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Water and Land at the Ancient Maya Community of La Milpa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Vernon L. Scarborough ,
Matthew E. Becher ,
Jeffrey L. Baker ,
Garry Harris  and
Fred Valdez Jr.
Vernon L. Scarborough
Affiliation:
School of American Research, P.O. Box 2188, Santa Fe, NM 87504
Matthew E. Becher
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221
Jeffrey L. Baker
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
Garry Harris
Affiliation:
Wilson Memorial Hospital, Sidney, OH 45365
Fred Valdez Jr.
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712
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Abstract

The Late Preclassic to Classic period (400 B. C.-A. D. 900) Maya community of La Milpa, Belize, has recently revealed an ancient water and land-use system. As demonstrated at other southern Maya Lowland sites, the Maya created a microwatershed to store and convey water during the four months of seasonal drought. In addition to water conservation measures associated with reservoirs, deliberate channelization, diversion weirs, and postulated fields, the importance of rainy-season erosion control is indicated. Given the ancient population densities identified in the Maya area, coupled with the seasonal scarcity of water, we posit a “skill-oriented” economy.

La comunidad maya de La Milpa, Belice, del horizonte Preclásico al horizonte Clásico (400 A. D.-900 D. C.) ha revelado recientemente un antiguo sistema de manejo de agua y tierra. Como se ha demostrado en otros sitios mayas de las tierras bajas meridionales, los mayas crearon una micro-divisoria de aguas para acumular y distribuir agua durante los cuatro meses de sequía. Además de medidas de conservación de agua asociadas con estanques, canalización, presas de desviación y campos de cultivo, se analiza la existencia de control de erosión durante la temporada de lluvias. Dadas la densidades poblacionales antiguas identificadas en el área maya y la escasez estacional de agua, proponemos la existencia de una economía “orientada a la destreza.”

Type
Articles
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , June 1995 , pp. 98 - 119
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1995

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