Paleoenvironmental Research at Yaxnohcah, Campeche, Mexico

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.

When the Proyecto Arqueológico Yaxnohcah began 13 years ago in 2011, some of our driving questions centered on the Bajo el Laberinto and the role that this enormous wetland played in the rise and development of what was to become the great city of Yaxnohcah: Why were the early inhabitants of the Central Karstic Uplands drawn to this environment? Were the extensive wetlands the primary reason for the settlement of the region? Had this bajo depression been altered from perennial to seasonal due to erosion and deforestation? Is there evidence that the inhabitants of Yaxnohcah managed their habitat sustainably? To address these questions and others that emerged because of our investigations, we included in our research agenda actions geared towards the recovery of data that would give some insight in how the ancient inhabitants of Yaxnohcah managed their landscape. In the process several scholars joined the project adding within their disciplines more knowledge to our understanding of urban and land management processes of the bajo region. In this paper we synthesize the works that have been carried out through the life of the project, to interpret how the ancient inhabitants of the region modified their landscape.

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)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40436.0