Classic Maya Agriculture and Traditional Milpa-Cycle Practices in the Upper Belize River Valley

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Provisioning Ancient Maya Cities: Modeling Food Production and Land Use in Tropical Urban Environments" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Classic Maya polities of the Upper Belize River Valley were situated in an especially rich alluvial environment, which may have served as a breadbasket for surrounding regions. The region was also one of the most densely settled regions of the Maya lowlands, showing evidence of substantial populations from the Middle Preclassic (900–300 BC) through to the Terminal Classic collapse (AD 750–900). Reoccupation during the Late Postclassic (AD 1200–1521) likely reflects this agricultural potential. While numerous theories about surplus production of staple crops like maize or cacao for export have been proposed for the region, questions remain about the agricultural techniques used to support large populations and generate surplus. Intensive forms of landesque capital are largely absent except for an isolated ditched-field system and some small terraces, suggesting a reliance on traditional milpa-cycle practices. This study quantifies available space suitable for milpa-cycle agriculture around Classic Maya households and estimates the associated crop yields to assess the degree to which such agricultural practices could fulfill the caloric needs of the population, and potentially generate a surplus. This study provides a springboard to begin answering questions about the role of agricultural production in political economy and trade and exchange.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Provisioning Ancient Maya Cities: Modeling Food Production and Land Use in Tropical Urban Environments   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36191.0