Population Estimation in Ancient Mesoamerica: Retrospective and Prospective

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Ancient Mesoamerican Population History: Demography, Social Complexity, and Change" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The determination of accurate population numbers for ancient Mesoamerican societies is key for making interpretations about past levels of complexity. This is not only necessary for understanding how societies changed over time but also for how they were organized over space. The techniques that Mesoamericanists use vary depending upon area of research. In the highlands, population numbers are usually determined as a result of surface surveys and estimations of people based on hectares of land that were occupied. In the lowlands, estimations are often based on numbers of mapped mounds and an extrapolation of occupants per mound and area occupied, with change over time often based on dated sherd material recovered through a testing program. The use of different methodologies has led to divergent interpretations about the sizes of ancient Mesoamerican populations and the density of settlement. The addition of lidar helps in defining the limits of centers and settlement, especially in the lowlands, and this technology obviates the former need for extrapolations about settlement extent. How population numbers are determined has implications for interpretations related to urbanism and sociopolitical complexity throughout Mesoamerica. This paper seeks to codify past approaches and present newly viable options for approaching ancient population histories.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Ancient Mesoamerican Population History: Demography, Social Complexity, and Change

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32109