Aguadas of the Bajo el Laberinto Region: Form, Distribution, and Biocultural Importance

Summary

This is an abstract from the "New and Emerging Perspectives on the Bajo el Laberinto Region of the Maya Lowlands, Part 1" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Aguadas are permanent or temporary water reservoirs distributed throughout the Elevated Interior Region (EIR). These wetlands have formed complex ecosystems that are essential for the survival of many species and are sometimes the only source of fresh water for animal and human communities in the region. Archaeological research has shown that most of the aguadas were built by the ancient Maya as part of their water management strategies, which they adapted and developed over the centuries. This paper presents the results of the documentation of the aguadas in the Bajo eL Laberinto region, which was carried out using remote sensing techniques (lidar and satellite imagery) and field verification of selected examples. The results of this process allow us to know the morphological characteristics of the aguadas, such as their shape, area, estimated capacity, and distribution, essential information to come closer to understanding the importance they had for the development and maintenance of the prehispanic population of the region, as well as their current relevance as wetland ecosystems.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• New and Emerging Perspectives on the Bajo el Laberinto Region of the Maya Lowlands, Part 1   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39135.0