Environmental Change and Prehistoric Agriculture in the Mirador Basin

Conclusion

The results of this study provide a Holocene length record of climate and human activity in southern Maya lowlands. Humid conditions of the early Holocene gave way to a relatively dry climate from ~4600-1000 cal yr B.P.  This 3500 yr period coincides with prehistoric settlement in the area, which suggests a drier climate may have been optimal for prehistoric farmers. The late Holocene was a period of high population pressure in the Mirador Basin. Around 3200 cal yr B.P. evidence for deforestation, agricultural activity, and erosion all increase dramatically. These results corroborate the archaeological record, which shows the establishment and growth of permanent settlements at this time. Forests were significantly restricted for the entire period of prehistoric settlement, from ~3200-1000 cal yr B.P.

The vegetation record shows three discrete periods of decreased disturbance and/or abandonment in the late Holocene: ~2500-2300 cal yr B.P. (550-350 B.C.), ~1820-1725 cal yr B.P. (A.D. 130-225), and ~1000 cal yr B.P. (A.D. 950)–present. The first period coincides with cultural transitions in the region and is the first evidence of a possible decrease in population at this time. The latter two periods represent the Late Preclassic and Late Classic abandonments identified in the archaeological record. Forest recovery occurred rapidly when the area was permanently abandoned around 1000 cal yr B.P.

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