essay

Project Acalches: reconstructing the natural and cultural history of a seasonal swamp at El Mirador Guatemala; preliminary results

el mirador, peten, guatemala: an interim report • (45) • Published In 1980 • Pages: 37-57

By: Dahlin, Bruce H., Foss, John E., Chambers, Mary Elizabeth.

Abstract

Bajos are seasonal swamps and are a major feature of the Peten landscape. The El Mirador site is built on the sides of a large bean-shaped body of water 6 x 1.5 kms and no more than 20 cm deep. What significance is the bajo to Mayan adaptation in the region? The bajo was clearly a source of water. Was it ever a lake? It could have been used for floating gardens similar to the highland chinampas. Scholars theorize that the organization of communal labor to collect, store, distribute, and drain water resources was a stimulus for state development and the bajos may have served this role for the lowland Maya. Dahlin et al. studied the sedimentary history and lithology of the El Mirador bajo to try and answer these questions. In one operation they took 29 soil profiles, which revealed that the bajo was never a lake, nor suitable for farming, except on the margins. Evidence of high concentration of salts in Late Preclassic layers is evidence of desiccation, which may have lead to the site's eventual abandonment.

HRAF PubDate

2001

Region

Middle America and the Caribbean

Sub Region

Maya Area

Document Type

essay

Evaluation

Creator Type

Archaeologist

Document Rating

4: Excellent Secondary Data

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Ian Skoggard ; 2000

Field Date

1977-1979 (Project Acalches)

Coverage Date

2500-1450 BP

Coverage Place

El Mirador, Petén, Guatemala

Notes

by Bruce H. Dahlin, John E. Foss, and Mary Elizabeth Chambers

For bibliographical references see document number 13: Anonymous

LCCN

60041468

LCSH

Mayas--Antiquities