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USE OF AGUADAS AS WATER MANAGEMENT SOURCES IN TWO SOUTHERN MAYA LOWLAND SITES

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2012

Ezgi Akpinar Ferrand ,
Nicholas P. Dunning ,
David L. Lentz  and
John G. Jones
Ezgi Akpinar Ferrand*
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Southern Connecticut State University, 118 Morrill Hall, New Haven, CT 06515
Nicholas P. Dunning
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Cincinnati, 401 Braunstein Hall, Cincinnati, OH 45221
David L. Lentz
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, 614 Rieveschl Hall, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0006
John G. Jones
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, PO Box 644910, Pullman, WA 99164-4910
*
E-mail correspondence to: [email protected]
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Abstract

Aguadas, either natural or human-made ponds, were significant sources of water for the ancient Maya. Aguadas are common features in the Maya Lowlands and make valuable locations for collecting archaeological and paleoenvironmental data. This article discusses research conducted at four aguadas around two adjacent Maya sites, San Bartolo and Xultun in Peten, Guatemala. Both San Bartolo and Xultun were established during the Preclassic period. However, the fates of the two sites differed, as Xultun continued to prosper while the city of San Bartolo was abandoned near the close of the Late Preclassic period. We argue that aguadas provide important clues for understanding the fate of these two ancient communities and many others in the Maya Lowlands.

Type
Research Article
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 23 , Issue 1 , Spring 2012 , pp. 85 - 101
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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