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A Classic Maya House-Lot Drainage System in Northwestern Belize

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Jon C. Lohse  and
Patrick N. Findlay
Jon C. Lohse
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712-1086
Patrick N. Findlay
Affiliation:
University of Chicago Law School, 1111 E. 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637-2786
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Abstract

Off-mound excavations at a residential group near the site of Dos Hombres, Belize have revealed a series of unusual modifications to the limestone bedrock. The primary purpose of these modifications appears to have been to facilitate drainage of excess surface and subsurface moisture during periods of heavy rain. By utilizing a variation of lithic mulching in the soil, however, the Maya also may have been able to slow the loss of moisture through evaporation during lengthy dry periods. We suggest that these finds reflect soil and water management in house-lot gardening, and that these measures were necessary to overcome localized geologic, pedologic, and regional climatologic conditions. The use of such a drainage system together with gravel fill at the household level is previously unreported in the Maya Lowlands, and represents an important line of inquiry into gardens as ancient agricultural production systems.

Resumen

Resumen

Las investigaciones arqueológicas recientemente realizadas en el asentamiento de Dos Hombres, se han centrado en el estudio de las características económicas de las unidades domésticas del sitio durante el Clásico Tardío (650-800 d. C.). Los huertos, extensamente documentados en toda Mesoamérica, se consideran una forma mediante la cual las unidades domésticas participaron en la economía de la comunidad. La manipulación de características del suelo, como la fertilidad pero en especial su humedad, son cruciales para el funcionamiento adecuado de los huertos. En este reporte se presentan los hallazgos en un grupo residencial (Operación 25), que se localiza a 1,5 km de Dos Hombres, en la base de un desnivel con pendiente abrupta. Probablemente, los residentes de este lugar tuvieron dificultades para controlar el deterioro que sufría la superficie, a consecuencia de deslaves producidos durante la temporada de lluvias. Los habitantes de Dos Hombres intentaron evitar la erosión del suelo, para prevenir la pérdida de las cosechas. Además, debe haber sido imperiosa la necesidad de mantener un alto nivel de humedad del suelo durante los periodos de sequía, así para asegurar un rendimiento agrícola adecuado a lo largo del año. Con estas bases, se implementaron estrategias de excavación encaminadas al registro de las técnicas prehispánicas que posibilitaron regular la variabilidad pluviométrica estacional.

Las excavaciones realizadas en el conjunto revelaron una serie de modificaciones poco comunes en la roca madre caliza, que constan de pequeños canales que atraviesan depresiones ligeras existentes en la superficie. De no ser por estos canales, la humedad subterránea se acumularía y provocaría la inundación de la zona, dado que su función era permitir el drenaje de la humedad excesiva en el suelo. Al incorporar una capa de gravilla en vez de un conglomerado de piedra bajo el nivel de los cultivos, los Mayas lograron disminuir la pérdida de humedad que se produce por evaporación durante los prolongados periodos de sequía. Consideramos que estos hallazgos indican la existencia de técnicas de control del agua y del suelo en los huertos domésticos, que permitieron hacer frente a las condiciones geológicas, pedológicas y climáticas regionales. La utilización de esta clase de técnicas a nivel doméstico no ha sido documentada previamente en esta región del área Maya, por lo cual se trata de una importante línea de investigación para comprender el significado de los huertos como unidades de producción agrícola durante el Clásico Tardío.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , June 2000 , pp. 175 - 185
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2000

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