Classic Maya Settlement Systems Reveal Differential Land Use Patterns in the Upper Belize River Valley
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Classic Maya Settlement Systems Reveal Differential Land Use Patterns in the Upper Belize River Valley. / Walden, John P.; Hoggarth, Julie A.; Ebert, Claire E.; Fedick, Scott L.; Biggie, Michael; Meyer, Brett; Shaw-Mueller, Kyle; Qiu, Yijia; Ran, Weiyu; Ellis, Olivia P.; Watkins, Tia B.; Davis, J. Britt; Guerra, Rafael A.; Helmke, Christophe; Awe, Jaime J.
In: Land, Vol. 12, No. 2, 483, 2023.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Classic Maya Settlement Systems Reveal Differential Land Use Patterns in the Upper Belize River Valley
AU - Walden, John P.
AU - Hoggarth, Julie A.
AU - Ebert, Claire E.
AU - Fedick, Scott L.
AU - Biggie, Michael
AU - Meyer, Brett
AU - Shaw-Mueller, Kyle
AU - Qiu, Yijia
AU - Ran, Weiyu
AU - Ellis, Olivia P.
AU - Watkins, Tia B.
AU - Davis, J. Britt
AU - Guerra, Rafael A.
AU - Helmke, Christophe
AU - Awe, Jaime J.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Land use practices have had important implications for structuring household inequalities and broader political systems in the past. Our contribution examines settlement patterns in relation to political structure, household wealth, ecological productivity and agricultural techniques. Combining settlement pattern data with high–precision soils data, we examine the extent to which different trajectories of polity formation impact the settlement location and land use practices of intermediate elites and commoners. The Classic Maya (CE 250/300–900) polities of Baking Pot and Lower Dover in the Upper Belize River Valley serve as enlightening case studies because despite being situated near one another, the two centers emerged along very different trajectories. Whereas the polity of Baking Pot arose slowly, in tandem with surrounding demography, the neighboring polity of Lower Dover arose rapidly in the Late Classic period (CE 600–900) in an area which was already home to established local populations. Our analysis shows that while Baking Pot had substantial settlement clustering around its epicenter, populations at Lower Dover aggregated around secondary and tertiary centers farther away from the polity core. Analyses also demonstrate that most commoner and intermediate elite residences were situated on the most productive agricultural lands in the region, though some intermediate elite households were situated on hilltops or in border zones with marginal soil productivity for political and tactical reasons. Commoner households were situated on a range of productivity zones reflecting diverse land–use practices which had implications for household wealth. Our case study illustrates the importance of integrating land use practices into our reconstructions of ancient political hierarchies, especially in terms of understanding political strategies and household wealth.
AB - Land use practices have had important implications for structuring household inequalities and broader political systems in the past. Our contribution examines settlement patterns in relation to political structure, household wealth, ecological productivity and agricultural techniques. Combining settlement pattern data with high–precision soils data, we examine the extent to which different trajectories of polity formation impact the settlement location and land use practices of intermediate elites and commoners. The Classic Maya (CE 250/300–900) polities of Baking Pot and Lower Dover in the Upper Belize River Valley serve as enlightening case studies because despite being situated near one another, the two centers emerged along very different trajectories. Whereas the polity of Baking Pot arose slowly, in tandem with surrounding demography, the neighboring polity of Lower Dover arose rapidly in the Late Classic period (CE 600–900) in an area which was already home to established local populations. Our analysis shows that while Baking Pot had substantial settlement clustering around its epicenter, populations at Lower Dover aggregated around secondary and tertiary centers farther away from the polity core. Analyses also demonstrate that most commoner and intermediate elite residences were situated on the most productive agricultural lands in the region, though some intermediate elite households were situated on hilltops or in border zones with marginal soil productivity for political and tactical reasons. Commoner households were situated on a range of productivity zones reflecting diverse land–use practices which had implications for household wealth. Our case study illustrates the importance of integrating land use practices into our reconstructions of ancient political hierarchies, especially in terms of understanding political strategies and household wealth.
U2 - 10.3390/land12020483
DO - 10.3390/land12020483
M3 - Journal article
VL - 12
JO - Land
JF - Land
SN - 2073-445X
IS - 2
M1 - 483
ER -
ID: 335967070