The Maya and Climate Change: Human-Environmental Relationships in the Classic Period Lowlands

Description

The Classic Maya civilization, which thrived between 200-950 CE in eastern Mesoamerica, faced many environmental challenges, including those wrought by climate change. The ability of Maya communities to adapt their resource conservation practices played a crucial role in allowing them to survive for as long as they did. Researchers today understand that the breakdown of Classic Maya society was the result of many long-term processes. Yet the story that continues to grip the public imagination is that the Maya civilization mysteriously "collapsed". The Maya and Climate Change draws on archaeological, environmental, and historical datasets to provide a comprehensive, yet accessible, overview of Classic Maya human-environment relationships, including how communities addressed the challenges of climatic and demographic changes. It works to shift the focus from the Classic Maya "collapse" to the multiple examples of adaptive flexibility that allowed Pre-Colonial Maya communities to thrive in a challenging natural environment for over seven centuries. Although the Classic Maya civilization did not leave behind much in the way of secret environmental knowledge for us to rediscover, one of the critical lessons that can be learned from studying the Classic Maya is the importance of socio-ecological adaptability--the ability and willingness to change cultural practices to address long-term challenges. Cover Half Title Series The Maya and Climate Change Copyright Dedication Contents List of Figures Acknowledgments 1. Shifting the Focus A Long-​Standing Fascination with Collapse A Brief Introduction to Maya History and Culture Shifting the Focus The Maya Environmental Mosaic Book Overview 2. From Camera Lucida to Lidar: A Brief History of Maya Archaeology The Maya Enigma Thinking About Maya Human-​Environment Relationships The Early Explorers Early Frameworks for the Decline of Classic Maya Civilization Settlement Patterns and Human-​Environment Relationships The Managed Mosaic Resilience Theory Recent Developments in Technology and Methodology Reconstructing the Precipitation Record Lake Cores Speleothems Reconstructing Forest Management and Agricultural Practices Microbotanical Analyses Macrobotanical Analyses Landscape Analyses Isotopic Analyses Ethnohistoric and Ethnographic Evidence Reconstructing Ancient Stone-​Processing Techniques The Lidar Revolution 3. Forests Introduction Maya Conceptions of “Forest” Maya Forests The Bounty of the Forest Archaic and Preclassic Period Agroforestry Classic Maya Forest Management Ethnographic Insights Tending the Forests Land Ownership Agroforestry at Tikal Apiculture Summary 4. Fields Introduction Crops The Three Sisters Tree Crops Additional Crops The Earliest Maya Farmers Classic Period Agriculture Social Organization A Mosaic of Agricultural Practices Homegardens, Infields, and Orchards Milpa Fields Polyculture and Multi-​Cropping Agricultural Terracing Wetland Agriculture Rejolladas Bajo Margins Additional Intensification Practices Ceren Summary 5. Water Introduction The Natural Hydrologic Setting The Importance of Water Physical Water Necessities Ideological Significance The Preclassic to Early Classic Period Transition Classic Period Reservoirs Tikal’s Centralized Water System Caracol: Reservoirs and Terraces Everywhere Copan: Neighborhood Reservoirs The Canals of Edzna Smaller Scale Water-​Management Features Palenque: “Big Water” The North High and Dry in the Hill Country Summary 6. Stone Introduction Limestone and Lime Upon a Limestone Foundation Lime in Classic Maya Culture Architectural Lime Dietary and Other Uses of Lime Pre-​Colonial Lime Production The Earliest Lime The “Traditional” Method Preclassic Deforestation Classic Period Lime Production Environmental Knowledge and Sustainability The Importance of Salt Salt Production and Environmental Issues The Belizean Coast Salinas de los Nueve Cerros Summary 7. Collapse and Resilience Introduction Issues with Collapse Chronology Geography Scale Causality Climatic Instability: Water Issues Socio-​Politics and Warfare Environmental Issues Resilience Amidst Collapse 8. Looking Forward Introduction Classic Maya Human-​Environment Relationships Forest Exploitation Agricultural Production Water Management The Classic to Postclassic Transition Continued Adaptation Final Thoughts Notes References Index