eHRAF Archaeology

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The Lowland Mesoamerican Archaic tradition is found in Belize and Mexico between 7000 and 3800 BP. The people of this tradition were primarily hunters, fishers, and gatherers, but did cultivate some plants. They lived in small possibly permanent coastal settlements. Upland sites on river and swamp margins may have been special purpose locations. They became increasingly dependent on maize and possibly manioc towards the end of the period. Although essentially egalitarian, the regionally organized exploitation and distribution of resources suggests social complexity beyond that of simple hunter-gatherer societies.

The Colha preceramic project

Tradition summary

The preceramic of Mesoamerica

Early agriculture in the Maya lowlands

The rise of sedentary life

The Chantuto people: an archaic period society of the Chiapas Littoral, Mexico

Pre-agricultural village life

A summary report on three seasons of field investigations into the Archaic period prehistory of lowland Belize

Author	Title	Publication Date
Hester, Thomas R.	The Colha preceramic project	1996
Iceland, Harry Barne	Tradition summary	2001
MacNeish, Richard S.	The preceramic of Mesoamerica	1983
Pohl, Mary D.	Early agriculture in the Maya lowlands	1996
Stark, Barbara L.	The rise of sedentary life	1981
Voorhies, Barbara	The Chantuto people: an archaic period society of the Chiapas Littoral, Mexico	1976
Wilkerson, S. Jeffrey K.	Pre-agricultural village life	1975
Zeitlin, Robert N.	A summary report on three seasons of field investigations into the Archaic period prehistory of lowland Belize	1984

Lowland Mesoamerican Archaic

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