Reconstructing the shoreline and climate of the ancient Maya port Vista Alegre using marine geoarchaeological methods

Summary

The environmental and morphological history of the ancient Maya port site of Vista Alegre, located along the north coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, is being investigated within a larger multidisciplinary effort called the Costa Escondida Project. The project’s main goals are to learn how the ancient inhabitants adapted to the environment, and to understand how this coastal site was integrated into broader maritime trade routes. The portion of the research presented here concentrates on the site’s geomorphology and climate during the past 2-3000 years through a multiproxy analysis of core and surface samples. This study aids our understanding of the site’s possible functions, the environmental challenges the local inhabits contended with, and possible ancient harboring locations. Results from the research may make it possible to recognize hurricane proxies in the sediment, locate underwater manmade seafaring artifacts and facilities, determine the range of economic opportunities for past inhabitants and quantify the availability of potable water sources.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Marine Geoarchaeology   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-1,07