Maize Storage among the Puuc Maya
The Development of an Archaeological Method
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6033461 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael P Smyth (University of Cincinnati, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1990 |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 51-69 |
| Publication date | 1990-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ancient Mesoamerica (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0956-5361 • E-ISSN: 1469-1787 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0956536100000079 |
| OpenAlex | W1970713779 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 37 |
| References cited | 12 |
Mesoamerican archaeologists have long realized that agricultural food storage helped support large prehispanic centers, especially in places where food production was seasonally constrained by culture and environment. Yet, past storage has rarely been identified or interpreted accurately at Mesoamerican sites – a dilemma that challenges archaeologists to improve research methods. To meet this challenge, recent ethnoarchaeological research into household maize storage behavior among traditional Puuc Maya farmers has revealed that storage is closely interrelated with daily food processing activities. This information has fostered the development of a storage model (based on houselot spatial organization, activity scheduling, and refuse disposal), providing a framework to interpret the material remains of storage-related behavior affected by diverse maize storage techniques. Excavations within modern Puuc houselots have begun to document feature, refuse, chemical, and botanical patterns that indicate storage places. Together, these storage patterns and their spatial associations in Puuc houselots contribute significant information towards building an archaeological storage method
Agriculture · Archaeology · Database · Dilemma · Excavation · Geography · Information storage · Maya · Amazonian Archaeology and Ethnohistory · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Computer Science · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies
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| Unique citing works | 37 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,09 |
| Citation span | 1992 - 2025 (34) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 36 |