Records of Ancient Human-Environmental Interaction from Mayan Southern Petén, Guatemala
Part 1:  A 1300-year record of human activity and climate change from Cancuén

Acknowledgements

This research has been made possible due to the generous financial support of FAMSI, via a general research grant (grant number 03042). As an early career researcher from Australia, this grant allowed me a unique and exciting opportunity: to apply my knowledge of human-environmental interactions gained in Australasia to research questions in the Maya world, in conjunction with world-class multi-national archaeological teams. In particular, FAMSI provided the funds required for me to travel half-way around the globe to Guatemala, for several weeks travel and accommodation in the Petén region in Guatemala, for logistical costs of shipping and supplies, for sedimentological and chemical analyses of soil and sediment samples collected from several sites in the southern Petén, and for essential radiometric and mass-spectrometric ¹⁴C dates.

This research initiative was first initiated by Dr. Ron Bishop from the Smithsonian Institution (U.S.A.) who supervised my research-fellowship at SCMRE in 2002/2003, and who made me aware of FAMSI's role in supporting Mesoamerican research. None of this research could have been possible without Dr. Bishop's ongoing support. Colleagues from Vanderbilt University provided access to exciting new sites in the southern Petén region surrounding Cancuén, as well as additional logistical support, assistance in the field and helpful discussions of ideas; Prof. Arthur Demarest, Mr. Brent Woodfill, Mr. Tomas Barrientos, Ms. Brigitte Kovacevich, Ms. Carrie-Anne Berryman and Ms. Anna Novotny. Detailed information used in this report on the skeletal remains recovered at Cancuén in the 'port' was provided by osteoarchaeologists Ms. Carrie-Anne Berryman and Ms. Anna Novotny.

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