Stable Carbon Isotopes Applied to Vegetation Reconstruction in the Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico

Tapia, Emily McClung de; Adriano-Morán, Carmen Cristina

doi:10.18268/bsgm2012v64n2a1

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(27 reference statements)

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“…These components are believed to have been transported by the surface irrigation waters. The relative abundance of phytoliths corresponding to C3 vegetation, in particular reeds, suggests a riparian environment (McClung de Tapia, ; McClung de Tapia & Adriano‐Morán, ) which may reflect the close proximity of the area to the river bank or may indicate the presence of artificial irrigation channels.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Black San Pablo Paleosol of the Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico: Pedogenesis, Fertility, and Use in Ancient Agricultural and Urban Systems

et al. 2013

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Although archaeologists have generally assumed that the ancient landscape in the Teotihuacan Valley was somewhat similar to the present day, recent research has documented large‐scale modification of the soil by accelerated human‐induced erosion–sedimentation processes from the pre‐Hispanic and Colonial periods up until the present. Consequently, the Formative and Classic period soil (approximately 400 B.C.–A.D. 650) is buried in most of the Teotihuacan Valley. Recent soil survey and archaeological excavation have shown that the modern soil horizon differs remarkably from the Teotihuacan soil horizon. In this paper, we present a pedogenic interpretation of the Teotihuacan paleosol referred to as the Black San Pablo Paleosol (BSPP), which contributes to the reconstruction of regional paleoenvironment and human‐induced processes. The BSPP has been identified in both natural landscapes and under Classic period Teotihuacan buildings, as well as inside the fill of the Moon Pyramid. Maize pollen and phytoliths testify to the soils use for agriculture, whereas diatoms and phytoliths indicate irrigation practices. These results are supported by soil micromorphology. The evaluation of agronomic properties of the BSPP indicates qualities suitable for agriculture; however, water infiltration is low, indicating possible problems with seasonal water saturation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Black San Pablo Paleosol of the Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico: Pedogenesis, Fertility, and Use in Ancient Agricultural and Urban Systems

et al. 2013

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“…(Bronk Ramsey 2017) using the IntCal13 atmospheric curve (Reimer et al 2013). Isotope values are expressed as a percent of organic material corresponding to C 4 vegetation (Table 5; McClung de Tapia and Adriano-Morán 2012).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Geoarchaeological Investigation of the Street of the Dead at the Tlajinga District, Teotihuacan, Mexico

2019

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Archaeological investigations undertaken by the Proyecto Arqueológico Tlajinga Teotihuacán are focused on understanding urban expansion and household economies in this southern district of the city. Our geoarchaeological research addresses similar topics through examination of relevant microstratigraphic and botanical signatures as well as those relevant to reconstructing paleoenvironment. We investigated four different contexts at Tlajinga: the southern extension of the Street of the Dead, an obsidian working area outside Compound 17:S3E1, anthropogenic and natural layers below Compound 18:S3E1, and a soil profile at the San Lorenzo river. We employed micromorphological, pollen, and phytolith analyses as well as standard soil analytics to study the various deposits in these contexts. Our analysis demonstrates artificial lowering of the tepetate for continuing the axis of the Street of the Dead, microdebitage from obsidian working outside Compound 17:S3E1, and the preservation of in situ burning activities at Compound 18:S3E1. Further, we reconstruct alluvial infilling of the Street of the Dead with pedogenetic overprinting and present further evidence on the occurrence and variability of the Black San Pablo Paleosol and its agricultural significance.

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“…David Starbuck (1975) conducted faunal analyses of the TMP test excavations from which he analyzed animal utilization, and Warren Barbour (1976) completed his analysis of ceramic figurines (see also Goldsmith 2000). Emily McClung de Tapia (1979) completed her dissertation on subsistence practices based in part on paleobotanical analyses of TMP samples. Somewhat later, two of Millon's students at the University of Rochester finished dissertations based on TMP data: Martha Sempowski (1983) on mortuary practices at Teotihuacan, and Margaret Turner (1987) on the lapidary industry.…”

Section: Assessing the Tmp: Successes And Shortcomingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Making of the Map: The Origin and Lessons of the Teotihuacan Mapping Project

Millon¹,

Altschul

2015

Ancient Mesoam

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The mapping of the ancient city of Teotihuacan was an archaeological project of singular importance in the history of archaeology. In this paper, we discuss the origin and history of the Teotihuacan Mapping Project (TMP) through a series of personal vignettes written by the project's leader, René Millon, which are put into larger context by Jeff Altschul, one of the many students who worked on the project. We examine the characteristics that led to the TMP's successes and its shortcomings and discuss lessons learned that may be of value to planning future big, complex archaeological projects. We argue that above all, a big project needs a big problem to solve. In the case of the TMP, the problem was the origin of the city. Marshaling a team of diverse talents, Millon and his colleagues were able to make many key decisions in ways that successfully overcame problems that had not been heretofore confronted by archaeologists. These decisions include the use of low-altitude aerial photography, the definition of sites to include nonliving urban spaces, the sampling of surface artifacts, strategic test excavations, computerized data management and sophisticated statistical analyses, and a unique manner of publication. Less successful was the project's record in publishing descriptive data. The project's success lay in its ability to take on an important problem and to follow through, even though some tasks required decades to complete and others remain to be completed.

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Stable Carbon Isotopes Applied to Vegetation Reconstruction in the Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico

Cited by 13 publications

References 25 publications

The Black San Pablo Paleosol of the Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico: Pedogenesis, Fertility, and Use in Ancient Agricultural and Urban Systems

The Black San Pablo Paleosol of the Teotihuacan Valley, Mexico: Pedogenesis, Fertility, and Use in Ancient Agricultural and Urban Systems

A Geoarchaeological Investigation of the Street of the Dead at the Tlajinga District, Teotihuacan, Mexico

The Making of the Map: The Origin and Lessons of the Teotihuacan Mapping Project

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