Landscape Modification and Agricultural Production on Cerro Ahumada, Mexico

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Studying agricultural productivity and intensification elucidates the behavioral and demographic patterns of past societies. By understanding how physical environments were modified for agricultural use, it is possible to determine key economic and social processes. This paper presents the results of the analysis of terraces associated with the Epiclassic period (ca. 600–900 CE) site of Los Mogotes, located on Cerro Ahumada between the northern Basin of Mexico and the southern Mezquital valley of central Mexico. We created GIS maps of terraces to determine their distribution. We have also produced estimates for the agricultural productivity of terraces, which sheds light on several important economic, political, and demographic characteristics. Finally, we integrate excavation data with ethnographic data on terraces to better ascertain other important functional and technological attributes of the terraces.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32488