Scott’s Snails: Freshwater and wetland gastropods as indicators of environmental change in the Yalahau Region, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

Summary

Sediment cores from a cenote (sinkhole) at the center of T’isil, an archaeological site in the Yalahau region of Quintana Roo, Mexico, held a great abundance of well-preserved snail and clam shells in stratigraphic context. Many snail species are sensitive to water quality and depth, or otherwise inhabit specific environmental niches. Their shells are easy to identify and quantify, and where preserved may serve as sensitive paleoenvironmental proxies. At T’isil, variation in snail abundance curves and diversity indices from times before, during and after Postclassic Maya occupation reflects changing water levels, sediments, and water chemistry related to Maya land clearance and modification of the cenote environment.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Managed Mosaic: Papers in Honor of Scott L. Fedick   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage