Archaeological Enclaves in Banana Republics: Territorial Zoning and Heritage Management in the Era of United Fruit

From the early 20th century through the 1960s, the American-controlled United Fruit Company was the largest private landholder in Central America. The company became such a powerful entity and quasi sovereign land system that its vast parcels of plantations were deemed to be part of a larger “banana republic.” While the United Fruit Company primarily harvested and exported bananas and sugarcane, within its landholdings were also archaeological sites, either discovered upon clearing land, or outright purchased by the company from private landholders or national entities. These archaeological zones became embedded into conservation and touristic schemes that funneled American audiences to what were effectively American controlled operations over Maya heritage. This paper examines the history of archaeological zoning under private corporations within American Imperialism, and examines the effects of ownership and territory for archaeological parks. Paying special attention to the sites of Zaculeu, Bonampak, and Quirigúa, the paper investigates how relationships between American archaeologists and United Fruit Company officials became embedded into territorial management that have repercussions to this day. While there is an abundance of research on the history of the United Fruit Company and its entanglement in United States Imperial endeavors, there is little research on the entanglements of archaeological work within the Company. This research argues that controlling archaeological parks of the Maya past were also an effective means to justify American control in the present.