GIS Modeling of Precolonial Maya Natural Resource Management Strategies during Major Climatic Changes

Summary

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

This project analyzes the water management systems of a smaller Puuc community, tentatively labeled Site A that was recently identified using lidar (light detection and ranging) technology. This region is distinctive for having no natural surface water features. Precolumbian Puuc communities captured rainwater during the wet season in chultuns (underground storage chambers carved out of the limestone bedrock). Prior studies of Puuc communities have focused almost exclusively on larger sites in the region. Population estimates and water management strategies at smaller Puuc Maya communities are still largely unknown. I have used lidar data, QGIS (Geographic Information Systems) software, and available models for chultun capacity to (1) estimate the total water storage capacity for the chultuns of Site A; (2) estimate the population of the site; and (3) determine whether the chultuns alone were sufficient to support the population during the annual dry season and climatic changes such as droughts. Watershed areas were mapped to see if other water management strategies were employed, such as seasonal surface reservoirs or artificial ponds. Terrain profiles were assessed to see if the depth of potential pooling areas could have been used as seasonal pools.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33409