A5007563343- Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Latin American history and culture
- Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Archaeology and Natural History
- Archaeological Research and Protection
- Amazonian Archaeology and Ethnohistory
- Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
- Maritime and Coastal Archaeology
- Caribbean history, culture, and politics
- Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies
- Mexican Socioeconomic and Environmental Dynamics
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Soil erosion and sediment transport
- Geological and Geochemical Analysis
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Archaeology and Cultural Heritage
- Tree-ring climate responses
- Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation
- Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Agriculture and Rural Development Research
- Global Maritime and Colonial Histories
- Geological and Tectonic Studies in Latin America
University of Cincinnati
2015-2024
John Wiley & Sons (United States)
2016
University of California, San Diego
2016
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
2016
Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires
2016
Yale University
2016
Institute of Geography of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
2012-2014
University of California, Riverside
2004
University of Arizona
2003
Washington State University
2003
Episodes of population loss and cultural change, including the famous Classic Collapse, punctuated long course Maya civilization. In many cases, these downturns in fortunes individual sites entire regions included significant environmental components such as droughts or anthropogenic degradation. Some afflicted areas remained depopulated for periods, whereas others recovered more quickly. We examine dynamics growth decline several Lowlands terms both resilience with a focus on that occurred...
The access to water and the engineered landscapes accommodating its collection allocation are pivotal issues for assessing sustainability. Recent mapping, sediment coring, formal excavation at Tikal, Guatemala, have markedly expanded our understanding of ancient Maya land use. Among landscape engineering feats identified largest dam in area Central America; posited manner by which reservoir waters were released; construction a cofferdam dredging Tikal; presence springs linked initial...
A puzzling aspect of Prehispanic soil erosion and sedimentation in the Maya Lowlands is variation noted between different regions. In Petexbatún region Guatemala, recent investigations indicate great rates watersheds sizes. some places, was slowed by stone terraces, possibly conjunction with other conservation methods. review surficial geology data on terraces from across indicates that variations form distribution ancient agricultural terracing probably result environmental variability...
The conjunctive use of paleoecological and archaeological data to document past human-environment relationships has become a theoretical imperative in the study ancient cultures. Geographers are playing leading roles this scholarly effort. Synthesizing both types data, we argue that large karst depressions known as bajos Maya Lowlands region were anthropogenically transformed from perennial wetlands shallow lakes seasonal swamps between 400 bc ad 250. This environmental transformation helps...
Getting at the Maya Collapse has both temporal and geographic dimensions, because it occurred over centuries great distances. This requires a wide range of research sites proxy records, ranging from lake cores to geomorphic evidence, such as stratigraphy speleothems. article synthesizes these lines together with previously undescribed findings on wetland formation use in key region near heart central Lowlands. Growing evidence point dryer periods history, which correlate major transition....
Significance The rise of complex societies and sustainable land use associated with urban centers has been a major focus for anthropologists, geographers, ecologists. Here we present quantitative assessment the agricultural, agroforestry, water management strategies inhabitants prominent ancient Maya city Tikal, how their practices effectively sustained low-density population many centuries. Our findings also reveal, however, that productive landscape surrounding managed to brink its...
Abstract The Petexbatun region has a series of upland ridges surrounded by lowland wetlands. In Preclassic times, ancient Maya peoples began colonizing the along waterways. Although few in number, they cleared large areas tropical forest for agriculture and induced significant soil erosion. Population contracted during Early Classic, mature growth returned. During Late population expanded rapidly across region, clearance resumed, desirable, intensively cultivated, were divided an elaborate...
Abstract Evidence for the oldest known zeolite water purification filtration system occurs in undisturbed sediments of Corriental reservoir at Maya city Tikal, northern Guatemala. The was an important source drinking Tikal during Late Preclassic to Classic cultural periods. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and six AMS radiocarbon ages show that between ~ 2185 965 cal yr B.P. filtered through a mixture coarse, sand-sized crystalline quartz. Zeolite is non-toxic, three-dimensionally porous,...
Abstract Understanding civilizations of the past and how they emerge eventually falter is a primary research focus archaeological investigations because these provocative data sets offer critical insights into long-term human behavior patterns, especially in regard to land use practices sustainable environmental interactions. The ancient Maya serve as an intriguing example this focus, yet details their spectacular emergence tropical forest environment followed by eventual demise have...
Forty-three years later these words still ring true, but are too seldom followed (Fedick 1996). For several years, we have been engaged in a multidisciplinary programme of research northwestern Belize and neighbouring areas Guatemala, eliciting comprehensive, integrated picture changing ancient Maya landscapes (Scarborough & Dunning 1996; Valdez et al. 1997). Our goals include reconstructive correlation environmental cultural history, including the relationship between changes water land...
AbstractAbstractInformation from intensive surface collections at the urban center of Sayil in hill country SW Yucatan, Mexico, has begun to elucidate complex interaction settlement, environment, and demography a dry demanding tropical lowland setting. Fine-grained collection techniques outlined this report have produced detailed picture distribution artifacts within one portion site provide foundation for an in-depth study use residential space Terminal Classic center. The article outlines...