The Last Pescadores of Chimalhuacán, Mexico: An Archaeological Ethnography

Description

Based on his study of the nearly vanished aquatic economy of Chimalhuacán in the Valley of Mexico, Parsons describes the surviving vestiges of aquatic insect collection and fishing and considers their developmental and archaeological implications within a broad context of historical, ethnographic, biological, ecological, and archaeological information from Mexico, North and South America, the Near East, and Africa. Activities, implements, artifacts, and landscapes are richly illustrated, in many cases with the author's own photos and a number of vintage photographs. The study concludes that aquatic resources were fully complementary with agricultural products during prehispanic times in Mesoamerica where a pastoral economy was absent. Contents List of tables List of figures List of plates Preface Acknowledgments Chapter 1. Introduction Western Bias and the Unique Aspects of Ancient Mesoamerica Agriculture, Pastoralism, and Wild Resources: Ethnographic and Archaeological Perspectives Wetland Ecology The Scope and Objectives of This Monograph The Organization of This Monograph Chapter 2. The Lacustrine and Marshland Environment in the Valley of Mexico The Changing Size of the Lakes and Marshes Documented Changes in Salinity and Alkalinity during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries Insights from Studies of Marshland Ecology in the U.S. Great Basin Insights from Environmental Studies in Lake Chad, North-Central Africa Summary and Conclusions Chapter 3. The Historically Documented Utilization of Aquatic Resources in the Valley of Mexico, A.D. 1500-1970 The Sixteenth-Century Sources The Seventeenth-, Eighteenth-, Nineteenth-, and Twentieth-Century Sources Overall Summary and Conclusions Chapter 4. Species Identification Aquatic Insects Salamanders Waterfowl Fish Miscellaneous Lacustrine Fauna (Molluscs, Crustaceans, Snails, Frogs) Algae Other Aquatic Plants Conclusions Chapter 5. Collecting and Processing Aquatic Fauna at Chimalhuacan in 1992 Folk Taxonomy of Collected Aquatic Fauna The Collecting Nets Drying the Netted Insects The Ahuauhtle Nursery Harvesting and Drying the Ahuauhtle Preparing the Edible Insects and Fish for Human Consumption Netting Waterfowl Summary and Conclusions Chapter 6. Comparative Perspectives: The Documented Use of Aquatic Resources in Other Regions The Upper Lerma Drainage (Toluca Region), Mexico The Great Basin, Western U.S. The Titicaca Basin, Southern Peru and Bolivia The Tigris-Euphrates Delta, Iraq and Iran The Lake Chad Basin, Western Chad Overall Summary and Conclusions Chapter 7. Archaeological Implications Issues of Taphonomy The Essential Elements of Traditional Aquatic Economies Archaeological Insights from the U.S. Great Basin Potential Archaeological Signatures of Aquatic Resource Use in the Valley of Mexico Archaeological Insights into Aquatic Economy and Cosmology in the Valley of Mexico Overall Summary and Conclusions Chapter 8. Overall Conclusions Consequences of the Absence of Pastoralism in Ancient Mesoamerica The Domestication of Wetlands in the Valley of Mexico The Control, Distribution, and Exchange of Aquatic Resources The Archaeological Implications Future Research Directions Bibliography Author Index