Prehispanic Agriculture and Its Effects in the Valley of Guatemala

Abstract

II n recent years increasing public attention has focused on the possibly deleterious effects of such economic pursuits as modern mechanized agriculture on the landscape. The debate comes down to priorities: should mechanical and chemical alteration of the land be kept to an absolute minimum, or should we permit "tolerable soil loss"' to maximize productivity and feed the world's increasing population? Informed discussion of such options has been hampered by the lack of a long-term perspective on the interactions of even primitive agricultural systems with the natural environment. Such a perspective can be provided by modern archaeologists who study the cultural ecology of ancient civilizations and analyze prehistoric economic adaptations. A case in point, one that has exercised archaeologists and other theorists for generations, is that of the Maya of southeastern Mexico and Central America. The ancient Mayan civilization is equally well known for its noteworthy achievements in the arts and sciences and its seemingly sudden