The Archaeology of Cycad Use in Ancient Mesoamerica:

From “Cycad Hell” to Sacred Landscapes: Tracing the Cultural Significance of Cycads in the Ryukyu Islands and Japan

“…800 CE; Takamiya and Nakamura 2020). Significantly, these data may suggest that cycads continued to be used as a foodstuff even after the introduction of domesticates such as rice-a pattern observed in other world regions (Englehardt et al 2022;Pagán-Jiménez et al 2015;Smith 1982).…”

“…Indeed, cycad remains are evident in the early archaeological records of many regions, as noted above. Likewise, cycads also factored into indigenous conceptions of ecology and the domesticated landscape (Terrell et al 2003), as we and others have explored in the context of ancient Mesoamerica and modern Mexico (Bonta et al 2019;Bonta 2022;Carrasco 2022;Englehardt et al 2022). Although these are critical research areas in the fields of archaeology, evolutionary biology, and critical heritage studies, among other disciplines, cycads rarely-if at all-factor into discussion or research designs on these topics, despite their evident significance in multiple contexts.…”

“…For example, the use of cycads as food is attested in the early archaeological record of Mexico, from ca. 4700 BCE (Englehardt et al 2022), and even earlier in the Caribbean (ca. 5800-4000 BCE; Pagán-Jiménez et al 2015) and Australia (ca.…”

“…As we unfold below, cycads were used in Ryukyuan society from an exceptionally early date in agroecological systems, culinary traditions, and cultural expressions. The alimentary use of cycads, however, especially as a famine food during times of crisis, led to the perception of its consumption as a sign of poverty and earned these periods of deprivation the epithet of “ sotetsu jigoku ” or “cycad hell,” during which the potentially toxic cycad was the only available food—a source of loathing, denial, and embarrassment among some Ryukyuans (Haring 1954: 227; Hayward and Kuwahara 2012: 30; Nagoshi 2022: 59–60). Although it is unclear when this term came into use, it captures a broader historical perception amongst mainland Japanese of the Ryukyus as provincial, uncultured “others,” distinct from Japan “proper,” which contributed to the active suppression of Ryukyuan culture since at least the early Meiji period, beginning in 1868 (Christy 2004: 173–175; Kuwahara 2013).…”

“…Only a handful of sources, almost exclusively in Japanese (e.g., Ankei 2011; Ankei 2012; Ankei and Tōyama 2015; Fujii 1999; Kikumoto 2003; Kira and Miyoshi 2000; Nagoshi 2022; Yasuniwa 2008; Yazaki 2008; cf. Hayward and Kuwahara 2012), review cycads in the region and, thus, their history and role in expressive culture and foodways remains virtually unknown outside Japan. Further, traditional Ryukyuan uses of cycads are in severe peril.…”