The Landscape Succession Project seeks to investigate how the sites of El Palmar, Bejucal, and El Zotz reacted to changes in the natural and political landscape at both local and pan-lowland scales. For each of the three major periods (Late Preclassic, Early Classic, Late Classic) under investigation there are a series of criteria that can be tested to verify or refute our hypotheses, and to refine our model. The project requires data from archaeology, epigraphy, paleoenvironmental studies, and remote sensing.
The two main hypotheses that we are testing are:
- Late Preclassic (400 BC-AD 300) settlements were built to optimize the exploitation of a resource-rich natural landscape
- These settlements were succeeded by Classic Period (AD 300-900) settlements that were strategically established to play a role in the emergent, increasingly complex geopolitical landscape
We are interested in understanding how urban and rural landscapes were reconfigured in response to Classic Period politics and how agricultural strategies may have been adapted to succeed in a less favorable natural landscape. In 2009, separate teams will focus on site studies, regional studies, and paleoenvironmental studies to present a holistic model of landscape changes over the course of 2000 years.
Page author: Thomas G. Garrison
