official agendas, whether in the colonial or the postindependence period, were supported and bulwarked by the twin pillars of education and archaeology. At the same time, McGill's book, despite showing the constraints and limitations within which Belizean archaeology has developed and continues to operate, is a book that gives hope. In particular, McGill is able to show the vibrancy of Belizean youth and students and the dedicated and often independent-minded teachers whose commitment to community can overcome the systemic problems with heritage practices in Belize.As a historian, I was fascinated by McGill's unique methodology and her ability to connect the past with the present. I did feel, however, that McGill's purpose was somewhat hindered by the structure of the book, with separate chapter pairs respectively addressing education and archaeology. I wondered whether her points about the interconnectedness of these two institutions would not have been better served by more thematic chapter divisions, so that each chapter could examine the intersection between archaeology and education more germanely. I also felt that McGill could have more deeply engaged the institutionalization of Belizean archaeology and the overwhelming presence of US universities and institutions in current Maya archaeology. This would also have tied in nicely with the author's discussion of tourism and heritage practices.Overall, I found McGill's book timely and important. It is one of those rare pieces of scholarship that compels the reader to get up and take action. As such, not only will it be of interest to historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists of Belize and the Maya region, but it would also be immensely helpful for policymakers on the ground involved in shaping education policies and heritage practices.