A Paleoecological Record from a Late Classic Maya Reservoir in the North Petén

Bibliographic Data

ID4373582
AuthorsDiane Wahl (0000-0002-0451-3554), David Wahl, Thomas Schreiner, Roger Byrne, Richard Hansen, Richard D Hansen (0000-0002-9903-3560)
Year2007
Volume18
Issue2
Pages212
Publication date2007-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueLatin American Antiquity (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1045-6635 • E-ISSN: 2325-5080
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/25063105
OpenAlexW2035404720
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited4

Aguada Zacatal is a reservoir located within a bajo 4 km west of Nakbe, Peten, Guatemala. It is 100 m in diameter and the surrounding berm is approximately 1 m tall. The small Classic period site of Zacatal is adjacent to the aguada. The reservoir's artificial lining prevents dry season desiccation and enhances microfossil preservation. In 1998 a 335 cm sediment core was taken from the center of the reservoir and analyzed for pollen, microscopic charcoal, and total organic matter. Core chronology, based on two AMS radiocarbon determinations, shows the record covers the period from A.D. 695 to present. Only the upper 113 cm contained well-preserved microfossils. The pollen record clearly documents a period of agricultural activity followed by abandonment and forest succession. In the agricultural period (A.D. 695-840), corn pollen is found in conjunction with disturbance indicators. After the abandonment at approximately A.D. 840, the record is dominated by aquatic pollen types and corn pollen is absent. This shift in pollen spectra represents the end of the Classic period

Archaeology · Biology · Chronology · Ecological succession · Geography · Period (music · Physical geography · Pollen · Radiocarbon dating · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Ecology · Geology · Paleontology

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