Domesticated Forests? Interpreting Agroforestry Practices from Diachronic Trends in Firewood Collection at the Classic Maya City of Naachtun

Summary

What can be drawn from anthracological data to infer long-term socio-environmental dynamics among ancient Mayas is a question that has received little attention. At Naachtun (Northern Peten, Guatemala), we studied charcoal remains from archaeological contexts in relation with pedological data to reconstruct forest resources and land management through time. Since the beginning of Naachtun's occupation at the end of the Preclassic period (≈ AD 150), domestic firewood economy seems to have been closely linked to the local agrarian system. Wood was collected in semi-opened woodlands, suggesting a reliance on both fallow lands and preserved forests probably close to human settlements. In that context, the observation of an important shift in firewood collection strategies during the second half of the Late Classic period (AD 750-830), from opportunistic gathering of a wide range of forest species to a heavier reliance on fruit tree species, allows us to draw hypotheses on the intensification of arboriculture practices and the progressive transformation of woodlands around the site. As this shift occurred rapidly while the city experienced its demographic peak, it could express an adaptation strategy throughout Naachtun society, utilizing forest garden plots for its firewood supply as a result of higher pressure on local resources.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21950