The Utilization of Pomacea Snails at Tikal, Guatemala

Moholy‐Nagy, Hattula

doi:10.2307/279632

Cited by 22 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…There is no sign of cooking or discoloration from heating on the surface, nor uniform piercing to extract the gastropod. This coincides with what previous studies have reported in the Peten [68]. It would appear that they were collected in dense quantities, regardless of size, and that the gastropods inside were removed in such a way that the shells were undamaged.…”

Section: The Classic Period Decline Of Freshwater Molluskssupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Significantly, this temporal invertebrate-vertebrate shift has been reported previously at other Maya sites, especially those with large faunal assemblages covering both the Preclassic and Classic periods. Moholy-Nagy was the first to report this trend at the large site of Tikal in the eastern Peten [68,69], noting that dense deposits of apple snails were only found during the Preclassic period. Similar patterns have been identified at Barton Ramie [70], Blue Creek [71], Cahal Pech [72], Cuello [73,74], K'axob [75], Pacbitun [76], San Bartolo-Xultun [77,78], and Yaxha-Sacnab [79], among others.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of hypotheses have been proposed over the years to explain this pattern. Two of the first to notice this trend, Moholy-Nagy [68] and Willey [70], suggested that rising human populations resulted in the overexploitation of these freshwater mollusks (but not the jute). Others [84,85] suspected massive land-use changes over time in Belize may have caused these trends, mainly due to changing agricultural practices between the Preclassic and Classic periods, resulting in the draining and desiccation of wetlands that created an uninhabitable environment for the apple snails.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

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The Maya Preclassic to Classic transition observed through faunal trends from Ceibal, Guatemala

et al. 2020

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It is well known that the development of the ancient Maya civilization had significant and long-lasting impacts on the environment. This study assesses a large collection of faunal remains (>35,000 specimens) recovered over a span of several kilometers in and around the archaeological site of Ceibal, Guatemala, in order to determine whether the composition of animal resources was continuous throughout the site's history between 1000 BC and AD 1200, or whether there were any changes that could be attributed to sociopolitical or environmental causes. Results show a steep uniform decline in the number of freshwater mollusks across the site that occurred during the Preclassic to Classic transition, when large region-wide political changes, including the development of more complex and centralized political organization, took place throughout the Maya region. Evidence of species introductions (e.g., turkeys from central Mexico and possibly the Dermatemys river turtle from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec) and variations in resource exchange (e.g. marine shells) over time indicate that Ceibal was one of likely many communities involved in long-distance animal exchange networks. The results of the faunal analysis at Ceibal show how the ancient Maya had a complex and ever-changing relationship with the local wildlife, with outcomes that can still be observed in the environment today.

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Section: The Classic Period Decline Of Freshwater Molluskssupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

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The Maya Preclassic to Classic transition observed through faunal trends from Ceibal, Guatemala

et al. 2020

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“…Evidence does exist for a shift away from exploitation of freshwater shellfish at the end of the Preclassic Period, however. This trend has been observed at Copan, Barton Ramie, possibly at Altar de Sacrificios, around Lakes Yaxha and Sacnab (54) and Tikal (55). A drying up of freshwater molluscan habitats is likely to produce such a sustained abstinence from escargot (56).…”

Section: The Impact Of Climatic Change On Groundwater Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 81%

Climate and prehistory on the Yucatan peninsula

Dahlin

1990

Climatic Change

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Long held notions that climate has been stable over the Yucatan peninsula and that today's climate is an accurate reflection of past climates here are being challenged today by a number of researchers. Both empirical and circumstantial evidence are offered for a prolonged and severe period of dessication in the Maya lowlands and its effects on soils, vegetation, lake levels and ancient Maya cultural processes, ca. 50 B.C. to 500 A.D. After centuries of steady and precocious growth and development, Late Preclassic Maya civilization in the drier northern two thirds of the peninsula abruptly collapsed, probably due to repeated crop failures and decreasing availabilities of potable water due to severe drought conditions. This is nowhere more apparent than at the predominantly Preclassic ruins of E1 Mirador -the largest known ancient Maya city -which was almost totally abandoned by A.D. 250. Thereafter, the development of classicism was confined to a small and better watered area in extreme northeastern Guatemala, northern Belize and southern Quintana Roo, which was defended from invaders from the north by a line of fortified sites. latitudinal belt often produce unstable monsoon-type climates which are sensitive to global discontinuities. This latitudinal belt, for example is shared with East Africa, the Sahel, Northwestern India, Bangladesh and Southern China, all of which are notorious for dramatic shifts in climate. It would be somewhat surprising therefore, if Holocene climates were stable over tile Yucatan Peninsula. Climatic Change 5 (1983) 245-263. 0165-0009/83/0053 0345502.85. 9 1983 by D. R eidel Publishing Companv.

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“…The perennially or seasonally wet depressions formed by aguadas typically include sedges, ferns and grasses, and arboreal species that are common to transitional upland forests. Additionally, as freshwater ecosystems, aguadas act as important habitats to a number of mammals, avifauna, fish, gastropods and zooplankton (Goulden 1966; Lohse 2004; Moholy-Nagy 1978; Reyes 2004).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

USE OFAGUADASAS WATER MANAGEMENT SOURCES IN TWO SOUTHERN MAYA LOWLAND SITES

et al. 2012

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Aguadas, either natural or human-made ponds, were significant sources of water for the ancient Maya. Aguadas are common features in the Maya Lowlands and make valuable locations for collecting archaeological and paleoenvironmental data. This article discusses research conducted at four aguadas around two adjacent Maya sites, San Bartolo and Xultun in Peten, Guatemala. Both San Bartolo and Xultun were established during the Preclassic period. However, the fates of the two sites differed, as Xultun continued to prosper while the city of San Bartolo was abandoned near the close of the Late Preclassic period. We argue that aguadas provide important clues for understanding the fate of these two ancient communities and many others in the Maya Lowlands.

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The Utilization of Pomacea Snails at Tikal, Guatemala

Cited by 22 publications

References 4 publications

The Maya Preclassic to Classic transition observed through faunal trends from Ceibal, Guatemala

The Maya Preclassic to Classic transition observed through faunal trends from Ceibal, Guatemala

Climate and prehistory on the Yucatan peninsula

USE OFAGUADASAS WATER MANAGEMENT SOURCES IN TWO SOUTHERN MAYA LOWLAND SITES

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