Postclassic Firewood Management at Mensabak, Chiapas, Mexico: Using Forest Surveys and GIS Modeling to Predict Charcoal Midden Composition

Summary

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

Over the last several decades, research in anthracology (the study of charcoal recovered from archaeological sites) has become increasingly relevant to our understanding of human-environment dynamics. The field’s understanding of human fuelwood collection is currently based on a model guided by the “Principle of Least Effort,” which expects wood gatherers to optimize the amount of energy gained from each firewood harvest. Since the difference in heat release between higher and lower quality fuelwoods is marginal compared to the heavy labor cost of cutting and transporting wood, this model assumes that ancient harvesters prioritized convenience and harvested species relatively indiscriminately, creating archaeological deposits of charcoal that more or less mirror the full range of species available in the site catchment area. This paper uses charcoal identification, lidar data, forest surveys, and GIS modeling to test this assumption, and shed light on how site placement and social practices affected Postclassic Maya fuelwood choices.

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): 33508