Preclassic Maya Plant Use along the Usumacinta River: A Microbotanical Approach

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Preclassic Maya Social Transformations along the Usumacinta: Views from Ceibal and Aguada Fénix" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Paleoethnobotanical evidence, in conjunction with other archaeological data, provides key information regarding ancient practices. This paper presents the results of microbotanical analyses —specifically the study of starch grains—carried out on diverse Preclassic Maya archaeological materials (grinding stones and ceramics) recovered from centers along the Usumacinta River, namely at Ceibal (Petén, Guatemala) and Aguada Fénix in Tabasco, Mexico. Preliminary analyses suggest that the early inhabitants of both regions consumed a variety of plant foods, including maize (Zea mays), chili peppers (Capsicum sp.), and manioc (Manihot sp.). Overall, these microbotanical studies not only reveal some of the plants used in the past but also provide information regarding the range of tools used to process them.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Preclassic Maya Social Transformations along the Usumacinta: Views from Ceibal and Aguada Fénix

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24328