Mortuary interments from Formative and Early Classic
deposits of the Maya site of K'axob, northern Belize,
show significant variation in four aspects: burial position,
number of interments within a burial facility, incidence
of secondary interments, and types of associated burial
accoutrements. Burial data for more than 100 individuals
of both sexes and all age grades indicate that these changes
over time are significant. The implications of these patterns
for heightening our understanding of mortuary ritual are
explored in depth. Evidence suggests that tightly wrapped
seated and flexed burials represent the Late Formative
onset of more protracted rituals involving prolonged displays
of ancestors. Terminal Formative mortuary deposits featuring
collections of curated ancestor remains indicate the “gathering
of ancestors,” generally at a locale at which a monumental
structure was later built. Sex and age distributions within
multiple interments (both primary and secondary) reflect
the familial character of burial locales, particularly
at the centrally located Operation I. Burial accoutrements
demonstrate the connectivity of K'axob to general
cosmological armatures of Maya society. Increasingly individualized
artifacts indicate the socially diacritical role of burial
offerings.