The Distribution and Characterization of Agricultural Terraces on Cerro de la Mesa Ahumada, Mexico

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This poster presents preliminary results of ancient landscape modifications on Cerro de la Mesa Ahumada, a medium sized mountain between the northern Basin of Mexico and the southern Mezquital. Humans have used the hill at least since the Epiclassic period (ca. 600-900 CE) for human occupation, farming, or ranching. Terrace systems are located throughout the hillslopes. Documenting the extent, distribution, and chronology of the terraces is essential to understand the connections between anthropogenic landscapes, agricultural production, and demography. We present several lines of data to better refine our understanding of the terraces: (1) GIS maps made using satellite data; (2) topographic data collected with total stations; (3) GPS data from fieldwalking; (4) topographic data produced using drones; and (5) excavation data. These combined lines of data allow us to propose preliminary interpretations of form, function, distribution, and chronology of the terraces and their role in the ancient economic systems of the hills’ inhabitants.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25991