Urban Agriculture within the Valley of Oaxaca: Investigations and Implications of Agricultural Terracing at Monte Albán

Summary

The use of GIS to determine the spatial boundaries between terracing and the ceremonial center at Late Classic Monte Alban (250-700 CE), will validate or falsify current Late Classic population estimates. The determinants for what defines agricultural versus residential terracing and whether both types are present at Monte Alban, has been highly contested. Archaeological investigations yielding residential debris, does not indicate the total sum use of an individual terrace, nor does it indicate a totally unilateral application of agricultural and residential space. However, agricultural terracing can be positively identified through the spatially determinations employed by digital mapping software. The successful identification of agricultural terracing is a step towards the calculation of potential carrying capacity and a look into urban sustainability within an ancient city. This study investigates the interplay between terracing and population density within a confined urban space and also validates the existence of agricultural terracing at Late Classic Monte Alban.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage