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An Analysis of the Corriental Reservoir Sediments in Relation to Ancient Maya Land Management and Sustainability Practices at Tikal, Guatemala

Corrado, Kristi C

Abstract Details

2014, MA, University of Cincinnati, Arts and Sciences: Anthropology.

The debate surrounding ancient Maya landscape practices questions their ability to maintain the required resources to support their steadily increasing population without causing degradation to the areas where these practices were employed. At present, few studies have investigated the hypothesis of Maya environmental degradation/sustainability with empirical data from ancient reservoirs. This study investigated the sedimentology of fifteen cores extracted from Corriental, one of a handful of un-dredged reservoirs located in the Maya city-state Tikal. This study aims to determine the impact of the Maya on the Corriental catchment area in relation to their agricultural and agroforestry practices. This research set out to establish the degree to which the Maya altered the land within the Corriental catchment area by measuring the presence of soil erosion evident by way of the thickness and composition of these fifteen cores.

Corriental reservoir sediments have remained intact since the Post-Conquest occupation. Since their construction, reservoirs have been catchment areas through the accumulation of both surface run-off and airborne deposits. Therefore, each stratum provides a unique environmental proxy that can be used to reconstruct ancient local environments. To combat sediment buildup, the posited Maya implementation of a silting tank and sand filtration system at Corriental likely provided potable water during periods of high-erosion, thus creating a sustainable system. Despite the implementation of a filtration system and silting tanks, sediments still amassed from airborne volcanic ash and washed-in sediment.

By measuring the influx of slope washed sediment and airborne deposits from the start of the Preclassic period (ca. 2000 B.C.) to the Post-Conquest (ca. A.D. 1500-Present) period, I found that volcanic activity was frequent in this area and sandy deposits were present within each stratum. This research found a steady flux of volcanic ash settling within the Corriental reservoir indicating that volcanic eruptions were typical for the area. Sandy deposits within this reservoir steadily increased over time; however, this alluvium did not positively correlate with conventional signs of erosion. This aberration from a typical erosion pattern is identified in the marked decrease in the depositional thickness of strata dating to the Classic period. Rather than a pronounced and continued increase in thickness, this declivity in sediment volume interrupts this former steady rate of accumulation. With Maya population at its highest during the Classic period, it would be expected that these numbers would incite a similar spike in soil runoff rather than a decline.

The prevalence of a decline in sedimentation amidst the peak of both social and depositional buildup indicates sustainable patterns of behavior were employed, thereby successfully reducing soil and nutrient loss. These sustainable practices allowed the Maya to maintain a longer occupation and gave way to a quicker environmental recovery of the area after abandonment. In addition, the posited presence of a filtration system and silting tanks reflects the Maya’s conscious effort to combat and reduce the effects of their lifestyle actions on the Corriental catchment area. These concerted efforts resulted in their creating a functioning and sustainable water system for the inhabitants at Tikal.

Kenneth Tankersley, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Vernon Scarborough, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
661 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Corrado, K. C. (2014). An Analysis of the Corriental Reservoir Sediments in Relation to Ancient Maya Land Management and Sustainability Practices at Tikal, Guatemala [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1396454782

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Corrado, Kristi. An Analysis of the Corriental Reservoir Sediments in Relation to Ancient Maya Land Management and Sustainability Practices at Tikal, Guatemala. 2014. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1396454782.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Corrado, Kristi. "An Analysis of the Corriental Reservoir Sediments in Relation to Ancient Maya Land Management and Sustainability Practices at Tikal, Guatemala." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1396454782

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)