La Milpa is an archaeological site and an ancient Maya city within the Three River region of Northwest Belize bordering Mexico and Guatemala.
[2][3] Thompson’s work at La Milpa entailed mapping and excavating the Main Center, recording a total of 12 different stelae.
After Thompson, La Milpa was not explored again until the 1970s, when David M. Pendergast and Stanley Loten conducted a field project at the site.
After Pendergast and Loten, two archaeologists in 1979 from the Department of Archaeology in Belmopan went to La Milpa to confirm reports of looting.
In 1985, the Department of Archaeology revisited La Milpa again because of reports of looting and additionally due to the speculation of the presence of marijuana fields.
On this expedition, they confirmed both reports, noting that all the main structures within the site center had large trenches revealing older constructions and/or tombs.
Thomas Guderjan, who was part of the original exploration by the Rio Bravo Project, returned in February 1990 to continue mapping the site and the outlying areas.
[14][15] In February 1992, Boston University and the La Milpa Archaeological Project (LaMAP) started extensive excavations and mapping of the site.
During the Late Preclassic and Early Classic La Milpa was a small site located on a hilltop consisting of a few pyramids, one reservoir, and a few stelae.
During the Early Classic Period La Milpa saw significant growth in the production of monumental constructions the site center.
[19][20][21][22] These changes reflect the growing political complexity as resource management became a tool of the state due to the increasing population density.
The Middle Classic Period is marked by a decline in culture and populations within La Milpa and the other Three River sites.
This change can be attributed to the population shift that occurred within the Three Rivers Basin due to the ongoing conflict between larger cities such as Tikal, Caracol, and Calakmul.
[23][24][25][26] Following the revitalization in the Late Classic Period, La Milpa and the surrounding sites experienced decline and eventually collapse along with the rest of the Maya realm.
The collapse at La Milpa appears to have been rapid as indicated by the partial completion of monumental constructions along with other signs of sudden abandonment in the archaeological record.