Geoarchaeological and environmental studies in the Basin of Mexico

Summary

Environmental studies associated with prehispanic settlements in the Basin of Mexico were originally focussed on studies of agricultural potential and productivity, based on ethnographic assessments of essentially modern conditions. However, archaeologists were limited in their access to techniques developed in earth and biological sciences. Niederberger's research at Zohapilco in the southern Basin represents one of the earliest "geoarchaeological" approaches in which a concerted effort to combine diverse paleoenvironmental studies with traditional archaeological excavation. However, similar investigations are infrequent in the region. The urban sprawl of Mexico City and adjacent political entities threatens archaeological evidence, particularly related to preceramic and Formative period occupations. This presentation summarizes some of the early studies that provide the background to new approaches to the recovery of evidence for prehispanic environmental conditions in the Basin to set the stage for more recent work that builds on new methodological approaches and techniques.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Preceramic and Early Agrarian Communities in the Basin of Mexico: New Perspectives

Keywords

Spatial Coverage