Influential landscapes: Temporal trends in the agricultural use of rejolladas at Tahcabo, Yucatán, Mexico

Dedrick, Maia; Webb, Elizabeth; McAnany, Patricia A.; Kumul, José Miguel Kanxoc; Jones, John G.; Alpuche, Adolfo Iván Batún; Pope, Carly; Russell, Morgan L.

doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2020.101175

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Prior to its designation as a mission town, Tahcabo had a long history dating back to at least the Late Preclassic period (ca. 300 BC; Dedrick, 2019).…”

Section: Manifestations Of Violence In the Countrysidementioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the site of Tahcabo, eight dry sinkholes, called rejolladas , can be found within and immediately surrounding the town's colonial street grid (Figure 2). These are places within which soil and moisture collect, providing enhanced opportunities for the cultivation of nearly any plant (Dedrick et al., 2020; Dine et al., 2019). During a time of population expansion at Tahcabo corresponding to the Terminal Preclassic period (ca.…”

Section: Manifestations Of Violence In the Countrysidementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Clearly, this household ignored the order, as well as one demanding the surrender of all "ídolos" (icons of traditional deities; Ancona, 1889, 545), since part of a Postclassic-style Chen Mul deity-modeled incense burner was found deposited with another incense burner along a wall of the residential platform. Plant remains studied from an area of kitchen refuse east of the residential platform indicate the predominance of maize alongside legume, squash, possible chili pepper, and palm and berry fruits that could have been collected from nearby forested areas (Dedrick, 2019). The dependence on annual crops, gathered fruits, hunting, and fishing would have allowed household members to move as needed without losing investments sunk into gardens, orchards, or larger domesticated animals.…”

Section: Increased Dependence On Maize and Mobilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Archaeological evidence from Tahcabo, the nearby site of Ek’ Balam, and historical sources suggest that mobility was a necessary tactic for survival, particularly among those who were violently removed from their homes and relocated to mission towns (Dedrick, 2019; Farriss, 1984; Hanson, 2008). People arriving at a mission town from elsewhere would have been at a disadvantage.…”

Section: Manifestations Of Violence In the Countrysidementioning

confidence: 99%

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Tracing the structural consequences of colonialism in rural Yucatán, Mexico

Dedrick

McAnany

Alpuche

2023

American Anthropologist

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Archaeologists from the United States working in what is referred to as the Maya area have paid insufficient attention to the structural violence of colonial rule and how their own narratives may perpetuate it. This article addresses the pervasive effects of colonial violence on farming communities in Yucatán, Mexico, which resulted in the undercutting of sustainable livelihoods and the imposition of hierarchies leading to systemic racism. The interpretation of archaeological and historical evidence can reveal the challenges that colonialism and its consequences posed for Indigenous peoples in their daily lives and also distinguish tactics that they used to achieve well-being. Following an account of colonial policies and their outcomes, we demonstrate how closely linked archaeological practice has been with colonial and imperial interests in Yucatán and suggest how archaeologists can reckon with the violence of colonialism and its resonances in archaeology today.

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“…Prior to its designation as a mission town, Tahcabo had a long history dating back to at least the Late Preclassic period (ca. 300 BC; Dedrick, 2019).…”

Section: Manifestations Of Violence In the Countrysidementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Manifestations Of Violence In the Countrysidementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Increased Dependence On Maize and Mobilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Manifestations Of Violence In the Countrysidementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Tracing the structural consequences of colonialism in rural Yucatán, Mexico

Dedrick

McAnany

Alpuche

2023

American Anthropologist

Self Cite

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“…Home gardens are a noticeable feature of the Mayan settlements that exist even today [37,88,[95][96][97][98][99]. In this respect, archaeological site 272-025 (also known as Tzunu'un) in the Mayan city of El Pilar presents an illuminating example of recreating a Mayan home garden in the present time.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological Embeddedness in the Maya Built Environment: Inspiration for Contemporary Cities

Akbar

Abubakar

Shah

et al. 2021

Land

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Cities nowadays are the most significant source of environmental degradation threatening local and global ecosystems. Interestingly, many ancient settlements present excellent lessons and inspiration for addressing our current urban predicaments, given their environmental stewardship. This research explores how the ecologically embedded settlement patterns, building configurations, urban agriculture and home gardening, and water conservation of the Maya-built environment can offer insights about mitigating contemporary urban sustainability challenges. Mayans’ respect for nature not only guaranteed sustainable habitats but also engendered one of the most remarkable civilizations in a region that did not offer generous support for human accommodation. The Mayan world view promoted the idea of one spirit dwelling in all humans and other-than-human entities in an environment, making everything sacred and kin to everything else. The regional climate was kept under control by protecting the vegetation that also provided other ecological benefits. Land use was mixed, and residences were constructed with native and recyclable materials utilizing natural light and ventilation. The Mayan civilization inspires us to manage and protect plants, not cut them down; conserve water, not waste it; listen to the environmental feedback, not reject it; and, most importantly, it begs us to embrace nature as our own mother, not disown it as something dispensable. These principles have significant implications on urban land-use planning and policies today.

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Agriculture in the Ancient Maya Lowlands (Part 2): Landesque Capital and Long-term Resource Management Strategies

Fedick

Morell-Hart

2023

J Archaeol Res

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Pre-Columbian food production in the Maya Lowlands was long characterized as reliant on extensive, slash-and-burn agriculture as the sole cultivation system possible in the region, given environmental limitations, with maize as the dominant crop. While aspects of this “swidden thesis” of Maya agriculture have been chipped away in recent years, there has been an underappreciation of the many forms of long-term capital investments in agriculture made by ancient Maya people. Here, we review the last three decades of research that has overturned the swidden thesis, focusing on long-term strategies. We demonstrate long-lasting agricultural investments by Maya people, in social capital including multigenerational land tenure, in cultivated capital including long-lived trees, and in landesque capital including soil amendments and landscape engineering projects, such as terracing and wetland modification.

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Influential landscapes: Temporal trends in the agricultural use of rejolladas at Tahcabo, Yucatán, Mexico

Cited by 7 publications

References 55 publications

Tracing the structural consequences of colonialism in rural Yucatán, Mexico

Tracing the structural consequences of colonialism in rural Yucatán, Mexico

Ecological Embeddedness in the Maya Built Environment: Inspiration for Contemporary Cities

Agriculture in the Ancient Maya Lowlands (Part 2): Landesque Capital and Long-term Resource Management Strategies

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