Old Bottle, New Wine
The Function of Chultuns in the Maya Lowlands
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2575136 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bruce H Dahlin (Howard University, corresponding author), William Joseph Litzinger (NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research) |
| Year | 1986 |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 721-736 |
| Publication date | 1986-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Antiquity (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-7316 • E-ISSN: 2325-5064 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/280861 |
| OpenAlex | W2327587619 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 20 |
| References cited | 18 |
Prior research on the function of shoe-shaped chultuns found in the southern Yucatan peninsula has focused on their use for household level storage of dry foodstuffs. We found that inter- and intra-site distribution patterns of chultuns do not support the household storage hypothesis. At Tikal only 20-25% of the households had chultuns, and most of these households had two or more chultuns. We believe the distributional data suggest that chultuns were associated with a cottage-level industry in the context of a vending economy. Because the internal environment of chultuns appears favorable for conducting fermentations, we propose that they were used as places to process, and for limited periods to store, fermented foods such as alcoholic beverages and pickled fruits. The greatest demand for chultun products was apparently centered around large urban sites in northeastern Peten and northern Belize where frequent civic/religious festivals encouraged a small to moderate market potential
Agricultural economics · Archaeology · Biology · Bottle · Context (archaeology) · Cork · Distribution (mathematics) · Economics · Economy · Geography · Maya · Peninsula · Wine · Yucatan peninsula · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Culinary Culture and Tourism · Ecology · Food Science
Maya Cultural Landscapes and the Subterranean
Where is Lowland Maya archaeology headed
The Memory of Bones
A Water Storage Adaptation in the Maya Lowlands
Platforms in the akalche at E1 Mirador, Peten, Guatemala and their implications
On the vulnerability of the ancient Maya society to natural threats
First archaeological identification of nixtamalized maize, from two pit latrines at the ancient Maya site of San Bartolo, Guatemala
Rate and process of societal change in semitropical settings
Down the T’uhl Hole
Underground Pits (Chultunes) in the Southern Maya Lowlands
Lightning Sky, Rain, and the Maize God
The Potential Role of Small Depressions as Water Storage Features in the Central Maya Lowlands
Water and Land at the Ancient Maya Community of La Milpa
Maya Diets of the Rich and Poor
Residue analysis suggests ritual use of tobacco at the ancient Mesoamerican city of Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala
Drinking Beer in a Blissful Mood
Reconstructing and testing neighborhoods at the Maya city of Caracol, Belize
The tapir in the room
Fermented maize beverages as ritual offerings
Ancient Maya water management, agriculture, and society in the area of Chactún, Campeche, Mexico
The Maya Indians of southern Yucatan and northern British Honduras
Drinking, Homicide, and Rebellion in Colonial Mexican Villages
Uaxactun, Guatemala
Ethnobotany in the Puuc, Yucatan
Paleoclimatological Patterning in Southern Mesoamerica
Prehistoric psychotropic drug use in Northeastern Mexico and Trans-Pecos Texas
The structure of ceramic exchange at Tikal, Guatemala
Rethinking Ramón
Lowland Maya Subsistence
The Evidence for Complex Exchange Systems among the Ancient Maya
Archaeological Evidence for Occupational Specialization Among the Classic Period Maya at Tikal, Guatemala
An Experimental Approach to the Function of Classic Maya Chultuns
Milpas and Milperos
| Unique citing works | 20 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,57 |
| Citation span | 1991 - 2024 (34) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 18 |