[Aztlan] dating slash and burn agriculture

[Jules Siegel]

J. L. Baker wrote:
> As far as when slash and burn began, the decline of
> arboreal pollen starting at 2500 bc suggests, to me,
> that, the Maya were already using slash and burn
> methods at this early date. 
The burn part is easy; slash, a little more difficult.

In "1491," Charles C. Mann raises the question of  slash and burn would 
have been carried out before steel axes became available. I'd have to 
hunt down the book among  my pathetically disorganized stacks to find 
the exact passage, but if I recall correctly, he concluded that it could 
not have been done with stone axes because they were too slow.

I will never discard the awesome capacity of humans to use low- (or 
non-) tech tools to carry out daunting tasks. Two thoughts arise. Did 
they know tricks of using stone tools more efficiently than we have been 
able to reconstruct? Did they use other methods of clearing land and 
preparing it for cultivation?

-- 
JULES SIEGEL Apdo. 1764, 77501-Cancun, Q. Roo, Mexico
http://www.cafecancun.com/bookarts

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