Settlement Pattern and Land Use at Holtun, Guatemala

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.

In Maya archaeology, agricultural cycles are the cornerstone of multiple research topics that intertwine daily life, ideology, political economy, and settlement systems. In archaeological research, land-use can be indicative of social organization and provisioning strategies. In this regard, research conducted in the modest-sized site of Holtun contributes to the growing body of land management research in ancient Maya archaeology. Holtun developed social complexity during the Middle Preclassic period and cultural activities remained through the Terminal Classic period. The site is located in an elevated terrain surrounded by ravines. Although the landscape lacks a significant body of water, the geomorphology includes several freshwater springs, still-water pools, and water reservoirs. The site of Holtun adapted to this unique landscape and the cultural settlement depicts patterns of social organization and status. A geospatial analysis of the landscape of Holtun indicates that some portions within the perimeter of the site have the geographical characteristics to facilitate milpa agriculture. Furthermore, the inhabitants of the adjacent village of La Maquina, colonized in the 1960s, have also deemed some of these areas ideal for the practice of agriculture. Besides archaeological research, the modern use of the land is an indicator of the provisioning potentials of the landscape.

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)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37405.0