Land and Labor, Classic Maya Terraced Agriculture

This study details the results of survey and
excavation of settlement and intensive agricultural
terracing at the site of Caracol, Belize. Caracol,
situated in the heart of the Maya lowlands in western
Belize was one of the largest and most politically
active cities in the Ancient Maya world. A greater
than 400 year political history is recorded in the
ancient monuments, detailing wars, conflict, and the
births and deaths of rulers. Guided by this history,
this study investigates the intensive agricultural
landscape of Caracol in an effort to better
understand the temporal and spatial dynamics of
population pressure and intensive agriculture
throughout the classic period (AD 250 - 750). By
relying on traditional archaeological survey and
excavation, Geographic Information Systems and
computer simulation, the study also evaluates the
role of massive landscape transformations in the
growth and eventual collapse of Caracol.

Autorentext
Timothy Murtha completed his PhD in Anthropology from Penn State University in 2002. He has participated in and directed archaeological and anthropological research in North America, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Orkney, Scotland for the last 15 years.

Klappentext
This study details the results of survey and excavation of settlement and intensive agricultural terracing at the site of Caracol, Belize. Caracol, situated in the heart of the Maya lowlands in western Belize was one of the largest and most politically active cities in the Ancient Maya world. A greater than 400 year political history is recorded in the ancient monuments, detailing wars, conflict, and the births and deaths of rulers. Guided by this history, this study investigates the intensive agricultural landscape of Caracol in an effort to better understand the temporal and spatial dynamics of population pressure and intensive agriculture throughout the classic period (AD 250 - 750). By relying on traditional archaeological survey and excavation, Geographic Information Systems and computer simulation, the study also evaluates the role of massive landscape transformations in the growth and eventual collapse of Caracol.