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Household Quarry-Reservoirs at the Ancient Maya Site of Yaxnohcah, Mexico

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 December 2021

Jeffrey L Brewer Open the ORCID record for Jeffrey L Brewer [Opens in a new window]  and
Christopher Carr
Jeffrey L Brewer*
Affiliation:
Department of Geography & GIS, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Christopher Carr
Affiliation:
Department of Geography & GIS, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
*
(jeffrey.brewer@uc.edu, corresponding author)
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Abstract

In this study, we present new data from the ancient Maya site of Yaxnohcah in southern Mexico. These data, which are drawn from lidar-based GIS analysis, field inspection, and the excavation of two small, closed depressions, suggest that many of this site's features served a dual function. Quarrying to extract construction materials left behind closed depressions that were then sealed to create household reservoirs. We classify these water-storage features as quarry-reservoirs. The ubiquity of these small quarry-reservoirs represented an important community water source outside the sphere of direct elite control.

En este estudio, presentamos nuevos datos del antiguo sitio maya de Yaxnohcah en el sur de México. Los datos extraídos del análisis SIG basado en lidar, la inspección de campo y la excavación de dos pequeñas depresiones cerradas sugieren que muchos de estos elementos cumplían una doble función. Las canteras para extraer materiales de construcción dejaron de lado las depresiones cerradas que luego fueron selladas para crear depósitos domésticos. Clasificamos estos elementos de almacenamiento de agua como canteras-embalses. La ubicuidad de estas pequeñas canteras-embalses representaba una importante fuente de agua para la comunidad fuera de la esfera de control directo de la élite.

Keywords

ancient Mayawater managementlidarMaya antiguoadministración del agualidar
Type
Report
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 33 , Issue 2 , June 2022 , pp. 432 - 440
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Society for American Archaeology

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References

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