REVISITING THE TEOTIHUACAN CONNECTION AT ALTUN 
HA

An analysis of oxygen-isotope ratios in skeletal phosphate was used to assess the possibility that the Early Classic period (a.d. 280–550) Maya elite male in Tomb F/8-1 from the eastern Belizean site of Altun Ha had originally come from Teotihuacan, Mexico. When compared with four other individuals used as controls for spatial and temporal variability in δ18Op values at Altun Ha, this individual falls at the high end of the expected range of local intrasite variation but does not have a δ18Op value consistent with that of Teotihuacan. The mortuary and isotopic data have been compared with those from the previously analyzed Maya site of Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala, in order to examine regional and temporal differences in the influence of the powerful state of Teotihuacan. It appears that Teotihuacan was not the homeland of any of the tomb individuals analyzed from either site. Thus, models of ideological or symbolic power are supported over those of political or military imperialism.

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Supplementary material to "Spatial and temporal variability of Terminal Classic Period droughts from multiple proxy records on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico"

10.5194/cp-2019-68-supplement ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Stephanie C. Hunter ◽

Diana M. Allen ◽

Karen E. Kohfeld

Keyword(s):

Temporal Variability ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Classic Period ◽

Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽

Proxy Records ◽

Terminal Classic ◽

Yucatán Peninsula ◽

Supplementary Material ◽

Terminal Classic Period

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Reply to Matthew Peros, interactive comment on “Spatial and temporal variability of Terminal Classic Period droughts from multiple proxy records on the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico”

10.5194/cp-2019-68-ac2 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Stephanie Hunter

Keyword(s):

Temporal Variability ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Classic Period ◽

Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽

Proxy Records ◽

Terminal Classic ◽

Yucatán Peninsula ◽

Terminal Classic Period

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Spatial and temporal variability of Terminal Classic Period droughts from multiple proxy records on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

10.5194/cp-2019-68 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Stephanie C. Hunter ◽

Diana M. Allen ◽

Karen E. Kohfeld

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Temporal Variability ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Classic Period ◽

Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽

Proxy Records ◽

Terminal Classic ◽

Yucatán Peninsula ◽

Changepoint Analysis ◽

Mean And Variance

Abstract. The Terminal Classic Period (TCP, 800–1000 A.D.) coincides with the collapse of the Maya Civilization on the Yucatan Peninsula, a period of rapid population decline that has been attributed to extended and widespread droughts. This study uses multiple proxy records from the Yucatan Peninsula to collectively analyze drought occurrence across the region during this time. We use a changepoint analysis to identify periods of significant changes in the statistical properties (mean and variance) of 23 proxy records and classify evidence of drought based on four criteria: (1) a changepoint in mean and variance during the TCP, (2) a change towards more arid conditions during the TCP, (3) a change greater than 20 % from the time-series mean, and (4) having a mean during the TCP that is significantly different from the time-series mean. Our analysis shows that five records met all inclusion criteria for showing definitive evidence of drought during the TCP, and these are located in the northwest, northeast, and north-central regions of the Yucatan Peninsula. Many of these records showed some evidence of drought (meeting some but not all criteria), but some showed evidence of drought occurring earlier than the TCP (in the northeast of the Yucatan Peninsula) and later than the TCP (in the south of the Yucatan Peninsula). We also conducted a changepoint analysis on reconstructions of three modes of climate variability known to affect the movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Our comparison suggests that during the first half of the TCP, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) were all in positive phase, which may have pushed the ITCZ southward during the winter months and enhanced aridity during the dry season. However, our analysis suggests that the position of the ITCZ was not the sole driver of the TCP droughts, as these conditions existed over the Yucatan Peninsula prior to the TCP as well. This study highlights the complexity of the spatial and temporal variability of these droughts, and points to the need for further study to identify the mechanisms responsible for the TCP droughts.

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