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A Preclassic Maya Water System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Vernon L. Scarborough
Vernon L. Scarborough*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968
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Abstract

The Late Preclassic Maya center of Cerros, northern Belize (300 B.C. to A.D. 150) has revealed evidence of a sophisticated water control system. Canals and raised field platforms have been examined inside the community center. An underlying limestone caprock was systematically removed during the quarrying of monument fill to maintain adequate drainage in the community. The result was a man-made relief or watershed across the entire core site area. The role of present and past microenvironments at Cerros is addressed.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 48 , Issue 4 , October 1983 , pp. 720 - 744
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1983

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References

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