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Soil Erosion, Slope Management, and Ancient Terracing in the Maya Lowlands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Nicholas P. Dunning  and
Timothy Beach
Nicholas P. Dunning
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0131
Timothy Beach
Affiliation:
School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. 20057
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Abstract

A puzzling aspect of Prehispanic soil erosion and sedimentation in the Maya Lowlands is the variation noted between different regions. In the Petexbatún region of Guatemala, recent investigations indicate great variation in sedimentation rates between watersheds of different sizes. In some places, soil erosion was slowed by stone terraces, possibly in conjunction with other conservation methods. A review of the surficial geology and other data on terraces from across the Maya Lowlands indicates that variations in the form and distribution of ancient agricultural terracing was probably the result of environmental variability and population pressure largely during the Late Classic period.

Un aspecto curioso de la erosión de tierra y la sedimentación prehispánica en las tierras bajas mayas es la variabilidad notada entre las diversas regiones. En la región de Petexbatún en Guatemala, las investigaciones recientes indican una gran variación en la tasa de sedimentación entre las cuencas de diferentes tamaños. En algunos lugares, la erosión del suelo fue reducida por medio del uso de terrazas de piedra, posiblemente en combinación con otros métodos de conservación. Se identificaron tres tipos de terrazas agrícolas en la región de Petexbatún: (1) terrazas con gradas en las pendientes de las colinas (algunas en forma de terrazas de caja y otras en forma de terraplenes de contorno), (2) grandes terrazas en la parte basal de las pendientes, y (3) diques en pequeños barrancos. Un examen de la geología superficial, además de los datos sobre las terrazas en las tierras bajas mayas, indica que las variaciones en la forma y la distribución de terrazas antiguas probablemente resultaron de la variabilidad del medio ambiente y de presiones demográficas que se presentaron en el periódo Clásico Tardío. En general, las regiones con pendientes graduales, roca madre horizontal, y con evidencia de asentamiento denso fueron áreas donde los mayas construyeron varios tipos de terrazas agrícolas. Por otro lado, las terrazas fueron raras en regiones con pendientes altas inclinadas, roca madre inclinada, o con asentamientos dispersos.

Type
Articles
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , March 1994 , pp. 51 - 69
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1994

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